On 21 December 1985, the four members of The Cult walked onto the sound stage of NBC’s late-night Saturday Night Live TV show and launched into She Sells Sanctuary, a song the band had released as a single back in May of that year. This was already a hit in the UK, as was the band’s second album Love, on which the track appeared.
Their SNL show was a powerful performance. Visually, the band drew heavily on the elegantly wasted 70s rock star shtick that was still too fresh in the collective memory to be deemed ironic or cool. Frontman Ian Asbury styled himself as a scarf-festooned rock god, with a look that fell somewhere between Jim Morrison, Robert Plant and Steve Tyler. Guitarist Billy Duffy meanwhile, sporting dynamic peroxide quiff, dark tailored frock coat, black leather trousers and a Gretsch White Falcon, cut an equally striking figure.
