Cult Maniax

Cult Maniax

Cult Maniax are a punk band from Great Torrington, Devon, in England. They form in 1978 and remain active. The band name comes from the idea of the members as the “Cult” and their supporters as the “Maniax”.

Career

The group gains a local reputation for being a strong live act. They are best known for the Black Horse EP, their first single. That release takes its title from a public house in Torrington, and the title track reflects the band’s unhappiness with the landlord’s attitude towards punk. After the single sells 200 copies, a court case leads them to hand over the master copies and destroy the remaining stock; later copies appear with the disputed track scratched out. Original copies later become collector’s items.

They also release the Full Of Spunk EP, which reaches the top of the indie charts in some music papers. Across their recording career they issue five 7-inch singles, one LP and two 12-inch records. A CD of one of their performances at the Adam And Eves Club in Leeds is released after the band’s split and is described as a strong example of their live sound.

Other names and later activity

The band briefly performs as Vibe Tribe and releases one 7-inch single under that name. They stop playing together unofficially in 1986, but return to the stage at the first Punx Picnic in Plymouth in September 1996 and continue to play occasional gigs.

Members and related projects

Big Al and Mil later form Sweet Thangs, which releases a CD single EP. Big Al also appears in a duet called Free Born Men. Mil plays with several other groups, including The Desperate Men with Jez Evans of Electric Orange and Shaun Collingham of Naked I, and he also plays drums in Blow. Mitchell becomes the town crier in Torrington.