ROCK legends The Cult are back in action and will tour the UK early next year, playing the O2 Academy Bournemouth on January 23.

Billed as New Blood and Deeper Cuts, it’s their most extensive run of dates in over a decade and follows the success of a recent European tour.

The Cult have just released the first of their recent recordings on the newly-formatted capsule collection.

Rather than revisit the traditional method of releasing a long-form CD, the capsule is a collection of not just new music, but film, art and fashion.

It will consist of new tracks, Every Man and Woman is a Star and Siberia; live recordings from the Love Live tour; and a short film, A Prelude to Ruins, directed by frontman Ian Astbury and Rick Rogers.

The capsule is available in several formats including MP3 CD/DVD and 12" vinyl; while Every Man and Woman is a Star was debuted in the UK and released as an iTunes exclusive.

“We are stepping away from the conventional system,” says Astbury.

“By including new music, live music and a film, we are giving the audience the opportunity to own other creative visions. The capsule is a way of delivering music in bites, quicker and fresher than in the context of an album format.”

The latest recordings were guided by UNKLE/Queens of the Stone Age producer Chris Goss whose band, Masters of Reality, will serve as the support for the tour.

The New Blood and Deeper Cuts set list will consist of new material, previously unrecorded material and tracks that have never or only rarely been played live.

“We want to continue the long love affair with our UK audience and share some new music as well as some deeper cuts,” says Ian Astbury.

“The band is on fire right now.”