When most bands celebrate over 40 years of music, they play a past iconic album in its entirety. But The Cult isn’t most bands. Instead, they performed as Death Cult, celebrating a brief but pivotal moment in time as they transitioned into what would become The Cult. Death Cult was formed from the ashes of singer Ian Astbury’s first band, Southern Death Cult, when he teamed up with guitarist Billy Duffy. Their sound evolved from punk to goth to pure rock as they transformed into The Cult.

As big as The Cult became—especially with breakthrough albums like Electric and Sonic Temple—some of the tracks from the self-titled Death Cult EP and The Cult’s first album, Dreamtime, are considered groundbreaking and have remained fan favorites for years. So, Friday night at The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles was a rare opportunity to see Death Cult in an intimate setting before the band hit the big stage at the giant Cruel World Festival the very next day.

Fans of all incarnations of The Cult packed the venue, ready to be transported by the shaman-like Astbury and the ringing guitars of Duffy. These fans knew what they were in for, bobbing their heads to the music and singing along throughout the night. Even the merch was entirely Death Cult, resurrecting logos and graphics from the early EP and its later re-release.

As intimate as the setting was, the band’s musical power was on full display. Duffy is well-known for his use of the Gretsch White Falcon, and that iconic sound defines much of the Death Cult music. The other defining element is lead singer Astbury. Four decades is a long time to carry the vocal duties, but while his voice now carries more maturity, the passion behind the lyrics remains as strong as ever. Special mention must be made of his tambourine, which was put to work for the entire evening.

Rounding out the four-piece band were Charlie Jones on bass and John Tempesta on drums. Tempesta has been with the band since 2006, and Jones joined in 2020, making them seasoned veterans who provided the powerful rhythm section that anchored the night.

More than once, Astbury mentioned how important Los Angeles was to him. He saluted first responders from the January fires and ended the night by expressing his love for LA. In his words, “You have no f-ing idea.”

The setlist was 16 songs long (compared to just 12 songs the next day at Cruel World) and featured a great mix of Death Cult and early The Cult tracks. They even reached back to Southern Death Cult for “Moya,” which served as the final song of the evening. The encore was the song that, according to Billy Duffy, “changed everything”—“She Sells Sanctuary.” From the opening notes of Duffy’s guitar, there was a tangible release of energy from the crowd. In that moment, Death Cult had fully transformed into The Cult.