The Drop: The Cult

The Cult’s performance at Coachella in 2014 was a defining moment for the British rock band. Rolling Stone hailed it as “the Messianic moment” of the festival, and it subsequently set the wheels in motion for the band to begin recording their 10th studio album, Hidden City. Due out on February 5, 2016, Hidden City will complete a circle that band members Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy have long been forming, beginning with 2007’s Born Into This and 2012’s Choice of Weapon. The closing chapter on the album trilogy, Hidden City was produced by Bob Rock and written by Astbury and Duffy. It features Astbury’s signature baritone and blood-soaked lyrics paired with Duffy’s smoldering, textured guitar tones, creating a fearless musical environment. The album’s name stems from the Spanish phrase “La Ciudad Oculta,” a lower-income area of Buenos Aires, Argentina where unfathomable poverty exists. The Argentine government turns a blind eye toward the “hidden city” while highlighting the cosmopolitan and European flair of the more proper sections of the city. Thus, “Hidden city” became the perfect metaphor for revolt of the self and soul. The GRAMMY Museum welcomes The Cult to the Clive Davis Theater for a conversation on their career and forthcoming new album, moderated by Bob Santelli, Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum. The discussion will be followed by an intimate performance.