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The Cure
The Cure are one of the most popular of
all non-mainstream rock groups. Referred to as
alternative, gothic rock, post-punk, et al, you could
throw in glam rock as well - if you take into account
eccentric frontman Robert Smith's clumsy attempts at
applying lippy.
Robert Smith once said he couldn't see himself as a rock
singer after the age of 25, yet he's still here. Wild-haired,
moody, but, to the fans at Live 8 in Paris, still
magnificent.
Formed in 1976, in Crawley, Sussex, around the time the
punk rock movement was beginning to rumble, The Cure
originally consisted of three schoolfriends of Smith:
Porl Thompson (guitar); Michael Dempsey (bass); Laurence
'Lol' Tolhurst (drums). Known then as The Easy Cure, two
years later, as The Cure, they signed for Fiction
Records, though Thompson had left by this time, but would
rejoin, leave, and then rejoin again.
Their first single, 'Killing An Arab', caused disquiet,
and the band were forced to put stickers out with the
record, denying it was meant to be racist - accusations
contemporaries like Joy Division/New Order also had to
endure. The late 1970s and early 1980s were seeing a lot
of provocative statements by punk and post-punk groups/singers,
to get a reaction, but it was not always wise, as racial
tension was higher then, in the UK (yes, even more so
than now), and the bands making the statements were
trying to get a different reaction to that which often
occurred.
The Cure toured with Joy Division and Siouxsie And The
Banshees in the late '70s, and these three groups are
often lumped together, because of their dark material.
Robert Smith was, at one point, playing guitar for two
bands at the same gigs - The Cure, and also helping
Siouxsie out - after The Banshees guitarist left amidst a
lot of acrimony.
Released in 1979, 'Boys Don't Cry' was The Cure's second
single, and is still probably their most famous song,
with Smith's melancholy vocals in full, glorious misery.
In 1980, 'A Forest' was released. An epic song, which was
a particular favourite on John Peel's 'Festive Fifty' at
the time. Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthieu Hartley (keyboards)
joined around this time, and Dempsey left.
Over the years, The Cure have become more successful with
albums, than with singles, regularly making both the top
20 in the UK and US, and culminating in their 1992 album,
'Wish', topping the UK charts, and reaching number two in
the US. In 2004 they picked up the MTV Icon Award.
The band has seen many line-up changes over the years,
and, in 2005, The Cure consisted of original members
Robert Smith and Porl Thompson, Simon Gallup, and Jason
Cooper (drums).
- Paul Rance, Peace & Freedom Press.
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