In 1979, while living in Glasgow, Astbury was influenced by the Doors' song "The End", which he heard while watching the film "Apocalypse Now", later describing this as "a religious experience". In 1980, he was in Liverpool, where he was active on the punk scene based around Eric's Club. He moved to Bradford in late 1980, where he helped found the post-punk band Southern Death Cult in 1981. Southern Death Cult lasted until March 1983. Along with guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Raymond Taylor Smith, Astbury formed a new band, Death Cult and released the "Death Cult" EP. To help broaden their appeal, the band changed its name to "The Cult" in January 1984 before appearing on the Channel 4 television show, "The Tube".