Paul Hartnoll covers 'A Forest'

Paul Hartnoll of Orbital covers 'A Forest' live on Lauren Laverne's BBC Radio 6 show (starts at 02:10:00). This looks to be on an upcoming album, and also features The Unthanks.
(Thanks Stephen)

Roger's 'Love & Other Tragedies'

Il Regno Dei Morti from Roger O'Donnell on Vimeo.

"A day in the studio with Francesca Ter-Berg recording Orpheus and Eurydice, part of the Love and Other Tragedies suite for piano and four cellos..."

And from Roger on Facebook: "This Friday I will be recording cello with Jo Quail a very dear friend. She is playing the Tristan and Isolde act from the Love and Other Tragedies suite. Ive also booked the mastering studio for January 9th to cut the acetates with Guy Davie for the pressing. Looks like the premiere will be the middle week of April in London at St Leonards..."

Update (Dec. 20th, 2013): Roger on Facebook - "...and here we are back at Fossil Studios recording Jo Quail and of course it sounds beautiful...."

And the recording is finished - "Well there we have it, recording finished for my new album project Love and Other Tragedies featuring on cello Julia Kent, Francesca Ter-Berg and Jo Quail with me of course on piano. Telling the three classic love tragedies of Scheherezade, Orpheus and Eurydice and Tristan and Isolde... Each story has three movements, a trilogy of trilogies and will be released as double vinyl on April 3rd 2014. ("Also digital download but not CD!")
Its taken a long time to finish and theres still some work to do but Im very happy with how it sounds right now and with Guy Davie's mastering genius and Anna Dorfman's art direction things can only get better.. " 

River Plate show voted best of year

Readers of Rolling Stone Argentina have voted The Cure at River Plate Stadium, the Show of the Year. (Thanks bob)

Framing The Outsider

Article at NewStatesman: The Cure, the new Penguin editions of Camus, and the details of presentation. (Thanks David)

Robert donates guitar to charity auction

From Amaze on Facebook: "We are extremely excited to announce that Robert Smith, lead singer of The Cure has donated a very special guitar to Amaze. The guitar will be auctioned by Bonhams in London on December 18th. All proceeds from the sale will go to Amaze.

The guitar is a Schecter 'Robert Smith RS-1000' signature model acoustic guitar in gloss black finish, with spruce top, maple body, and rosewood bridge, owned and played by Robert Smith, fingerboard inlaid with stars and moon motif. Lyric notes on paper for 'A Boy I Never Knew' are taped along top side with tuning instructions "DGCFAD" handwritten in silver ink, inscribed on the body by Smith in silver pen "I'd love to see him sleep, I'd love to know him dream... The Cure 2008" additionally signed later "Robert 2013", accompanied by a Gator hardshell case with black plush lining, with masking tape on the outside labelled in black pen 'A Boy I Never Knew, DGCFAD' and inscribed on the case in silver ink 'CURE 2008.

Amaze is very grateful to Robert and his family for this generous donation." (Thanks @guillaume_g_z)

Update (Nov. 25th, 2013): The guitar is up at the Bonhams auction site, and that prompted a very rare tweet from The Cure on Twitter.

A SCHECTER RS 1000 GUITAR IN BLACK GLOSS FINISH OWNED AND PLAYED BY ROBERT SMITH http://t.co/pkcUbyAGK4 pic.twitter.com/k9xSxO9a0K
— The Cure (@thecure) November 25, 2013

Update (Dec. 3rd, 2013): The official site has been updated with this info.

Update (Dec. 18th, 2013): It sold for £22,000 (£27,500 including premium)! Wow! Well done! Thank you to Robert for always being willing to support great causes and charities!

From The Cure on Facebook, Twitter, and TheCure.com: "WOW! THANKS! RSX Lot 403 THE CURE: A SCHECTER RS 1000 GUITAR IN BLACK GLOSS FINISH OWNED AND PLAYED BY ROBERT SMITH, Sold for £27,500 inc. premium"

Update (Dec. 20th, 2013): Nice article about this at The Argus. (Thanks David)

Photos & video from the RS guitar auction

Perfect.Murder is at today's auction for the Robert Smith 'A Boy I Never Knew' guitar, and sends these photos and this video. He's obviously getting this for my Christmas present, but I'll pretend like I don't know that. :)

New Levinhurst songs in 2014

From Levinhurst on Facebook: "Recording in the Valley....3 songs will be out in the early part of 2014... then more to come!!"

"Pixies Listening To The Cure Blew My Mind"

From XFM: "It's been a big year for Chvrches, they finally released their debut album The Bones Of What You Believe, they toured the world, they performed on the Letterman show in the US and they were on the bill for XFM WInter Wonderland 2013.

But talking to Jo Good backstage at O2 Academy Brixton, ahead of their set at our afore mentioned Christmas party, Iain from the band admitted that there was one thing in 2013 that blew everything else out of the water.

"Our dressing room was across from the Pixies," he explained. "I was walking into the dressing room and their door was open and they were listening to Lullaby by The Cure. The Pixies were in there listening to Lullaby by The Cure!

"I had a wee bit of a freak out. A fantasy, reality cross over thing. I think that was the highlight of my year. Weird." (Thanks Aaron)

Roger updates

From Roger on Facebook:

Nov. 22nd - "I have a little news about Love and Other Tragedies but Im excited so Im going to share. I will be recording the cello parts for Orpheus and Eurydice with Francesca in London on the 15th and for Tristan and Isolde with Jo on the 20th! I hope to master and cut the vinyl in January and am planning a release concert for March. It will be double vinyl and download only and I am going to press only 250 copies... Art work will be by my good friend Anna and based on a painting by Pamela... I am very happy that this will be finally finished..."

Nov. 24th - "So I am talking to my friends at Google+ about setting up a Google Hang out for both of the recording sessions so we can stream some live audio and video and you can ask questions and generally see whats going on and what its like to be in the studio. This will be on the 15th and 20th of December. If you don't have a Google+ account and want to participate probably a good idea to sign up now. I have Google Glass and will be using that during the day... Should be fun!"

Nov. 24th - "Google Glass eye view... " Video. This is beautiful! Perfect for this cold November morning. More please. 

Nov. 26th - "If you liked the little piece of piano video I posted you might like this album I released about 3 years ago. I just found a box of CDs so if you want one I will sign it...http://www.rogerodonnell.com/discography/pianoformations/ "

"I am going to be spending January and February in LA on a couple of film projects next year." 

Dec. 13th - "This Sunday I am going to be in the studio with Francesca Ter-berg recording her cello parts on the Orpheus and Eurydice story from Love and Other Tragedies. As I mentioned before we were trying to work with Google+ on setting up a Video Hang out room to broadcast live video from the session.

We have come across a few issues, which is usual for such new technology and this isn't going to be possible so I will record the video and then edit it for YouTube later. It would have been nice to give an insight into a day in the studio but maybe next time!"

Uncut reviews The Cure at Voodoo

Cure at Voodoo review in the new issue of Uncut magazine. Bigger image here. "With its mystical airs & gothic tendencies, you'd be hard pressed to find a more fitting town than New Orleans for The Cure to grace." (Thanks Benj)

The Cure fights Monsanto

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a huge, ultra-secret deal; LET’S STOP IT http://t.co/BLyHAvaZOs

— The Cure (@thecure) December 6, 2013

It was also posted on their Facebook. And while Robert has made it clear that he doesn't post these Twitter & Facebook updates, I would assume he supports this and approved of it being posted.

Reeves plays Nashville tonight

The Carpetbaggers (Reeves Gabrels, Jamie Rubin, Pete Pulkrabek, Chris Autry, Eric Fritsch)
The Family Wash, East Nashville, TN
Dec. 3rd, 2013 at 10 pm

Reeves plays Cambridge, MA tonight

Club d'Elf Release Party
Nov. 29th, 2013
Lizard Lounge
1667 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA
10 pm - 1:30 am. 21+. $12adv/$14dos
w/ Reeves Gabrels (guitar), Dave Tronzo (slide guitar), Paul Schultheis (Rhodes, Moog, clavinet, melodica), Mister Rourke (turntables), Mike Rivard (bass & sintir) & Dean Johnston (drums)

Cure are Boy George's fave band of all time

"Boy George names The Cure as his favourite band of all time on BBC Radio 2's 'Tracks of My Years' (starts at 2:16:05). "I've always been a Cure fan since their punk days, they make really cool pop. They make edgy gothic pop with wonky lipstick, which is always the best kind of pop". Track chosen 'Boys Don't Cry'. "
(Thanks @colinaindow)

Vote for 'Disintegration' in Best of 89 poll

Slicing Up Eyeballs' ongoing Best of the 80s project continues with their Best Album of 1989 poll, and of course, 'Disintegration' is one of the choices.

Update (Nov. 25th, 2013): And to no one's surprise, 'Disintegration' comes in at #1. So to wrap it up, 'Seventeen Seconds' was #2 for 1980, 'Faith' was #1 for 1981, 'Pornography' was #2 for 1982, The Glove's 'Blue Sunshine' was #23 for 1983, 'The Top' was #6 for 1984, 'Head on the Door' was #1 for 1985, 'Kiss Me, and Kiss Me, Kiss Me' was #1 for 1987.

They'll launch the final overall Best Album of the 1980s poll next week.

Reeves interview in Japanese magazine

From Reeves on Facebook: "for you fans of the electric guitar...the latest issue of the japanese magazine "guitar" features an interview with my friend hotei and me."

New Cure fanzine in Argentina

"this is the first issue of the first Argentinian fanzine in the history of the band: called the 13th. interviews, reviews, about the cure in argentina in 1987, and all the info about river plate 2013. to get a issue please send an email here"
(Thanks Cure Rarities)

Update (5/22/13):"Second number of 13th is online now, now we change the format to a webzine. Here's the 2nd issue, and the first issue is also online now. And this is the Facebook page." (Thanks Emi.)

Update (11/21/13): Issue #5 is out and features interviews with Lol Tolhurst and Andy Anderson. (Thanks Ligia)

Reeves plays Nashville tonight

The Carpetbaggers Local 615
(Reeves Gabrels, Jamie Rubin, Pete Pulkrabek, Paul Slivka)
The Family Wash, East Nashville, TN
Nov. 19th, 2013 at 10 pm

Can anyone help Brian with this?

"there’s a bootleg where robert is tuning up and says something like “if you’ve ever liked jimi hendrix through your whole life you can never tune up on stage. and even after you’ve looked at a tuner it just seems….more out of tune. this song is three imaginary boys.”

Robert featured in Analogue exhibition

Analogue By Tom Sheehan
Lomography Gallery Store East
November 7th – December 3rd 2013

In a stellar career stretching back almost 40 years, Tom Sheehan has photographed many of the iconic musicians of this era. Analogue is a collection of hand-printed images from his archive, including portraits of Tom Waits, Morrissey, Mick Jagger, John Lydon, Arthur Lee, Bruce Springsteen, Robert Smith, Thom Yorke, Echo & The Bunnymen, Coldplay and many more.
(Thanks Lars)

Update: Here's the Robert & Siouxsie photos from the exhibition. (Thanks Perfect.Murder)