The Cult was perfect for the Eighties: loud, garish, over the top. Now, the band struggles to find equilibrium between maturity and fan expectations. Hidden City, the UK-to-L.A. ensemble’s 10th LP, comes close. Minus a need to shout, the quintet channels its energy into textures that simmer instead of burn. Billy Duffy paints guitar tones more psychedelic than metal, while Ian Astbury uses a vocal range clipped by age to give his elliptical lyrics conviction rather than grandiloquence. Whether a rocker (“Dark Energy”), ballad (“Birds of Paradise”), or combo (“Deeply Ordered Chaos”), the Cult compels with unrelieved tension, not bluster. (Fri., 12mid, ACL Live at the Moody Theater)

***

This article appears in March 18 • 2016.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US