Ian Robert Astbury
(born 14 May 1962) is an English singer, best known as the lead vocalist, frontman and a founding member of the rock band
the Cult
The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...
.
During various hiatuses from the Cult, Astbury fronted the short-lived band
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 secu ...
tribute band
A tribute act, tribute band, tribute group or tribute artist is a Musical ensemble, music group, Singing, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the so ...
that also featured original Doors members
Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. ( Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the rock band the Doors, co-founding the group in 1965 with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Te ...
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 " ...
.
Astbury replaced
Rob Tyner
Robert W. Derminer (December 12, 1944 – September 18, 1991), known as Rob Tyner, was an American musician best known as the lead singer for the Detroit proto-punk band MC5. His adopted surname was in tribute to the jazz pianist McCoy Tyner. ...
during an
MC5
MC5 was an American rock music, rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The classic lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis (bassist), Michael Davis, and drummer ...
reunion in 2003, and has contributed guest vocals on several recordings by other artists.
Early life
Ian Astbury was born in
Heswall
Heswall () is a coastal town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was historically part of Cheshire and became part of Merseyside in 1974. It is located on the Wirral Peninsula. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 202 ...
,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, near
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, and is of Scottish and English descent. He moved with his family to
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, 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 as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
,
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
and
New York Dolls
New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...
. He did not start performing until after his return to the UK.
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, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...
' song "
The End
The End may refer to:
Film
* The End (1953 film), ''The End'' (1953 film), a film by Christopher Maclaine
* The End (1978 film), ''The End'' (1978 film), a comedy by Burt Reynolds
* ''The End'' (1995 film), a List of Canadian films of 1995, Cana ...
", which he heard while watching the film ''
Apocalypse Now
''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American psychological epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius, and Michael Herr, is loosely inspired by the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkn ...
'', 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. 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 music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
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 in the band the Cult.
Early life
Duffy was born and grew up in Manchester, England. He has Irish and Jewish heritage and ancestry. He began playin ...
, bassist
Jamie Stewart and drummer Raymond Taylor Smith, Astbury formed a new band, Death Cult, and released the ''
Death Cult'' extended play (EP). To help broaden their appeal, the band changed its name to "
the Cult
The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...
" in January 1984 before appearing on the
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
television show, ''
The Tube
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The Undergro ...
''.
The Cult's debut studio 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 religion and mythology, Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally u ...
'', was released in 1984, followed by ''
Love
Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
'' in 1985. ''Love'' featured the single "
She Sells Sanctuary", which introduced the band to an international audience. Many songs of these early albums focus on
Native American themes, a particular interest of Astbury's. On their third studio album, ''
Electric
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
'' (1987), the Cult made a transformation to a
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
sound with the help of producer
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...
.
After the release of the 1989 studio album ''
Sonic Temple
''Sonic Temple'' is the fourth studio album by British Rock music, rock band The Cult, released on 10 April 1989. Produced by Bob Rock, the album features some of the band's most popular songs, including "Fire Woman" and "Edie (Ciao Baby)". De ...
'' and the single "
Fire Woman", Astbury relocated to Los Angeles, California, US.
1990s
In 1994, the Cult returned with an
eponymous studio 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 band
Holy Barbarians, and in 1996 the band released the studio 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 studio album, eventually released as ''Spirit/Light/Speed'' in 2000.
In 1999, Astbury and Duffy reformed the Cult. The band signed a new
recording contract
A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...
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 the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
, and in 2001 ''
Beyond Good and Evil
''Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future'' () is a book by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche that covers ideas in his previous work ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' but with a more polemical approach. It was first published in 1886 ...
'' 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. Disillusioned by the fight with the
record label
"Big Three" music labels
A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
, Astbury brought the Cult to another hiatus in 2002.
2000–present

Astbury became lead vocalist of
the Doors of the 21st Century in 2002. The group featured original Doors members
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 " ...
and
Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. ( Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the rock band the Doors, co-founding the group in 1965 with fellow UCLA School of Theater, Film and Te ...
.
In 2003, Astbury performed with the surviving members of
MC5
MC5 was an American rock music, rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The classic lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis (bassist), Michael Davis, and drummer ...
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'', which included the single "Dirty Little Rockstar". In 2009, the band embarked on a tour with shows across Canada, the US, and various countries in Europe where they performed their 1985 studio 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
Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...
tracks "Burn My Shadow", "When Things Explode" and "Forever." He also sings "Flame On" on
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
lead guitarist
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank Iommi Jr. (born 19 February 1948) is an English musician. He co-founded the pioneering Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader, primary composer, and sole continuous member for over ...
's debut solo studio album ''
Iommi'' (2000), 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 (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...
on her 1989 solo studio 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 th ...
's
self-titled solo studio album. The track also featured former
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...
guitarist
Izzy Stradlin
Jeffrey Dean Isbell (born April 8, 1962), known professionally as Izzy Stradlin, is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he re ...
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 amateur soccer team
Hollywood United with Billy Duffy and
Steve Jones of
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
. He is a supporter of English Premier League club
Everton. On 26 May 2012, Astbury married
the Black Ryder singer and guitarist Aimee Nash in Las Vegas.
Discography
The Cult
*''
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 religion and mythology, Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally u ...
'' (1984)
*''
Love
Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
'' (1985)
*''
Electric
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
'' (1987)
*''
Sonic Temple
''Sonic Temple'' is the fourth studio album by British Rock music, rock band The Cult, released on 10 April 1989. Produced by Bob Rock, the album features some of the band's most popular songs, including "Fire Woman" and "Edie (Ciao Baby)". De ...
'' (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 language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin .
Religious and civil ...
'' (1991)
*''
The Cult
The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...
'' (1994)
*''
Beyond Good and Evil
''Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future'' () is a book by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche that covers ideas in his previous work ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' but with a more polemical approach. It was first published in 1886 ...
'' (2001)
*''
Born into This'' (2007)
*''
Choice of Weapon
A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate motivators and models.
Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or artificially restricted choice c ...
'' (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 proces ...
'' (1996)
Solo
*''
Spirit\Light\Speed'' (2000)
Guest appearances
*
Care
Care may refer to:
Organizations and projects
* CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation
* CARE (England) West Midlands, Central Accident Resuscitation Emergency team, a team of doctors & ...
band by Ian Broudie, Paul Simpson (1983) Very short-lived band whose album "Love Crowns And Crucifies" (a collaboration between the duo with Ian Astbury, Paul Sangster, Tony Wikelan and Alan Wills never saw the light of day due to Simpson and Broudie's opposing musical views and imminent split a year later.
*
Deborah Harry, ''
Def, Dumb & Blonde'' (1989) – backing vocals on "Lovelight"
*
The Fuzztones — (1989) "Down On The Street" guest vocals
*
Steve Jones, ''
Fire and Gasoline'' (1989) – Co-producer, words , Percussion , backing and lead vocals
*
The Four Horsemen, ''Rockin Is Ma Business'' (1991) – percussion, backing vocals
*
Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
, ''21st Century Jesus'' (1993) – vocals on "Creator" and samplers on more 4 songs
*
Circus of Power, ''Magic and Madness'' (1993) – vocals on "Shine"
*
The Future Sound of London , (1995) vocals on (unreleased track) "The Shinning Path" and ´´She Sells Electric ego´´
*
Zen Mafia, (1999) Choir, Chorus on – "California"
*
The Wondergirls
The Wondergirls was a short-lived American rock supergroup and side project formed in 1999. In its initial, short lived incarnation, the band featured Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, Ian Astbury of Th ...
, (1999) backing vocals on "Let's Go All The Way"
*
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank Iommi Jr. (born 19 February 1948) is an English musician. He co-founded the pioneering Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader, primary composer, and sole continuous member for over ...
, (2000)''
Iommi'' – vocals on "Flame On"
* Various artists. ''
Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors'' (2000) – vocals on "Touch Me" and ´´Wild Child´´
*
Witchman
John Roome (born 26 August 1968, a.k.a. Witchman) is a hip hop/breakbeat artist who has worked with The Orb and The Jungle Brothers.
Having completed the score on five movies (''Messengers'', ''Dead End Road'', ''Song of Songs'', ''Want'' and ...
, (2001) Samples the song Tyger off Ian Astbury's solo record Spirit\Light\Speed "Angel Art"
*
Zilch guest vocalist (2001) songs "Ape Messiah", "Make The Motherfuckers Wake Up!", "Tekmotopsyshosister - Virusmaker7"
* Various artists, ''Sonic Revolution: A Celebration of
The MC5'' (2001) – vocals on "
Kick Out the Jams
''Kick Out the Jams'' is the debut album by American rock band MC5. A live album, it was recorded at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit over two nights, October 30 and 31, 1968, and released in February 1969, by Elektra Records.
The album peaked at ...
"
*
Unkle
Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...
, ''
War Stories'' (2006) – vocals on "
Burn My Shadow" and "When Things Explode"
*
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 th ...
, ''
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 th ...
'' (2010) – vocals on "Ghost"
*
The Fuzztones - (2010) "Cheyenne Rider" *recorded in 1989 and another 5 songs live
*
Japanese Cartoon – (2010) ''In the Jaws of the Lords of Death'' drums on "Gasp"
*
Boris and Ian Astbury, ''
BXI'' EP (2010)
* Boris, ''
Heavy Rocks'' (2011) – backing vocals on "Riot Sugar"
* Unkle, ''
Only the Lonely'' EP (2011) – vocals on bonus track "Forever"
*
The Fuzztones (2013) ''
Snake Oil
Snake oil is a term used to describe False advertising, deceptive marketing, health care fraud, or a scam. Similarly, snake oil salesman is a common label used to describe someone who sells, promotes, or is a general proponent of some valueless ...
'' vocals on "Kick Out The Jams (Live)"
*
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
(2016) ''
George Fest: A Night To Celebrate The Music Of George Harrison'' vocals on "Be Here Now"
*
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
(2017) ''
Cast - Celebrating David Bowie – Celebrating David Bowie'' vocals on "Rock 'n Roll Suicide"
*
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
, ''
Bad Witch'' (2018) – backing vocals on "Shit Mirror"
* Unkle, ''
The Road: Part II (Lost Highway)'' (2019) – backing vocals on "Crucifixion / A Prophet"
*
Black Asteroid (2024) ''
Infinite Darkness'' vocals on "Dirge Out"
Notes
References
External links
The Cult official website*
*
*
Ian Astbury interview 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Astbury, Ian
1962 births
Living people
Association football players not categorized by nationality
English baritones
English emigrants to Canada
English heavy metal singers
English male songwriters
English people of Scottish descent
English rock singers
British gothic rock musicians
Hollywood United F.C. players
Men's association football players not categorized by position
People from Heswall
The Cult members
The Wondergirls members