Exploring The Cult & “She Sells Sanctuary” | New British Canon
Punk changed everything. As well as celebrating DIY ethos and anti-musicality, from 1977 onwards, certain things were just instantly uncool: Hippy values, Long hair, and liking bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple or Bad Company. Doing any one of these things, especially coming from the punk scene, was a treasonous act. At least according to the British music press. And for a surprisingly long time too. So when in the mid-80s, the Cult quickly cycled through punk, goth and psychedelia to become a long-haired hard-partying blues rock band, their desire to live life loud was active rebellion. This is New British Canon and this is the story of “She Sells Sanctuary”.
#thecult #alternativerock #musicdocumentary
Fact-checking by Chad Van Wagner.
00:00 Introduction
00:44 The Southern Death Cult, Death Cult & The Cult
07:58 Creating She Sells Sanctuary
15:24 Love & Electric
23:16 Sonic Temple & Aftermath
Soundtrack
Luar – Citrine (https://soundcloud.com/luarbeats)
Jesse Gallagher – The Golden Present
Luar – Anchor (https://soundcloud.com/luarbeats)
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Sources
“Southern Death Cult: The Last Tribe” Paul Morley, NME, Oct 1982
“Punk Warriors” Richard North, NME, Feb 1983
“Brave Tales From Brighton Rock” David Dorrell, NME, Jun 1983
“The Cult: The Cultivation Of A Better Noise” Cynthia Rose, NME, Oct 1984
“Steve Brown – Producer” Janet Angus, Home & Studio Recording, Aug 1985
“Kick-Starting A Retrosaur” Steven Wells, NME, Apr 1987
“The Cult: All You Need Is Love Rock!” Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, Apr 1987
“The Wit And Wisdom of Ian Astbury” Andy Strickland, Record Mirror, May 1987
“The Cult – Article” David Toop, Spin Magazine, May 1987
“Cult In The Act” Dave Dickson & Ray Palmer, Kerrang!, Dec 1987
“Pretentious? Nous?” Helen Mead, NME, Dec 1987
“Super Sonic!” Howard Johnson, Kerrang!, Mar 1989
“Cult Following” Michael Goldberg, Rolling Stone, Jul 1989
“Where Egos Dare” James Brown, NME, Sep 1989
“Live Review: Cult of Personality” David Galbraith, Kerrang!, Dec 1989
“Taming The American Hordes” Paul Elliott, Sounds, Feb 1990
“Wigwams on Wall Street” James Brown, NME, Aug 1991
“The Cult: Bill and Ian’s Excellent Adventure” Steven Wells, NME, Feb 1992
“Blood Brothers” Keith Cameron, Mojo Magazine, Feb 2008
“Love Remembered: The Cult” James Brown, Sabotage Times, Feb 2010
“Still In Love’s Embrace” lEIGh5, Digging a Hole, May 2010
“Love Approval Thirteen: Ian Astbury Of The Cult’s Favourite Albums” Julian Marszalek, The Quietus, May 2012
“The Cult’s Ian Astbury talks about songs, ignoring the critics, and “sexual modality”” Will Harris, AV Club, Jun 2012
“The story of Love, or how The Cult divided their fans and defined their career” Dom Lawson, Metal Hammer, Aug 2012
“The Cult: ‘We’re the Fulham of rock music’” Paul Lester, The Guardian, Aug 2012
“’People started punching the air’: how Primal Scream, Ministry, the Cult and Misty Miller reinvented their sound” Dave Simpson, The Guardian, Mar 2016
“The Cult: ‘The 80s was all drink, drugs and handcuffs’” Robert McCallum, Loaded, Mar 2016
“‘Sonic Temple’ at 30: Revisiting The Cult’s Watershed Album” Mick Stringley, Billboard, Apr 2019
“25 of the greatest guitar tones of all time” Total Guitar, Sep 2022
“Every album by The Cult ranked from worst to best” Paul Lester, Classic Rock, Feb 2023
“Why The Cult’s Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury aren’t scared of summoning the ghosts of their past by resurrecting Death Cult” Paul Travers, Louder, Oct 2023
“Billy Duffy on Ian Astbury and the early days of Death Cult” Dave Everley, Classic Rock, Jan 2024
“The story of The Cult’s She Sells Sanctuary” Neil Crossley, Music Radar, Sep 2024
“The Cult Crack America” Pat Gilbert, Mojo Magazine, Dec 2024
“I Wrote That: Billy Duffy on The Cult’s ‘She Sells Sanctuary’” Jim Ottewill, M Magazine, Feb 2025
@TrashTheory
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Every now and then I get people asking for a playlist of every song mentioned in my videos: Well here's a Spotify link for this one:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5rBxnArC7mCbiwKM43BVGA?si=44cc5cef3e624332
and the YouTube Music one:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLooaZ33lSalegXmHHfIT-UsmGJrJtLEoG&si=pbSzZIN7RXlx4f7t
@JonniePolyester
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
That was brilliant tingles down the spine whenever I hear Lil’Devil , Rain, Brother Wolf -Sister Moon … First saw them on the 1987 ‘Electric’ tour – Birmingham Odeon – loved that album, produced by Rick Rubin! – interested to discover Billy Duffy knew Johnny Marr & Morrissey when they were just starting out ☺️.. & Ian Astbury was on TV-AM!😊…https://youtu.be/VtpVnYpPv6Q?si=pUT-9t7p-CJDOJc9
@dementedlass
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
I never forget a Dutch radio dj saying after a concert of the cult ….( a bad one) firtst it was the soutern death cult, then it was the death cult now it's just kut……( aka really bad…)
@louisduarte8763
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
15:00 Sid Vicious? Didn't he die of on OD? 25:45 "Nirvana killed my career!"
@jfv65
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
I do think the Cult was highly influential in the emerging of grunge. I have no doubt about it.
@davidschlessinger9945
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
absolutely had an impact
@chancesareshewears
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
not very good band, totally derivative and band wagon band.
@j3rryj0y
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
6:37 is that Bank Gothic?? Wow, it did really live up to the name…
@j3rryj0y
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Who first listened this from Layer Cake?
@simeonsazdovski3029
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
I think TheCult, had influence on U2.
@BTCforce
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
The CULT rock
@djborst3065
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Massively underrated as a band in all their iterations,, I saw them in 1991 in Vegas with Dramarama and they were all that wanted them t be. To pigeonhole a band as punk or not punk, metal, rock or whatever is the most non-punk thing ever.
@ChrisB-yv1sj
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Sne Sells Sanctuary is such a great track. As a guitar player, I love jamming this song so much.
@smbake
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Never saw them live but I did see them in the LAX airport when I was a kid waiting for a flight at the gate right next to ours. My brother and I were psyched. We thought Ian Astbury was the coolest.
@robertnelson3179
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Man such a long time. First time I heard them was a a friend playing sanctuary through his infinity speakers. Eventually getting SDC tapes and being at the concert in Honolulu for Electric album. Old memories thanks
@camcardow1566
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
My favorite band of the 1980s. They stood out doing their own thing.
@neeters5
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
OMG you mentioned "crass"! So not a poser! No kidding. (Old goth/punk chick here)
@rlawrence71
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
The way they were able to absorb hippie rock, ACDC and Zeppelin rock, and then hair metal into their music was quite a feat. They were a thread that ran across the eras and led into grunge. Completely underrated. I read all the music and rock stuff I could get my hands on back then and I feel like they were omitted. I'm sure there were some articles but I missed them.
@JimmyCall
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Sorry nothing rememberable.
@417051
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
This is the best video about the musical evolution of The Cult. You have done a very thorough analysis of the musical influences inherited and transmitted by this band. Thank you!
@jamesbailey5008
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Love the Cult!!
@KaosandRiot
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
When this came on the radio didn’t matter what the weather was. You cranked it up, rolled down the window and lived in the moment. Miss you 1980s
@sihammer7942
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Astbury/Duffy – one of the great, English, songwriting duos………. Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards…….. Chas 'n' Dave, to name but a few………….
@youngjuahn
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Please please please make a video about the Slits !! Always love your videos. 🥲🥲
@d.i.l.l.y.d.a.l.l.i.e.r
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Awesome analysis
@jameswbell7084
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
And Siouxsie and The Stranglers were not psychedelic influenced?! By this reckoning The Cult were supposed to be ahead of the curve by comparison. Walk on by by Stranglers was a very clever fusion of easy listening, psychedelia and punk…pure postmodernism
@nelsonventura7374
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
The Cult,are the most underrated band of all times! It is obvious that they had a huge influence on grunge appearence.
I just don`t understand why this video insist on that stupid stand that The Cult are a 80`s act?! The Cult,94,homonym album,aka The Black Sheep,is a absolute masterpiece! 2001,Beyond Good And Evil,is a dark masterpiece. 2012,Choice Of Weapon,is just amazing. 2022,Under The Midnight Sun,is absolutely unique,it is Beautiful! Is everybody deaf?!?
THE CULT!!
@olivialala49
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
I remember seeing Ian in The Holy Barbarians in the 90’s in Costa Mesa….
@theneverwas2835
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
The Cult fits in everywhere. Almost. I saw them open up for Metallica in 89. I felt really bad for them because they got booed off the stage, literally. Great band either way.
@paulsteel9127
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
The Cult was an early Alternative band, so of course they had an influence on Grunge. Just like every other 80's Alternative act influenced Grunge. Kurt Cobain even said in a 1993 interview that he was a New Wave fan.
@kaarefestvog6540
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Recycling of Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones, hmmm, was he talking about Primal Scream or Stone Roses?
@laexploradoraaaXD
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
I didn't know this band but I've been a fan of both their influences and the bands they've influenced and I'm really happy you did this video. I feel like the jigsaw puzzle of rock music in my head was missing a piece and The Cult is that piece I was missing.
@halfrousseau69
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Really enjoyed this vid – lots of talking points! Bravo ❤
@orpheus5
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Also Empire club etc
@orpheus5
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 pm
This makes me think of a guy I used to know Mike
Comments are closed.