Formed in 1976 as the Easy Cure, this UK band originally comprised Robert Smith (b. 21 April 1959, Blackpool, Lancashire, England; guitar/vocals), Michael Dempsey (b. 29 November 1958, Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia; bass) and Laurence ‘Lol’ Tolhurst (b. 3 February 1959, Horley, Surrey, England; drums, later switching to keyboards). After struggling to find a niche during the first flashes of punk (and following an abortive contract with the Hansa Ariola label), the Crawley, West Sussex-based band issued the Albert Camus-inspired ‘Killing An Arab’ on the independent Small Wonder Records in mid-1978. It proved sufficient to draw them to the attention of producer and Fiction Records label manager Chris Parry, who reissued the single the following year. By May 1979, the band was attracting glowing reviews, particularly in the wake of ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, whose style recalled mid-60s British beat, with the added attraction of Smith’s deadpan vocal. The attendant album, Three Imaginary Boys, was also well received, and was followed by a support spot with Siouxsie And The Banshees, on which Smith joined the headliners onstage. Another strong single, ‘Jumping Someone Else’s Train’, performed predictably well in the independent charts but, in common with previous releases, narrowly missed the national chart. A pseudonymous single, ‘I’m A Cult Hero’, under the name the Cult Heroes, passed unnoticed and, soon after its release, Dempsey was replaced on bass by Simon Gallup (b. 1 June 1960, Duxhurst, Surrey, England). Amid the shake-up, keyboards player Matthieu Hartley (b. 4 February 1960, Smallfield, Surrey, England) was added to the line-up.
By the spring of 1980, the Cure was developing less as a pop outfit than a guitar-laden rock band. The atmospheric 12-inch single ‘A Forest’ gave them their first UK Top 40 hit, while a stronger second album proper, Seventeen Seconds, reached the Top 20. Thereafter, the Cure’s cult following ensured that their work regularly appeared in the lower regions of the charts. After consolidating their position during 1981 with ‘Primary’, ‘Charlotte Sometimes’, and ‘Faith’, the band looked to the new year for a new direction. A major breakthrough with the introspective albums Faith and Pornography threatened to place them in the major league of new UK acts, but there were internal problems to overcome. The keyboard player, Hartley, had lasted only a few months and, early in 1982, the other ‘new boy’, Gallup, was fired and replaced by Phil Thornalley (b. Philip Thornalley, 5 January 1960, Worlingham, Suffolk, England). Meanwhile, Smith briefly joined Siouxsie And The Banshees as a replacement for John McGeoch (he had already played with the band in 1979 as a temporary stand-in for John McKay). As well as contributing the excellent psychedelic-tinged guitar work to their hit ‘Dear Prudence’, Smith subsequently teamed up with Banshee Steve Severin and Jeanette Landray in the Glove.
The Cure, meanwhile, continued to record and during the summer enjoyed their first UK Top 20 single appearance with the electronics-based ‘The Walk’, and an American radio hit with ‘Let’s Go To Bed’. Four months later, they were in the UK Top 10 with the radically contrasting pop single ‘The Love Cats’ (Smith subsequently attempted to distance himself from this song, which was initially intended more as a parody). Further success followed with ‘The Caterpillar’ (from The Top), another unusual single, highlighted by Smith’s eccentric violin playing. This chart success confirmed the Cure as not only one of the most eclectic and eccentric ensembles working in British pop, but one of the very few to make such innovations accessible to a wider audience. Smith’s heavy eye make-up, smudged crimson lipstick and shock-spiked hair was equally as striking, while the band’s videos, directed by Tim Pope, became increasingly wondrous.
The line-up on the worldwide Top tour featured Smith, Thornalley, Andy Anderson (b. Clifford Anderson, 30 January 1951, London, England; drums) and former Easy Cure member Porl Thompson (b. Paul Thompson, 8 November 1957, Wimbledon, London, England; guitar). Anderson and Thornalley left after the completion of the tour, leaving Smith, Thompson, the increasingly sidelined Tolhurst, the returning Gallup and Boris Williams (b. 24 April 1957, Versailles, France; drums) to begin work on a new studio album. In 1985, the band released their most commercially successful album yet, The Head On The Door, which featured the sublime single ‘In Between Days’. The following year, they re-recorded their second single, ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, which this time became a minor UK hit.
By now, the Cure was effectively reduced to Smith and Tolhurst, with members such as Gallup and others flitting through the line-up from year to year. With the retrospective Standing On A Beach singles collection the Cure underlined their longevity during an otherwise quiet year. During 1987, they undertook a tour of South America and enjoyed several more minor UK hits with ‘Why Can’t I Be You?’, ‘Catch’ and ‘Just Like Heaven’. The latter also reached the US Top 40, as did their double album, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Keyboard player Roger O’Donnell (b. 29 October 1955) was introduced into the line-up on the subsequent tour.
A two-year hiatus followed before the release of the follow-up, Disintegration. A fiendishly downbeat affair, with some of Smith’s most moribund lyrics, it nevertheless climbed into the UK Top 3. During the same period, the band continued to register regular hits with such singles as ‘Lullaby’ (promoted by a memorable video), ‘Lovesong’, ‘Pictures Of You’ and the fiery ‘Never Enough’. Along the way, they continued their run of line-up changes, which culminated in the final departure of Tolhurst (to form Presence), leaving Smith as the sole original member. Although it was assumed that the Cure would attempt to consolidate their promising sales in the USA, Smith announced that he would not be undertaking any further tours of America. Mixed Up, a double album compiling re-recordings and remixes of their singles, was released at the end of 1990.
By 1992 the Cure line-up comprised Smith, Gallup, Thompson, Williams and Perry Bamonte (b. 3 September 1960, London, England; keyboards/guitar), and with the critically acclaimed Wish the Cure consolidated their position as one of the world’s most consistently successful bands. Thompson left the unit in June 1993, at which time former member Tolhurst sued Smith, the band and its record label, for alleged unpaid royalties. The ensuing court transcripts made for colourful reading, and confirmed the Cure’s reputation for drinking excess (Tolhurst was summarily defeated in the action and left with a huge legal debt).
Following a successful bill-topping gig at the 1995 Glastonbury Festival the band started work on what was to become Wild Mood Swings, issued in May 1996. The line-up on this album was Smith, Bamonte, Gallup, a returning O’Donnell, and Jason Cooper (b. 31 January 1967, London, England; drums). The revealing lyrics hinted at Smith’s personal insecurities. Galore, a useful follow-up to the earlier compilations, preceded the excellent Bloodflowers which Smith claimed was to be the final Cure album. The claim was not taken seriously, and sure enough the singer later announced that the Cure would be ending their long association with Fiction Records and signing a new recording contract with Ross Robinson’s I Am imprint. The first new recording for the label appeared in 2004 under the title of The Cure. The album was widely regarded as one of the best collections of the Cure’s career.
