Before this tour even begun there was an array of controversy surrounding it. Killing Joke, originally down to join the other two bands made a spectacular announcement that they were pulling out, then they were playing again, then in the end, the band declined to appear. The tour had already been once downgraded, and really, it wasn’t looking like the most optimistic of shows. 

But, the other two bands The Mission and The Cult did not wish to disappoint fans and carried on regardless. Both iconic acts still managed to near enough sell out the tour, and tonight was the first night in Manchester. 

The Mission were up first. Looking really nothing like their former selves, but sounding just as brilliant as they always did. Wayne Husseys voice is near unaffected and he sounds effortless singing the classics. Kicking off with Wasteland, the crowd seem pretty sombre as do the band, but as the songs keep coming the crowd begin to loosen up. 

It’s great to look around and see old fans clearly loving every second of having the band play live again. Enthusiastic dancing, and even some people sitting up on others shoulders they show their appreciation to Hussey et al, as they storm through the likes of Severina, Serpent’s Kiss, Sacrilege and even new song or two. The band finish with a fantastic version of Tower of Strength that has everyone moving and the band just seem to be getting really into it as their set comes to an end. 

Next up were The Cult. After the release of their latest album Choice of Weapon earlier this year, said to be one of their best and a return to form, it is interesting to see how they fair live. They always seem to be one of those bands that people always love or hate live, and i have to say i am in the former camp. 

Kicking off with Lil Devil, and straight into Rain, it has to be noted the band sound fairly ropey. Ian Astbury hides behind his dark shades and somewhat holds back a little on his vocal. Whether this is down to nerves or the lack of being able to hit the notes any more is debatable at first, but as the evening goes on it becomes evident that the band are as great as ever and they begin to look and sound more comfortable. 

The new songs go down well live but do not cause as much of a stir as classics like Spiritwalker or Wildflower, unsurprisingly. Astbury lets his hair down, and gets rid of the shades and immediately you feel the connection. He dismisses the naysayers and talks up the bands new album with pride as he finally appears to look comfortable on stage and his voice gets better and better as the night draws on. 

As the sounds of She Sells Sanctuary begin to echo around the Apollo, the roars of the crowd tell a lot about the love of The Cult and their music. Billy Duffy is an amazing guitar player and the proof is there when you hear these timeless songs live. Finishing with Horse Nation and Love Removal Machine, The Cult show they still have it and it seems Manchester thinks so too.

Caris Smith

Well September has crept up on us and there is plenty of live music to keep us going throughout. Here is our pick of what gigs top our list this month…

The Cult / The Mission

After a shuffle around of dates,venues and line up the goth lords will be sharing the stage at a number of dates across the UK. Looking like it is going to be a great show, you don’t want to miss out on what may be a one of seeing these guys play together! 

Patti Smith

Punk pioneer and poet Patti Smith is playing a handful of dates around the country this month. Expect allsorts from this one, spoken word, classic tunes and a whole lot more from the mother of punk. 

Tracer

Coming all the way from Australia, these guys are doing phenomenally well over here right now. Mixing grunge with classic rock, their shows are bound to be packed out so make sure you check them out!

W.A.S.P

A classic, iconic band if ever there was one. W.A.S.P are celebrating their 30th anniversary with the 30 Years of Thunder tour. Expect shock rock lyrics and a blinding live performance. 

Lady Gaga

Love her or hate her, you cannot deny that she certainly puts on a show. Mixing the daring with the outright bizarre the Gaga is playing a couple of exclusive gigs in the UK as part of her Born This Way Ball. And with The Darkness as support it is certainly going to be rocking!

You may have read the other day the news that Killing Joke were pulling out of The Cult/The Mission tour this September. After a rather harsh statement from frontman Jaz Coleman, the band have taken to their Facebook page to apologise and confess that they don’t know where their vocalist is. They state he hasn’t contacted any of his band mates and the decision to take part in this tour was made as a group and one they still intend to participate in. To finish, they are trying to locate the singer and correct his mistake. You can read the full statement here.

Last month the five date UK arena tour feauring The Cult was announced, playing alongside them would be the recently reunited The Mission and of course, Killing Joke. But, recently the venues were downsized and now it appears that the tour may have lost its opening band. 

Rumour have been circulating recenty that Killing Joke, unhappy with the change in venue sizes have pulled out of the tour, and singer Jaz Coleman took to Facebook to make his feelings known on the subject, in a rather scathing attack on both the tour, but in particular The Cult. 

In part, that note read: “Frankly, playing at a gig with The Cult never appealed to me in the first place. The only reason we allowed ourselves to be talked into it was to blow both bands off the stage and to steal their respective audiences. As the concert has been downgraded to a venue that we have recently headlined (and sold out) it doesn’t make sense.”

Wayne Hussey of The Mission has also chipped in to have his say,  “I think the promoters have conceded that Killing Joke ARE pulling out of the shows. We have tried to contact the band through their management, agents and promoters and it seems that no one is any the wiser and the band have gone incommunicado.”

Hussey noted that he agreed with some of the points in the Killing Joke post (“These are venues that we could easily play on our own,” he notes), and urges the promoters not to replace Killing Joke and instead just let The Mission and The Cult each play longer.

The new dates/venues for the tour are as follows…

Sept. 10: O2 Apollo Manchester, Manchester, UK
Sept. 11: O2 Academy Newcastle, Newcastle, UK
Sept. 12: O2 Academy Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Sept. 15: O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Sept. 16: HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London, UK

Lastly, Hussey advised that the said Facebook note is now rumoured to have been from a fan posting as Coleman and not actually from the man himself. Apparently Killing Joke are actually preparing their own statement to have their say and to confirm they are indeed pulling out of the tour. We wait with baited breath to hear that one…. 

Until then, you can view the alleged statement from Jaz Coleman before, but we warn you, its not a nice read!

Read More

This year, The Cult are heading back to the UK for a week of tour dates with The Mission and Killing Joke. If you are going to see The Cult this autumn, you may need to have a look at the dates again - the tour has been downsized from arenas to academy-sized venues.

New dates are as follows:

Mon 10th Sept o2 Apollo Manchester
Tues 11th Sept o2 Academy Newcastle
Wed 12th Sept o2 Academy Sheffield
Sat 15th Sept o2 Academy Birmingham
Sun 16th Sept HMV Hammersmith Apollo London

For more information, please visit Ents24 or Live Nation.

Song of the day

The Mission - Wasteland