Death Cult – the earlier, darker incarnation of The Cult – has announced a pair of intimate California concerts this May. The legendary post-punk outfit, featuring vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, will perform on May 14 at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco and on May 16 at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. The shows serve as a warm-up to their appearance at Cruel World Festival 2025.
Death Cult West Coast Dates:
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May 14, 2025 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
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May 16, 2025 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
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May 17, 2025 – Pasadena, CA @ Cruel World Festival
These two club dates mark an especially rare outing under the Death Cult moniker. Before their 2023 revival, the name had been dormant since 1984, when Astbury and Duffy rechristened the project as The Cult and moved toward a more hard-rock-driven sound. Death Cult returned briefly for a one-off show at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles in late 2023, followed by a short U.K. tour celebrating the project’s 40th anniversary.
Originally formed in 1983 after the breakup of Southern Death Cult, the band released a handful of pivotal tracks that helped shape the gothic post-punk underground. Early recordings like the self-titled Death Cult EP and the single “Gods Zoo” became cult favorites. The group’s hybrid of tribal rhythms, jagged guitar textures, and mystical lyricism laid the foundation for what would become The Cult’s signature sound on 1984’s Dreamtime and beyond.
These upcoming shows present a rare opportunity for fans to experience the early material live, as Astbury and Duffy breathe life into the raw energy and brooding atmosphere that marked their groundbreaking early years. Get ready for deep cuts from the “Death Cult” EP, resurrected gems from “Dreamtime,” and perhaps one or two Southern Death Cult classics. This is sure to be one of the most memorable sets at this year’s Cruel World festival.
Cruel World Festival 2025
The Death Cult club dates lead directly into the Cruel World Festival on May 17, held at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. The 2025 edition features a stacked lineup including New Order, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), and DEVO, alongside a long list of classic and cutting-edge darkwave, post-punk, and synthpop acts.
Tickets for the Death Cult club dates are available now. Festival passes for Cruel World are available at cruelworldfest.com.
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