The Cult became one of the biggest rock acts in the mid-eighties, rising from the ashes of the Bradford-based Southern Death Cult, which featured vocalist Ian Astbury.

The Cult had hits with She Sells Sanctuary and Love Removal Machine, as well as several top ten albums both in Britain and America.

Their last album, Under The Midnight Sun, was released in 2022 and recorded at the famous Rockfield Studio in South Wales, the same studio where their debut album, Dreamtime, was recorded thirty six years earlier.

The group continues to tour and has two outdoor concerts planned next month in Halifax and Scarborough, which co-writer and guitarist Billy Duffy, is looking forward to. The last time he was in the North Yorkshire coastal town was the 1980s.

"I was in a previous band then, Theatre of Hate and I remember that we had all our equipment in a transit van which was so overloaded we had to push it up a hill!

"Growing up in Manchester, my family used to visit places on the west coast such as Rhyl and Llandudno, which were a lot closer to home than Scarborough.

"Halifax will be special because we are playing at the Piece Hall, and I have heard that it is one of the most picturesque and historic outdoor venues in the country.

"The Mission is supporting us on these two gigs, which will be good for the fans as both bands come from the same era and should have a shared appeal."

On their last tour they were supported by Alice Cooper, who, according to Duffy, is a big fan of The Cult.

"He most certainly is. Cooper is a rock icon as far as I am concerned; when we first played the Hollywood Palladium, he appeared backstage to meet us.

"We heard a knock on our dressing room door and our tour manager said he had Cooper with him. We didn't quite believe it; we thought he was joking. 

"For anyone of my generation, one of the highlights of their youth would have been watching Alice Cooper on Top of the Pops. He had such an impact on me and inspired me to form forming a band. The tour we did together last year was so positive that we never once had anything negative said about it."

It is obvious Duffy still enjoys tours but, as he says, not to the same degree as in the past.

"We are in the fortunate position of not having to tour as intensely as thirty years ago. Going out on the road is a lot easier when you're younger, though if you look around at the age of some of the artists who are touring now, many of them are past pensionable age! The beauty is that you can tour at your own pace.

"The band comes from a post-punk background. We had a group of fans who used to follow us around from city to city; it all felt like you were part of a gang, but we began to lose that tribal element as we developed and evolved.

"Gun ‘n’ Roses, happened at the same time as we started and they became one of the biggest rock acts in the world."

Outside the band, Duffy still likes to ride his motorcycle around the Peak District which is on his doorstep. And, having grown up in Manchester, he has been a lifelong City supporter, "from the days when they were terrible to the success they are having now".

"My dad was a big Manchester City supporter too, and I wish he was still here to see them win the treble. Like myself, he could never have imagined what was going to happen to the team."