Sadly I remember very little about seeing Gaye Bykers On Acid at this gig. However the name of their alter-ego band in which they gigged in drag if I remember rightly always amused me: Lesbian Dopeheads on Mopeds.
The Cult however made a very definite impression on me. I had seen them a couple of years previously on the "Love" tour in Leicester. This time they had gone further down the road of adopting the values of late 1960s/early 1970s rock music, with Ian Astbury firmly ensconced in his Jim Morrison persona. They were promoting their "Electric" album, on which some of their musical 'borrowings' were on the edge of being legally actionable. This was especially true of "Love Removal Machine", where the second half of the track bore more than a passing similarity to Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker" (mind you, Led Zeppelin had no cause to complain, having liberally 'borrowed' from a number of blues and folk musicians who they had to give composer credits to years, and sometimes decades, later).
This borrowing took nothing away from their live performance however. By this point in their career they had become a traditional 'proper' rock band and still had the youthful swagger to carry it off. At one point Astbury wore a hat that appeared to have been made from a fox's head. Did he look ridiculous? Yes! Did he care? No! He was the focal point of the band, along with guitarist Billy Duffy who ripped death-defying solos from his Gretsch White Falcon as if his life depended on it. The 1980s were often desperately lacking in rock 'n' roll. This particular band more than filled a need!!!
Yes I agree the Cult were an important part of the 80's for me also i saw them at Manchester apollo they were on top form.
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