Easy Cure
Encyclopedia
Easy Cure were a British
punk rock
and post-punk
band
from Crawley
, Sussex
formed during the late '70s by former members of Malice. Easy Cure went on to fame when, after several lineup changes, they became The Cure
.
(guitar
), Porl Thompson
(lead guitar
), Michael Dempsey
(bass guitar
) and Lol Tolhurst (drums
) began performing together in a late line up of Malice in 1976, after Tolhurst and Thompson replaced Malice's original drummer and lead guitarist. When Malice's vocalist Martin Creasy quit the band, they took the new name Easy Cure in January 1977 from a song written by Tolhurst.
During March 1977 Easy Cure hired and fired a vocalist known only as Gary X, who by April had been replaced by Peter O'Toole. This lineup gave their first live performance on 24 April at Saint Edward's Hall, Crawley, Sussex, England
. On 5 May Easy Cure made the first of many regular live appearances at the Crawley pub then known as The Rocket. Within the same month, the band recorded a demo
in Robert's parents' house, entered and won a talent contest and signed a recording contract
with German record label Ariola
-Hansa
on May 18.
In September Peter O’Toole left the group to live on a Kibbutz
in Israel, and Robert Smith assumed vocal duties in his place. He has remained the group's frontman (both as Easy Cure and The Cure) up to the present day (34 years in September 2011). The new fourpiece of Robert, Porl, Michael and Laurence recorded their first studio demo sessions as Easy Cure for Hansa at SAV Studios in London between October and November 1977.
They continued to perform regularly around Crawley (including The Rocket, St. Edward's, and Queen's Square in particular) throughout 1977 and 1978. On 19 February 1978 they were joined at The Rocket for the first time by a support band from Horley
called Lockjaw
, featuring bassist Simon Gallup
. Hansa was dissatisfied with the group's demos and did not wish to release "Killing an Arab
". The label suggested that the band attempt cover versions instead. They refused, and by March 1978 Easy Cure's contract with the label had been dissolved.
Although the band never officially released anything as Easy Cure, bootlegs
of their early demos have been in circulation for a number of years, and in 2004 the Deluxe Edition of The Cure's 1979 album Three Imaginary Boys
was released with a rarities bonus disc featuring a number of Easy Cure demo and live recordings from 1977 and 1978.
On 22 April 1978, Easy Cure played their last gig at the Montefiore Institute Hall (in the Three Bridges
neighbourhood of Crawley) before guitarist Porl Thompson was dropped from the lineup because his hair style was at odds with Smith's growing preference for minimalist haircuts. The new trio shortened their name to The Cure
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
from Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
formed during the late '70s by former members of Malice. Easy Cure went on to fame when, after several lineup changes, they became The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
.
History
Robert SmithRobert Smith (musician)
Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
(guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
), Porl Thompson
Porl Thompson
Porl Thompson is an English musician best known for his work with The Cure.-Life and work:Thompson is the oldest of four children; he has two brothers and one sister...
(lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
), Michael Dempsey
Michael Dempsey
Michael Dempsey is a bassist from England, who has performed as a member of several post-punk and New Wave bands including The Cure and Associates.-Early years:...
(bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Lol Tolhurst (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) began performing together in a late line up of Malice in 1976, after Tolhurst and Thompson replaced Malice's original drummer and lead guitarist. When Malice's vocalist Martin Creasy quit the band, they took the new name Easy Cure in January 1977 from a song written by Tolhurst.
During March 1977 Easy Cure hired and fired a vocalist known only as Gary X, who by April had been replaced by Peter O'Toole. This lineup gave their first live performance on 24 April at Saint Edward's Hall, Crawley, Sussex, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. On 5 May Easy Cure made the first of many regular live appearances at the Crawley pub then known as The Rocket. Within the same month, the band recorded a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
in Robert's parents' house, entered and won a talent contest and signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with German record label Ariola
Ariola Records
Ariola Records is a German record label. As of the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of BMG which in turn has since become a part of the international media conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment...
-Hansa
Hansa Records
Hansa Records was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany....
on May 18.
In September Peter O’Toole left the group to live on a Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
in Israel, and Robert Smith assumed vocal duties in his place. He has remained the group's frontman (both as Easy Cure and The Cure) up to the present day (34 years in September 2011). The new fourpiece of Robert, Porl, Michael and Laurence recorded their first studio demo sessions as Easy Cure for Hansa at SAV Studios in London between October and November 1977.
They continued to perform regularly around Crawley (including The Rocket, St. Edward's, and Queen's Square in particular) throughout 1977 and 1978. On 19 February 1978 they were joined at The Rocket for the first time by a support band from Horley
Horley
Horley is a town in Surrey, England, situated south of the twin towns of Reigate and Redhill, and north of Gatwick Airport and Crawley.With fast links by train to London from Horley railway station, it has grown popular with commuters in recent years...
called Lockjaw
Lockjaw (band)
- Members :* Gary Bower - vocals* Stuart Hinton - guitar* Simon Gallup - bass* Martin Ordish - drums- Discography :* Radio Call Sign / The Young Ones in November 1977...
, featuring bassist Simon Gallup
Simon Gallup
Simon Jonathon Gallup is an English musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure.-Early years:...
. Hansa was dissatisfied with the group's demos and did not wish to release "Killing an Arab
Killing an Arab
"Killing an Arab" is the first single by The Cure. It was recorded at the same time as their first LP in the UK, Three Imaginary Boys but not included on the album...
". The label suggested that the band attempt cover versions instead. They refused, and by March 1978 Easy Cure's contract with the label had been dissolved.
Although the band never officially released anything as Easy Cure, bootlegs
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
of their early demos have been in circulation for a number of years, and in 2004 the Deluxe Edition of The Cure's 1979 album Three Imaginary Boys
Three Imaginary Boys
The album included an uncredited, final instrumental track informally called "The Weedy Burton". The fact was not acknowledged until the Deluxe Edition re-issue.-2004 Deluxe Edition:...
was released with a rarities bonus disc featuring a number of Easy Cure demo and live recordings from 1977 and 1978.
On 22 April 1978, Easy Cure played their last gig at the Montefiore Institute Hall (in the Three Bridges
Three Bridges
Three Bridges is a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley, in the county of West Sussex in England.-History:Three Bridges was a tiny hamlet, which first began to grow with the coming of the London and Brighton Railway in 1841...
neighbourhood of Crawley) before guitarist Porl Thompson was dropped from the lineup because his hair style was at odds with Smith's growing preference for minimalist haircuts. The new trio shortened their name to The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
.
Easy Cure members in The Cure
- Robert Smith has remained frontman for The Cure ever since.
- Porl Thompson has since rejoined The Cure twice; once in 1983 (until 1993) and more recently in 2005. He has remained closely involved with the band in various other capacities;. He and his design company Parched Art have produced much of The Cure's artwork over the years. He has played in several other bands with former members of The Cure (Cult Hero, The GloveThe GloveThe Glove was a short-lived one-off alternative rock supergroup, formed in 1982 by The Cure's Robert Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees' Steven Severin.-History:...
, Shelleyan OrphanShelleyan OrphanShelleyan Orphan is a British alternative music group, that peaked during the 1980s and early 1990s.-Career:In 1980, Caroline Crawley and Jemaur Tayle met in Bournemouth, England, where they discovered a mutual appreciation of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley...
and BabacarBabacarBabacar was a short-lived worldbeat supergroup formed in England, featuring former members of Shelleyan Orphan, The Cure, and Presence. The group released one album in their brief existence, their self-titled debut album in 1998, before the band dissolved when Shelleyan Orphan reunited in...
), and he married Robert Smith's sister Janet. - Michael Dempsey left The Cure in 1979, while Laurence Tolhurst left in 1989.