Ian Robert Astbury (born 14 May 1962) is an English singer, best known as a founding member, lead vocalist and frontman of the rock band

the Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...

. During various hiatuses from the Cult, Astbury has fronted the short-lived Holy Barbarians in 1996, and later from 2002 to 2007 served as the lead singer of Riders on the Storm, a

Doors A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by ...

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style of an artist, such as ...

that also featured

Ray Manzarek Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. (né Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the Doors, co-founding the band with singer and lyricist Jim Morrison in 1965. Manzarek was induc ...

and

Robby Krieger Robert Alan Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American guitarist and founding member of the rock band the Doors. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits " Light My Fire", " Love Me Two Times", " Touch Me", and ...

from the original Doors. He replaced

Rob Tyner Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ( ...

during an MC5 reunion in 2003, as well as appearing on several one-off guest vocal performances on other artist's songs.

Early life

Ian Astbury was born in

Heswall Heswall is a town on the Wirral, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census, the population was 16,012, including the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 it was part of the administr ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county tow ...

, and is of Scottish and English descent. He moved with his family to

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of ...

, Canada, from England in 1973 when he was 11. He attended Glendale Secondary School. Astbury's early musical influences took root in Hamilton, where he became a fan of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

and

The New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succ ...

. He did not start performing until after his return to England. In 1979, while living in Glasgow, Astbury was influenced by

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

' song " The End", which he heard while watching the film ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph ...

'', later describing this as "a religious experience".

Career

Early career

In 1980, Astbury was in Liverpool, where he was active on the punk scene based around

Eric's Club Eric's Club was a music club in Liverpool, England. It opened on 1 October 1976 in the basement of The Fruit Exchange in Victoria Street, with performances by The Runaways and The Sex Pistols (their only Liverpool gig) before soon moving around ...

. He moved to Bradford in late 1980, and by 1981 he helped found the

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

band Southern Death Cult, which lasted until March 1983. Along with guitarist

Billy Duffy William Henry Duffy (born 12 May 1961) is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist of the band The Cult. Early life Duffy was born and grew up in Manchester. He has Irish and Jewish heritage and ancestry. He began playing the g ...

, bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Raymond Taylor Smith, Astbury formed a new band, Death Cult, and released the ''

Death Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury's ...

'' EP. To help broaden their appeal, the band changed its name to "

The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...

" in January 1984 before appearing on the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

television show, '' The Tube''. The Cult's first album, ''

Dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...

'', was released in 1984, followed by ''

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

'' in 1985. ''Love'' featured the single "

She Sells Sanctuary "She Sells Sanctuary" is a song by British rock band the Cult. It is from their second studio album, ''Love'' (1985), and was released as a single on 13 May 1985, peaking at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart in July of the same year. In July 20 ...

", which introduced the band to an international audience. Many songs of these early albums focus on Native American themes, a preoccupation of Astbury's. On their third album, ''

Electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

'', The Cult made a transformation to a hard rock sound with the help of producer

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...

. After the release of the 1989 album '' Sonic Temple'' and the single " Fire Woman", Astbury relocated to Los Angeles, California, US.

1990s

In 1994, The Cult returned with an untitled album and a musical change of pace. Their hard rock sound was gone, as a result of Astbury's growing interest in alternative music, fashion and introspective lyrics. Although the album produced two singles ("Coming Down" and "Star"), it was not a commercial success. They toured to support the album, but in Brazil creative differences with guitarist Duffy reached their nadir, which resulted in him leaving the band. Astbury soon assembled another group of musicians and began writing new songs. He called the group The Holy Barbarians, and in 1996 the band released the album ''Cream,'' which was not a commercial success. The band appeared at the small Tunbridge Wells Forum, where Vic Reeves joined the band onstage for a rendition of "Wildflower". Personal difficulties and a drive for further introspection drove Astbury away from his new group, and he began working on a solo album (eventually released as '' Spirit\Light\Speed''). In 1999, Astbury and Duffy reformed The Cult. The band signed a new contract with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

, and in 2001 ''

Beyond Good and Evil ''Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future'' (german: Jenseits von Gut und Böse: Vorspiel einer Philosophie der Zukunft) is a book by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche that covers ideas in his previous work ''Thus Spoke Zarathu ...

'' was released. The band initially enjoyed radio success with the single "Rise", until a falling out with Atlantic, which ended all commercial promotions and radio play for the album. Astbury described the fight with the

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

as "soul destroying"; disillusioned, he brought The Cult to another hiatus in 2002.

2000s and beyond

Astbury became lead singer of The Doors of the 21st Century in 2002. The group featured original Doors members

and

. In 2003, Astbury performed with the surviving members of MC5 at the

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

in London. He re-formed The Cult with Duffy in 2006, for a series of live shows. In October 2007, The Cult released ''Born into This'', including the single was "Dirty Little Rockstar". In 2009, The Cult announced a series of shows across Canada, the US, and various countries in Europe. It was billed as "'Love' Live", where the band performed the album, ''Love'', in its entirety. On 29 May 2010, the Japanese band Boris performed "The End" with Ian Astbury at Vivid Festival in Sydney. Boris and Astbury released a four-song EP in September 2010 on Southern Lord and Daymare Records, containing four tracks entitled "Teeth and Claws," "We are Witches," "Rain" and "Magickal Child."

Other musical ventures

Astbury is featured on the UNKLE tracks "Burn My Shadow", "When Things Explode" and "Forever." He also sings "Flame On" on

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

lead guitarist Tony Iommi's solo album Iommi, and recorded a duet with

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

on her 1989 album '' Def, Dumb and Blonde'', called "Lovelight". In 2010, he provided the vocals for the song "Ghost" on guitarist

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

's self-titled solo album. The track also featured former

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

guitarist

Izzy Stradlin Jeffrey Dean Isbell (born April 8, 1962), best known as Izzy Stradlin, is an American guitarist. He was a co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of their fame in 1991, and with whom he r ...

on rhythm guitar. Astbury is also credited for playing the drums on a track called "Gasp" by Japanese Cartoon.

Personal life

Astbury lives in Los Angeles. He has played on the football team Hollywood United with Billy Duffy and

Steve Jones Steve or Steven Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist * Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...

The Sex Pistols ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

. He is a supporter of English Premier League club

Everton FC Everton Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Liverpool that competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club was a founder member of the Football League in 1888 and has compe ...

. He married his first wife Heatherlyn Astbury in May 1992; they have two sons. On 26 May 2012, Astbury married

The Black Ryder The Black Ryder is songwriting duo Aimee Nash and Scott Von Ryper, who originate from Sydney, Australia. Their debut album ''Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride'' was released through their own label ''The Anti-Machine Machine'' / EMI Music Australia ...

singer and guitarist Aimee Nash in Las Vegas.

Discography

The Cult

*''

'' (1984) *''

'' (1985) *''

'' (1987) *'' Sonic Temple'' (1989) *''

Ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secula ...

'' (1991) *''

'' (1994) *''

'' (2001) *'' Born into This'' (2007) *'' Choice of Weapon'' (2012) *'' Hidden City'' (2016) *'' Under the Midnight Sun'' (2022)

Holy Barbarians

*''

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

'' (1996)

Solo

*'' Spirit\Light\Speed'' (2000)

Guest appearances

* Deborah Harry – ''

Def, Dumb & Blonde ''Def, Dumb & Blonde'' is the third solo studio album by the American singer Deborah Harry. Released in October 1989 on Sire Records in the US and Chrysalis Records in the UK, the album saw Harry reverting from "Debbie" to "Deborah" as her profes ...

'' (1989) on "Lovelight" *

Fuzztones The Fuzztones are an American garage rock revival band formed in 1982. History Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi Protrudi in New York City, the band has gone through several member changes but is currently active in Europe. Dismissed by some cr ...

, Several songs live and studio "Down on the Street", "Kick Out The Jams", ´´Cheyene Ryder ´´ ´´I'm Eigtheen´´ (1989) *

Fire and Gasoline ''Fire and Gasoline'' is the second solo album released in 1989 by British musician Steve Jones, formerly of the Sex Pistols. The album featured Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses on the song "I Did U No Wrong" and the lyrics of Nikki Sixx of Mötley ...

album, producer, backing vocals, percussion, words and vocals on "I Did U No Wrong" with Jones and Axl Rose (1989) *

The Four Horsemen (band) The Four Horsemen were an American hard rock band, who enjoyed a brief popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their style was blues-influenced hard rock, but their fame was both fleeting and marred by tragedy. History The Four Horsemen w ...

– ''Rockin is Ma Business'' (1991) on "Nobody Said it Was Easy" Nobody Said It Was Easy album 91- Ian Astbury appears on percussion,backing vocals and consulting * Messiah (UK band) – ''21st Century Jesus'' (1993) on "Creator" * Circus of Power – ''Magic and Madness'' (1993) on "Shine" * Zen Mafia-California song and video (1999) * Tony Iommi – '' Iommi'' (2000) on "Flame On" * Stoned Immaculate – The Music of the Doors (2000) on "Touch Me" * DJ Witchman & Ian Astbury ´´Angels Art song´´ (2001) Samples the song Tyger off Ian Astbury's solo record Spirit\Light\Speed *

Zilch Zilch means "nothing" or "zero". Zilch may also refer to: * Zilch (software), a compiler used by Infocom to create Z-machine games * Zilch (electromagnetism), a group of conserved quantities of the electromagnetic field * Zilch (game), an alter ...

Japanese project Lead Vocals "Ape Messiah" Tekmotopsyshosister - Virusmaker7, "Make The Motherfuckers Wake Up!" etc. (2001) * MC5 "Kick Out The Jams" MC5 - Sonic Revolution: A Celebration Of The MC5 (2001) * Unkle – '' War Stories'' (2007) on "Burn My Shadow" and "When Things Explode" *

– ''

'' (2010) on "Ghost" * Japanese cartoon album 2010-Lupe Fiasco Ian Astbury appears on drums, percussion, backing vocals and consulting not credited on the album. (2010) * Boris – '' BXI: Boris & Ian Astbury'' (2010) * Boris - "Riot Sugar" (2011) * Unkle – '' Only the Lonely'' on "Forever" (2011) *

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

– ''

Bad Witch ''Bad Witch'' is the ninth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by The Null Corporation and Capitol Records on June 22, 2018. It is the last of a trilogy of releases, following their two previous EPs '' Not the ...

'' (2018) on "Shit Mirror"

References

External links

The Cult official websiteIMDb biographyIan Astbury interview 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Astbury, Ian 1962 births People from Heswall English emigrants to Canada English songwriters English heavy metal singers English rock singers English baritones Gothic rock musicians Hollywood United players The Cult members Living people Association footballers not categorized by position The Wondergirls members British male songwriters Association football players not categorized by nationality