Live Review: Cults - Lafayette, London 05/11/2024
Cults make louche return at London’s Lafayette.
Cults return to London to the thriving Lafayette to celebrate the summer release of ‘To the Ghosts’, their fifth studio album. Their long awaited fifth studio album is addressed to the ghosts of previous release ‘Oblivion’ and singer Madeline Follin's past self, and perhaps reflects past experiences that have had a profound effect on her and shaped her in a spiritual sense today. As band mate Brian Oblivion explains, their prior albums were time capsules that reflected the period in which they were written and recorded. This release is something different, as it was written after a prolonged period where the band were unable to travel to London due to the painful constraints of the Covid pandemic killing their touring plans.
Their support tonight comes from London band Tough cookie, who open up with a heavy wall of sound. Their idiosyncratic lead singer Will channels a Kurt Cobain-esque grunge moodiness and similarly dry sense of humour in his exchanges with the crowd, A sense of melancholy is captured in the lyric of their second song: ‘You only notice the people that notice you’. As Will introduces their third song he dryly quips: “This one is about fuckboys. Beautiful, beautiful fuckboys!” which is met with great laughter from this largely young crowd who are no doubt familiar with the term. Just before the final song he says with great deadpan delivery: “We’ve been Tough Cookie for those of you who have just walked in”.
‘To The Ghosts’ is a personal landmark for Follin, particularly. In 2020, upon the release of their fourth album ‘Host’ she admitted that she'd been too shy to bring her own songwriting and demos to the table, which has perhaps creatively hindered the band’s potential for more critical acclaim. It was producer Shane Stoneback's encouragement that altered the creative process for the duo, resulting in their most collaborative album to date. Their sound has significantly more reliance upon live instrumentals, producing a fuller, more nuanced sound that translates more effectively in their live performances, particularly at more intimate shows that their minimalist approach is so suited to.
While their previous albums required the duo to stick to deadlines balanced between tours, the pandemic provided new circumstances and opportunities. With a fresh sense of liberation and freed of distractions and obligations, Follin and Oblivion travelled to Los Angeles in 2022 to join up with their longtime producer Shane Stoneback, who has also worked Vampire Weekend who the band have recently supported on a US tour, to craft an album that looks back on their past while pushing their sound ahead.
As lead singer Madeline explains: "We don't have the sales pitch for the album down yet, but there's no other band that sounds like us," says Oblivion. "We're digging into our thing, and if you're into anything we've done before, you'll love this one." Adds Follin, "We're like no other." One half of the duo Brian Oblivion, explains that ‘Hung the Moon’ from their latest album is “A sweet nursery rhyme set to an ominous tone. It goes back to the concept of growing up. Life doesn’t stop when you check all of the boxes; it gets crazier. There’s always possibility, adversity, and fun up ahead.”
As Cults enter the stage with a confident yet enigmatic swagger, first track ‘Crybaby’ has an irresistible 80’s dance feel despite its somewhat depressing title, Madeline’s angelic, soft vocals have a hypnotic effect which contrast beautifully with a dirty, dense bass layering over the top throughout. Her changes in vocal range alternate between sweet and sensual, giving her onstage performance a truly compelling quality. Midway through the set a medley of fan favourites ‘Abducted’ and ‘Go Outside’ send the audience into a mild hysteria as the anticipation of hearing these two deliciously catchy tracks from their self-titled debut is met.
Next song ‘Onions’ is a hit and interestingly for a seemingly serious band, they have quirkily announced their own line of pickles in collaboration with Grillo’s Pickles. As Madeline writes on their Instagram page: “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but our wildest dreams have come true! We partnered with Grilo’s Pickles to make an exclusive run of Cults pickled onions!’. Another signature hit ‘You Know What I Mean’ from their debut gets a huge reception with its emphatic chorus tonight. Drummer Brian’s clever use of his hi hat with teasing, rippling drums during ‘Gilded Lily’ is surely also a highlight tonight, with its keyboard sounding almost organ-like. In a rare exchange with the crowd Madeline joyously exclaims: “It’s good to be back!”. Judging by the crowd tonight, they wholeheartedly agree.
Words by Brendan Sharp
Photography by Harry Wassell
