Southern Death Cult

Southern Death Cult was a gothic rock band in the early 1980s. It is now primarily known for having given its lead singer and parts of its name to the multi-platinum hard rock band The Cult. Despite the similarities in the names, "Southern Death Cult" was distinct from "Death Cult"/"The Cult".

Southern Death Cult emerged from the ashes of Bradford punk band Violation. In place at that time were Aki Nawaz-drums, Barry Jepson-bass, Mick-guitar & Mick Brady-vocals. Songs in their set included "Boys in Blue" & "Assault & Battery". This line-up supported the Clash at Bradford's St. Georges Hall in 1980.

In 1981, Ian Astbury had moved into a new house in Bradford and reportedly discovered a band rehearsing in the cellar. Ian Astbury (performing under the name "Ian Lindsay") sang alongside guitarist David Burrows, bassist Barry Jepson and drummer Haq Qureshi (a.k.a. Aki Nawaz). Astbury renamed the band Southern Death Cult, after an obscure Indian tribe around the Mississippi delta area in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Southern Death Cult's first ever performance was at the Queen's Hall in Bradford, England, on 29 October 1981. The setlist the band played was: "Crow", "The Girl Apache", "Vivisection", (unknown song), "Moya", "The Crypt", and there is a bootleg recording of that show in circulation. The fifth song is sometimes referred to as "War Song", but its real title is unknown, but it used lyrics which would later become The Cult's 'Spiritwalker'. The band never played it after 1981.
The band toured heavily in the UK promoting its double A side single "Moya/ Fatman/ The Girl", which had gone to #1 on the independent charts, and peaked at number 88 in Top 100. The band toured with Theatre of Hate, and then succeeding in getting a slot opening for Bauhaus, at the end of 1982, but Astbury disbanded the group after a show on 26 February 1983.

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