Personalities | The Cure | Eighties | Rock
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1976–present)
This influential UK post-punk outfit, led by wild-haired Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) with Lol Tolhurst (drums) and Michael Dempsey (bass), debuted in 1978 on the Albert Camus-inspired ‘Killing An Arab’, followed by debut album Three Imaginary Boys (1979). Simon Gallup (bass, keyboards) replaced Dempsey and the tone got even darker with Seventeen Seconds (1980), Faith (1981) and Pornography (1982). Yet in the same year, ‘Let’s Go To Bed’ showed Smith’s quirky pop sensibility, which would resurface on hits such as the jazzy ‘Lovecats’ and the mutant soul of ‘Close To Me.’ In 1987, the ambitious double album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me broke into the American Top 40 and 1989’s ‘Lovesong’ was a US No. 2. Smith’s writing still hinted at deep depression, but his music displayed great eclecticism on offerings such as Disintegration (1989), Wish (1992) and Wild Mood Swings (1996). Often hailed as fathers of goth, they inspired many on the alternative music scene.
Styles & Forms | Eighties | Rock
Personalities | The Dead Kennedys | Eighties | Rock
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