Kult was established in 1982 in Warsaw by Kazik Staszewski and Piotr Wieteska. Starting from their roots in punk rock and new wave, Kult has experimented with their sound over the years, using wind and keyboard instruments and drawing inspiration from psychedelic rock, jazz and urban folk.
Kult debuted in Warsaw's Remont Club in July 1982. The band soon became known thanks to its energetic concerts, during which the musicians perfectly complemented the charismatic vocalist, who emotionally interpreted the offbeat lyrics. In the 1980s, Staszewski's lyrics were often inspired by the Bible, but the artist was critical of both the socialist state system and the rigid structures of the Catholic Church. In the next decade, Kult started criticising large corporations and the degeneration of the young Polish democracy in equally strong words.
The album Kult was released in September 1986 and contained, among other things, studio versions of concert hits such as Krew Boga and O Ani (Blood of God, About Ania, trans. MG). However, many songs known from their concerts were banned by the censors. A year later the album Słuchaj, To Do Ciebie (Listen, It’s for You, trans. MG) was released, and in December 1988 the album Spokojnie (Calmly, trans. MG), with one of the band’s greatest hits, Arahja, hit the shelves.
In 1989, after some changes in line-up, they released two more albums: Kaseta (Cassette, trans. MG) contained the great hit, Po Co Wolność (What Freedom Is For, trans. MG), while Tan (Saltation, trans. MG) consisted of concert recordings from August 1988. Their next album, 45-89 from 1990, is known primarily for its titular track, in which the period of socialism in Poland was described through the use of excerpts from party dignitaries’ speeches. The band returned to this theme on album Your Eyes released a year later, which also included elements of fierce criticism of the Church. Such pieces as Parada Wspomnień and Zgroza (The Parade of Memories and The Horror, trans. MG) entered Kult’s concert repertoire for good.
The year 1993 saw a new line-up for the band. As well as Staszewski, Kult was now composed of Ireneusz Wereński, Krzysztof Banasik, Piotr Morawiec, Janusz Grudziński and Andrzej Szymańczak. The band recorded and performed in this line-up for the next five years. The first album they recorded together was Tata Kazika from 1993 (Kazik's Dad, trans. MG). It contained new versions of songs written by Stanisław Staszewski, the father of the group's leader. The album, promoted by a song Baranek (The Lamb, trans. MG) was very well received by fans and critics.
