The Cure

The Cure formed in Crawley in 1976, Robert Smith the constant at the centre of a band that would spend the next five decades making music of extraordinary emotional range. The early records — 'Three Imaginary Boys' (1979), 'Seventeen Seconds' (1980), 'Faith' (1981) — established the template: minimal, atmospheric, and possessed of a melancholy that felt genuinely felt rather than performed.

'Pornography' (1982) was the darkest point — a record of almost unbearable intensity that pushed the gothic rock template to its limits. Smith pulled back from the edge with 'The Lovecats' (1983) — a playful, jazz-influenced single that showed a different side of the band. The tension between darkness and pop would define the Cure's career.

'The Head on the Door' (1985) and 'Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me' (1987) were both excellent — the latter in particular, a double album of extraordinary range, showed Smith at the peak of his powers. 'Disintegration' (1989) is now widely considered their masterpiece — a record of overwhelming beauty and sadness that has influenced countless subsequent artists.

The Cure have continued to record and tour with remarkable consistency. 'Songs of a Lost World' (2024) was their first album in sixteen years — a record of genuine beauty and emotional depth that showed Smith's voice and vision remain as powerful as ever. Their live shows are among the most immersive and emotionally intense in rock music.