Friday, May 20, 2022

10 seconds of new music

Posted by Craig at 12:45 PM

Shakira meets The Cure

Posted by Craig at 11:53 AM

Thursday, May 19, 2022

From NME:

The Cure give us an update on their “relentless” new album – and when to expect it
Robert Smith gives us the lowdown on 'Songs Of A Lost World', another album in the works, their upcoming tour, and his relationship with bassist Simon Gallup

By Andrew Trendell
19th May 2022

The Cure have spoken to NME about progress on their long-awaited new album ‘Songs Of A Lost World’, as well as what to expect from their upcoming tour.

Having long teased the band’s long-awaited “merciless” new record – after telling us that two new albums were on the way back at the last NME Awards back in 2020 – Smith revealed to NME earlier this year that one of them would be “real very soon” and would be called ‘Songs Of A Lost World’.

Then today (Thursday May 19), after he and bandmate and songwriting partner Simon Gallup picked up the Icon Award at the Ivor Novellos, Smith again gave reassurance that the album was on the way and would be out before their upcoming winter tour.

“We will be releasing a new album,” Smith told NME. “I get fed up of saying this now! We will be playing from October and the new album will be out before then. We walked on [stage at the Ivors today] to a bit of new music, actually. Hopefully no one recorded it!”

At this point, Shakira interrupted the interview to shake hands with “her favourite band of all time”, before Gallup replied: “It is a surreal day”.

Back to ‘Songs Of A Lost World’, Smith then confirmed that “it’s almost finished”

“Reeves [Gabrels] our guitar player has come over from America for the day just to finish a couple of solos, I’ve got to finish a couple of vocals,” he revealed. “Essentially it’s a 12 track album. It’s there, it’s kind of half-mixed and half-finished. It’s a weird thing. It’s kind of evolved over the last two years. It hasn’t always been a good thing to have been left alone with it. You pick at it, like picking at seams, and everything falls apart.

Smith continued: “It’ll be worth the wait. I think it’s the best thing we’ve done, but then I would say that. I’m not doing an Oasis when I say that, ‘IT’S THE BEST FOOKIN’ ALBUM’. A lot of the songs are difficult to sing, and that’s why it’s taken me a while.”

Discussing the themes and character of the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream‘, Smith said that the album “doesn’t have very much light on it” and that it sounds “more like ‘Disintegration’ than ‘Head On The Door’.”

“It’s pretty relentless, which will appeal to the hardcore of our audience, but I don’t think we’ll be getting any Number One singles off it or anything like that!” he laughed. “It’s been quite harrowing, like it has for everyone else.

“I’ve been more privileged than most, but lockdown and COVID has affected me in as much as I’ve lost an entire generation of aunts and uncles in under a year. It’s things like that which have informed the way I’ve been with the record.”

Smith added: “Essentially we recorded two albums in 2019. I’ve been trying to finish two at the same time, which is pretty much impossible. One is nearly ready to go.”

As for the mysterious second record that they’ve been working on, Smith said Cure fans would likely have to wait a little longer to hear that.

“While there are a handful of really good songs, I’ve kind of fallen out of love with others so we’re going to have to record another four or five perhaps,” he said. “If it gets finished, it’s very upbeat. It’s the flip-side to the first one.

“I can’t wait to sing it, actually. I feel quite distraught singing the same songs over and over again.”

Speaking of accepting their Ivor Icon Award with Gallup, with whom he has been part of The Cure’s line-up since 1978 and 1979 respectively, Smith explained what the prize meant and why they songwriting collaboration worked.

“It is a strange one. I was thinking about it when we were walking up to collect the award – it felt strange to be leaving the other three at the table,” he said. “We got an NME Award a couple of years back for Best Festival Headliner. That meant a lot because we don’t often get recognised for that side of what we do live, but this is completely different.

“For me, it’s really lovely that Simon is up there with me. It’s criminal really, because he’s been there all the time.”

As for how they work together when penning material, he said: “With Simon, we send demos back and forth. Because I write the words, I decide what songs are going to progress and which ones aren’t. Often it’s the case that with hindsight I pick the wrong songs.

“I’ve just finished doing the ‘Wish’ remaster, and there are so many of Simon’s demos that never got past the demo stage and remained instrumental – purely because I couldn’t think of any words for them. That’s really sad, because some of them were really great!

“They’re all coming out as instrumentals, and I think there are about 36 unreleased songs coming out on the package. That’s the same every time we do anything. There’s always loads of music, and a lot of it is Simon’s. I just run out of words!”

Fans will get the chance to hear new material live at The Cure’s upcoming 2022 UK and European tour. 

Asked if the gigs will be their legendary usual three hours plus in length, he replied: “Not if my band has anything to do with it! It will be slightly shorter than in the past, if I’m honest. It will be about two and a quarter hours, I think. That’s short!

“There will be a smattering of new stuff as we play through. Essentially the strength of the band live is the catalogue and the songs that we’ve got so it would be pretty dumb to play an hour of new music. Although some people would prefer us to do that!”

Smith added: “The size of the venues we’re playing, you need to engage everyone in the venue. You can’t just concentrate on the handful of people down the front. If it happens it’ll be great…that’s if Europe exists by the time we start…”

Last August, Gallup announced that he had left The Cure. However, in October, he told a fan on social media that he was still a member of the band. The bassist appeared on stage with Smith at the Ivors tonight, although he did not make an acceptance speech.

Smith’s last public appearances were for the BandLab NME Awards 2022 – where he picked up the Best Song In The UK Award for his Chvrches collaboration ‘How Not To Drown’ and after performed the track together live for the first time along with a cover of The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven‘ – and then again for a repeat performance of the songs with Chvrches at their Brixton Academy headline gig a week later.
Posted by Craig at 12:30 PM

Robert and Simon accept Icon Award at The Ivors

From NME:

"For me, it’s really lovely that Simon is up there with me," Smith told NME of the pair being honoured

By Rhian Daly 19th May 2022

The Cure’s Robert Smith and Simon Gallup picked up the Icon Award at tonight’s (May 19) Ivor Novello awards in London.

The frontman and the bassist have been part of the band’s lineup since 1978 and 1979 respectively, helping to turn the band into one of the UK’s most beloved and iconic indie acts.

During the ceremony at Grosvenor House tonight, Smith and Gallup were presented the Icon Award by their long-time agent, Martin Hopewell from Primary Talent. 

“The best part of half a century ago when I was a young whippersnapper booking agent, I was persuaded to get down to a small hotel in Crawley, of all places, to see a new and even younger band called The Cure, who were playing halfway up the bill of some sort of talent night,” 

Hopewell reminisced as he introduced the musicians.

“I wish I could say it was some kind of blinding light, road to Damascus experience but nevertheless… when we met up on the street outside afterwards, I agreed to start helping them get some gigs and that makes one of very few decisions I’ve made in my life that I don’t want to go back in time and give myself a clip around the ear for making.”

Noting that The Cure had gone from playing “the smallest clubs and colleges to the biggest arenas and festivals”, he celebrated their “famously epic live shows and timeless songs that have inspired countless other artists and embedded themselves into the lives of millions of people”.

Hopewell continued to highlight the friendship between Smith and Gallup, while also praising The Cure as a whole for their “unique” artistry. “There’s never been any knee-jerking to changing friends or any pretence to be anything other than what they are,” he said. “It’s possibly because of that honesty that the music they make has continued to make a real connection with an ever-changing audience. Without wanting to break any trade secrets, these two icons happen to be really nice chaps, which also goes for the rest of the band.

“I’ve been a very lucky boy to be involved in Robert and Simon’s story. In fact, it’s been one of the great privileges of my life to work with them for the last four-and-a-half decades. I’m touched, chaps, that you’ve asked me to be here and more than a little bit proud to present you with the PRS For Music Icon Award.”

Collecting the award, Smith thanked the band’s agent, along with the PRS and the Ivors Academy. “It means a lot to the two of us, actually, it’s a real honour,” he added. “Thank you to all the people who’ve helped us over the years and have been involved in turning our songs into real songs. It’s been the best thing you can imagine.”

Speaking to NME backstage after their win, Smith said: “It is a strange one. I was thinking about it when we were walking up to collect the award – it felt strange to be leaving the other three at the table. We got an NME Award a couple of years back for Best Festival Headliner. That meant a lot because we don’t often get recognised for that side of what we do live, but this is completely different.

“For me, it’s really lovely that Simon is up there with me. It’s criminal really, because he’s been there all the time.”

Last August, Gallup announced that he had left The Cure, citing feeling “fed up of betrayal” as his reason for leaving. However, in October, he told a fan on social media that he was still a member of the band. The bassist appeared on stage with Smith at the Ivors tonight, although he did not make an acceptance speech.

Meanwhile, The Cure have been working on new material, as Smith confirmed to NME at the BandLab NME Awards 2022 in March. “I’ve been working on two Cure albums and one of them is finished,” the frontman said. “Unfortunately, it’s the second one that’s finished. [On the other] I’ve got to do four vocals, and there are 10 songs on each album. We’re mixing next month on April 1, so I’ve got three weeks left.”

Smith also revealed the title of the new album. “I know what it’s called – it’s called ‘Songs Of A Lost World’. It’s got artwork, it’s got a running order, it’s almost done! They’re so slow because of vinyl, but it might come in September. I’d rather it just came out. I can’t stand the anticipation.”

When asked about the sound of both of the upcoming records, he replied: “Well the first Cure album is relentless doom and gloom. It’s the doomiest thing that we’ve ever done. The second one is upbeat, and my [solo] one won’t be out until next year.

“I have to keep revisiting it. It’s a thing I’ve wanted to do for so many years. I realise I’ve only got one shot at doing it, so I’ve now started to add real instruments and acoustic instruments, whereas this time two years ago it was literally just feedback – but I’ve kind of grown a bit disenchanted with it. I’d listened to it like three times and I think it’s rubbish.”

Smith gave NME an update on the new records backstage at tonight’s Ivor Novello Awards. “We walked on [stage at the Ivors today] to a bit of new music, actually,” he said. “Hopefully no one recorded it!”

The frontman continued to say that the new material would be “worth the wait”. “I think [‘Songs Of A Lost World’ is] the best thing we’ve done, but then I would say that,” he said. “I’m not doing an Oasis when I say that, ‘IT’S THE BEST FOOKIN’ ALBUM’. A lot of the songs are difficult to sing, and that’s why it’s taken me a while.”

Posted by Craig at 11:27 AM

Robert and Simon win Icon award at the Ivors

Posted by Craig at 10:19 AM
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