4. The CultLove

I was buying everything in the pop charts like Blancmange and Tracy Ullman when ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ came out and it was like a year zero for me. They were so perfect – the way they looked and sounded, there was something really mysterious about them, as if they came from another time. They were on The Tube; Billy Duffy with his shock of white hair, head down playing power chords and Ian Astbury looking part-Cherokee and moving like a shaman. At that time I was all about being a guitarist in a four-piece band and it really fired me up, strengthening my dream of being a musician. It wasn’t a big hit record and not a lot of people at school had heard of it and I think that’s important when you’re developing your taste. Of course I tried being a goth for a bit. The Cult led to The Mission, which led to The Sisters of Mercy and The Cure, but Fields Of The Nephilim were the cut-off point for me; I thought no, I can’t listen to this! I saw The Cult on the Electric tour and at the time I fucking loved it, Marshall stacks everywhere, giant light bulbs at the back of the stage spelling out their name, it was so Bad News! Years later I saw Astbury at a Supergrass gig and he looked like Rosanne Barr. It made me realise that I’ve maybe got to be a bit more disciplined about the whole rock star thing!