Rock band from West Yorkshire, UK, formed in 1983 by Ian Astbury after the breakup of "positive punk" band The Southern Death Cult, and retaining two thirds of that prior group's name. In January of 1984, they dropped the "Death" part of the name, subsequently making their first appearance on the Channel 4 television show "The Tube" as simply The Cult. Raymond Taylor Smith (aka Ray Mondo) was the first drummer for Death Cult and was later replaced by Nigel Preston.