The Cult are currently on tour across Europe playing shows in support of their new album, “Choice Of Weapon.”
The band experienced a terrifying crash just before 6:00AM local time Wednesday while in their tour bus traveling from Split, Croatia to Ljubijana, Slovenia.
"I was the only one awake," said vocalist Ian Astbury, who was seated in the bus's front lounge. "All of a sudden, the bus veered violently, hit the guard rail and tipped on a 45-degree angle, then righted itself and came to a halt. The guard rail was the only thing that prevented us from going over an 80-foot drop."
Astbury was thrown into the aisle and suffered injuries to his neck, back and shoulder. The rest of the band and crew were asleep in their bunks, so no one else was badly hurt.
Limping down the highway, the driver was able to get the bus to a service station a few miles up the road. Astbury's injuries were iced and he received pain medication. After some temporary patching up of the bus, the band was able to make it to the venue for that night's show, and played a full concert. But it wasn't until 5:00AM the next morning that their fully-repaired bus arrived to take them on the 20+ hour trip to the next gig.
"No one has had any sleep, so the guys are pretty beat, and we are still in shock, to be honest," admitted Astbury. "You never think something like this is going to happen to you, and it just did."
The Cult wrap up European dates on July 19 in Portugal before returning to play the second leg of their North American tour, which begins August 18 in Ventura, CA.
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