FEATURE > BILLY DUFFY
Billy Duffy is upset at his team. No, not his fellow players in The Cult—the
now-legendary British band he
founded in the early ’80s with
singer Ian Astbury, a band who,
despite their early androgynous
image, flew the flag for heavy
man-rock throughout a decade
better known for twee synth
bands. No, all’s good in the
Cult camp, thank you—indeed,
their new album, the Bob Rock-produced Choice of Weapon, is
a strikingly rich return to form,
arguably deeper lyrically and
broader stylistically than 2001’s
Beyond Good and Evil or 2007’s
Born Into This.
Nope, the problem is with
Duffy’s other team, his beloved
hometown Manchester City football club (that’s “soccer team” to
us Yanks), who, after a dominant
first stage of the Barclay’s English
Premier League season—when
they looked sure bets to clinch the
Left: Photo by
Matthew Constatinou
premierguitar.com
A HERO OF DUDE ROCK FOR 30 YEARS,
the cult’s billy duffy talks about his
upcoming gretsch signature white
falcon, his triple-amp setup, and the
band’s raging new CHOICE OF WEAPON.
BY JAMES ROTONDI
title—have suddenly fallen behind
their local arch rivals, Manchester
United. “We should have at least
won the Carling Cup SemiFinal,” Duffy grouses. Duffy’s
devotion to his team (often
simply called “Man City”) even
extends to his Dunlop Herco Flex
50 medium-gauge guitar picks:
Store-bought versions are gold
hued, but Dunlop makes Duffy’s
in Manchester City blue.
In soccer terms, Duffy’s role
in Team Cult might be seen as
that of a creative midfielder—he
originates virtually all of the
band’s meaty, majestic riffs,
supplying spot-on harmonic
opportunities for singer Astbury
to finish off with his rich,
full-bodied baritone runs and
gutsy lyrical moves. Drummer
John Tempesta (formerly of
Testament) and bassist Chris
Wyse round out the band’s
formidable back line, work-
ing from the engine room to
lay down a solid, technically
adept foundation for Duffy
and Astbury’s mazey musi-
cal dialogue. (On tour, Mike
Dimkich accompanies the band
on rhythm guitar—call him a
“super-sub”!)
PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012 87
