Ask Robert about his Bass VI

From Schecter Guitars on Facebook: "guys.. Robert has kindly agreed to answer some questions regarding his use of the bass-VI instrument thru-out his career, including his new ROBERT SMITH ULTRACURE-VI. send us over some questions and we will pick the best and send across the pond to him to ponder...."
(Thanks Joseph)

Alan Sparhawk loves 'Faith'

"Alan Sparhawk (of Low) is interviewed for the Quietus about his favorite albums, where he lists Faith and talks a bit about the Cure and their influence on him. Low, especially the earlier stuff, might be something fans of the Cure would really like. Their first few records have always reminded me of Seventeen Seconds and Faith. Lovely stuff." (Thanks Matthew)

Robert Plant

"Years ago my mom bought this plant, well... you can understand I just HAD to put Robert's face on the pot :p" (Thanks Elly)

Roger's Requiem

Requiem by Roger O'Donnell & Adam Donen
April 2nd, 2012 at 8PM / Doors at 7:30PM
St. Leonard's Church, Shoreditch, London
Tickets / Buy the limited edition signed poster
Listen to a preview of 'Prelude' & 'Winter'.

Update (03/21/12): Video of Roger and Adam discussing the Requiem project.

Update (04/01/12): From Adam on Twitter - "1st 50 guests at the Requiem tomorrow night will receive Night&Day,a CD of incidental pieces by @Rogerodonnell & I. Doors at 7.30pm."

Update (04/02/12): Photo of Roger in all of his velvet glory. : ) More photos here. (Thanks @marsworld)

Cure for Lollapaloza Chile 2013?

Perry Farrell posted this on Twitter last night, when asked about Robert/The Cure playing Lollapalooza Chicago this year: "No- I am going to call him about coming to Chile rt @nazor2:Perry, any chance we'll see Robert Smith at Lolla this year? I'm crying to know."

That would have to be for 2013, as the 2012 festival is this weekend. Interesting, but obviously not even close to being confirmed. (Thanks Consequence of Sound)

Q's "The Real Best of The Cure"

"In the new issue of Q magazine here in the UK there is a piece entitled 'The Real Best Of' where they pick 10 songs from well known artists to highlight 'your favourite bands real finest achievements' rather than the usual greatest hits selections. Although The Cure don't get a full page article, they do feature in one of the side panels where 10 songs are picked. Title given to the the selection 'It Doesn't Matter If We Die', bit disappointing they misquoted the line to start with! Anyway the songs chosen by Q writer Rob Fitzpatrick are:

1. It's Not You 'Robert Smith's breezy disdain elevates this bedsit-punk ditty to greatness'
2. In Your House 'A brilliant evocation of terror hidden behind a mask of (stoned) calmness'
3. Doubt 'A violent tribute to what Smith would call "the pointlessness of everything"'
4. Cold '"Screaming at the moon" he sings on their most claustrophobic moment'
5. The Exploding Boy 'Smith's self-reverential rattle and thrum hymn to the happiness he felt about his band's new line-up'
6. Sinking 'The spare piano line and oiled-up bassline make this an unusual classic'
7. How Beautiful You Are 'Smith considers that moment where a relationship suddenly changes'
8. Untitled ' This delicate piece considers not only the death of love but all the dreams of change that come with it'
9. A Letter to Elise 'Smith has said this song is simply about resignation, but it's a fantastically intoxicating one all the same'
10. The Only One 'A 49 year old man sings a beautiful song of love and devotion to the partner he's had for 31 years.'

There is more information about the feature here and they will be publishing two best of selections a day as Spotify playlists on their facebook page over the next few weeks." (Thanks Matthew)

Post-Wish Cure Discography Suggestions

Sam at Your Older Brother's Music Blog put together a list of what he feels are the best post-Wish Cure songs. (Thanks Sam)

Win vinyl test pressings from Fiction

From Fiction Records on Facebook:
"Fiction Records are proud to announce the re-release of the first 5 Cure albums on heavy weight coloured vinyl which have been specially commissioned for Record Store Day on April 21st. Each album will be individually numbered and Limited to 2,500 copies and will also come with a voucher to download the album digitally. This is the first time on vinyl for the remastered versions of the albums which have all been personally remastered by Robert Smith.

We have got our hands on a set of the vinyl test pressings and we're giving you the chance to win them. To win test pressings of 'Three Imaginary Boys', 'Seventeen Seconds' and 'Faith' all you need to do is comment on this post. A winner will be picked at random on April 21st.

For a chance to win test pressings of ‘’Pornography’ and ‘The Top’ click HERE" (Thanks @HaloCure13)

Cure article in Hot Press

Here's an article from the new issue of Ireland's Hot Press magazine. Note that this isn't a new interview, just excerpts from the interview they ran last August. View larger image here. (Thanks Barry)

Vote for NME's Ultimate Icon

To celebrate their 60th anniversary, NME has launched a search for the Ultimate Icon of the last 60 years. You can vote for Robert, or whomever you'd like, here. (Thanks @guillaumegrivaz)

Update (03-22-12): Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 picked Robert - "The Cure were such a huge part of what I listened to growing up. That’s probably my favourite band of all time, and probably the biggest influence on the way that I write music. I think Robert Smith kind of is that whole genre of music. I think if you think about dark, spooky indie rock, it’s The Cure.

He’s crafted that whole genre, and done it in very different ways over his career, from early albums like ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ and ‘Three Imaginary Boys’, which was very guitar-driven, into synthy stuff, then flamenco, weird druggy music like ‘The Top’, and then the likes of ‘Disintegration’. I think he’s just very creative."

The Cure's setlist from April 30th, 1984

Daryl Bamonte posted this on his Facebook today, Robert's handwritten setlist for The Cure at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall on April 30th, 1984. Daryl has also been posting photos of a lot of great Depeche Mode stuff, too, so thank you, Daryl!

The Curse plays Vertigo's tonight

(Thanks Andythecurefan)

From The Curse ‏ @TheCureTribute - "We just added a show and it's less than 2 weeks away! Saturday March 17th 2012 @ Vertigo's Full Details coming soon...."

Tom Delonge says The Cure changed his life

On Triple J's Take 5, Tom Delonge (Blink 182/Angels & Airwaves) picked The Cure as one of the bands that changed his life, explained how, and played 'Push'. (Thanks Dave)

Tear Out The Pages With All The Bad News

A very nice article by Simone Scott Warren at DIY, explaining that when it comes to The Cure, "it's a genuine case of heart over head." (Thanks David)

Robert interview in the new NME

Preview of the article here. (Thanks ADM, Barry, John)
Buy a digital copy here. £1.75 and available now.
Excerpts at NME - "The band, who released their last album '4:13 Dream' in 2008, do not currently have a record contract, and Smith says they have no plans to record any new material. "

I've transcribed all of Robert's answers from the article:

- Robert confirms that there will be a 'Wish' deluxe CD release this year

- Robert confirms that the band are without a record contract at this time, and that he isn't even signed as a writer.
"We've been going for so long that I don't feel that urge to 'capitalise' on everything all the time. I mean we're headlining pretty much every major European festival and we won't have anything released. Anyone else would be tearing their hair out. They'll be like, 'You're idiots!' and perhaps we are. It's almost like we've gone full circle and we're back to the point where we're playing Reading Festival and I'm doing it solely because I want it to be a good day. Leeds too of course. I can't see our career arc anymore. I've got absolutely no idea. We haven't signed to anyone since the last record came out and the contract was up. I'm not even signed as a writer. To be really honest, if we're going to do something it has to really good. That sort of goes without saying, but our quality control is very high, and if I don't think that what we're doing is good enough then there's no point in putting it out. Why should I?"

- Robert regrets not making 4:13 the double album he intended, but was "worn down by the fucking idiots around me at the time".
"I shouldn't have. I should have stuck to my guns, released a double, it would have sold the same, and it would not make any difference to anyone except it would have been a better piece of art. Whenever I go back to them I'm missing something. And what I'm missing is some of the songs from '4:13 Dream', because 4 of the songs on that album were supposed to be on this album, and 4 of the ones on this unreleased one are supposed to be on that."

- He has 12 tracks, including instrumentals, that he wants to release, but only as part of a double 4:13 album.
"I'd love to resequence it and bring it out as a double album, and remix '4:13 Dream' and charge a single CD price so that no-one's being ripped off, and then you can hear it as it was supposed to be."
"And on top of all that, The group who made it doesn't exist anymore."

- He's excited by the new songs the current stripped-back band are playing.

- This is the NME writer, Hamish MacBain, speaking, not Robert: "So without a label, or any suitable outlet for songs recorded that they feel they cannot move on from without releasing, The Cure in recorded guise are, to an extent, in limbo. Thus Robert's recent output has been restricted to select guest spots."

- He has 2 more collaborations with "dance acts" that should be out at the end of May, but doesn't name them because "it's their thing and I don't want to spoil it."

- He is open to doing 'Not In Love' with Crystal Castles at Reading/Leeds. Didn't want it to be a distraction for himself at Bestival.
"I watched them do that song at Bestival from the side of the stage, and there were many raised eyebrows and back-and-forth meaningful looks. But I resisted the temptation to burst onstage and do a guest spot. I suppose I was very aware that it was our first big festival for a while and I wanted to feel right and ready for it. I'd only turned up an hour before, and I thought, 'If I go on now and make a mess of it, it's going to upset me for the rest of the day.' But I'll be a bit more in the swing of things by then, so I might do. There's a few people, actually, that it would be interesting to do something with. Maybe between now and then I might arrange a few things."

- Robert on doing so many guest spots lately: "I did stop and think to myself recently, 'I've gotta stop doing this', because otherwise that's what I'll be doing for the rest of my career: just doing guest spots on other people's stuff"

- Robert on trying to enjoy other bands at the festivals: "Sometimes it's a bit difficult, because you find people in front are watching you as you're trying to watch the stage."

- Sounds like we can expect a Bestival type set this Summer.
"We concentrated a lot on the more well-known songs and we went down well. There have been times when I've just played whatever I wanted to play and I have had absolutely no regard for the audience, whereas now I kind of consider that I'm part of an event. I'm aware that we're playing probably to a lot of people who would otherwise not come and see The Cure. We're part of the weekend. So it's kind of dumb really not to try and play tracks that are your most accessible songs."

- Robert on the criticism he took over his "No free music" post: "I was vilified by a lot of the mainstream media - particularly online where there's a vested interest - who tried to turn it into like, ' Oh, I don't wanna give stuff away for free because I wanna make money out of it,' which is totally at odds with what we do because we often release stuff that's entirely for charity. We have no interest in making money out of everything we do, we never have. My point is it devalues the art and I hold by it. To me it's worth something. I'm happy to pay for PJ Harvey's new album. And I think anyone should be because it brings me hours of entertainment and pleasure, so why should it be the one area of life where it's free? It doesn't make any sense to me."

- Robert on the sort of new guard/old guard mentality that might exist now like it did with The Cure and Robert Palmer in 1981: "The point is: we don't occupy the same position at all. Although we're now considered an 'older band', I don't think there are many younger bands who don't have some kind of respect or admiration for what we've done, and what we still do. I think that's the difference. We're not seen as having followed some well-laid path to success. In fact, in a lot of instances, we've actually pushed things forward, and allowed bands to come up behind us. We've changed the landscape a little bit in some ways. That old guard we were up against in the late-70s, they were seen as an industry. And that industry is still there, but the fact is that it's represented just as much by younger artists. There are a number of younger acts I could name who are equally as offensive as we found Robert Palmer at the time. Who just represent 'music as business'. And that goes back to why we're doing this. I want to be part of the experience when we play, not just some performer selling my wares to people."

- Robert on fighting his "Own personal battle, trying to keep what we do as something that's pure", with regard to branding and sponsorship: "I am aware of how grotesquely out of touch I am, but I'm willfully out of touch with the modern world. It's very difficult for me to convince a younger generation that it's wrong to sell things, to use music for adverts. I realise I'm in a fading minority of people who find it objectionable. And that's just because I can remember songs that I loved being used to sell shit and I think it devalues it. It's horrible. I don't wanna think of a car when I listen to Jimi Hendrix or Nick Drake. I hate branding, I hate labels, it's all just shit - it's everything we rallied against when we were younger. And it hasn't made any difference. The corporate beast has won...but only for the moment. There are cracks appearing. There must be a generation raring to go that stick two fingers up at it all and says we don't want to be branded, and sold to in this way. It has to happen sooner rather than later."

- Robert on their first appearance at Reading Festival: "We were perceived as the enemy by the mainstream rock festival crowd. We were part of this vanguard of upstarts that were trying to upset the status quo, and there was just an element of the crowd which was really anti any band that went on that was part of the so-called new punk or new wave. Which was fine. I realised that we were seen as a part of a movement that was trying to replace some of the old guard and I was quite happy about that, because I thought a lot of them were fucking awful! Generally, rock was not really our kind of thing. So that was the first and last time we really did a 'rock' festival, because we didn't have a very enjoyable time actually on the stage. In fact, the worst part of the day was our 35 minutes on the stage."

Help with Rock in Roma?

Can anyone help Andrew and Benj with their questions about going to the Rock in Roma show? Thanks!

Share a room for Les Eurockeennes?

From Jess: "I have a hotel in Belfort - for Les Eurockeennes fest-. is a room for 3, one double bed and a bunk bed...i am going on my own but i wanna share it with other fans. checking in the 29th June checking out the 1st in morning or maybe the 2nd in the morning...depending on what the other people need."

The Cranberries cover 'Inbetween Days'

The Cranberries will be covering 'Inbetween Days' on French television show Taratata tonight at 11:50 pm on France 2. (Thanks Vincent)

Update: Well, here it is. Aired tonight, but recorded on January 19th, 2012. (Thanks @ElectroMoonLite)

Cure clips at ina.fr

Update: Another tip from Perfect.Murder - "For those who absolutely have to see everything (yeah, me too :)), there are about 15 or so tv adverts which aired during the 90s and 00s. Go to"Recherchez sur ina.fr" (right handside of screen) type in "the cure" and replace "video" by "publicite" then in the box below in "Affiner la recherche publicite" click on 'Medias et editions (30). And voila!!....short ads from French tv...........ah the good old days!" Also, this direct link might work for you.

I've already posted many of the other Cure clips from ina.fr, but figured I'd collect them all in one place for those who might have missed them:
A Forest (early version), Three Imaginary Boys, Killing An Arab (Chorus - Dec. 16th, 1979)
A Forest (L'écho des bananes - May 30th, 1982)
The Figurehead (L'écho des bananes - May 30th, 1982)
Cold (L'écho des bananes - Oct. 24th, 1982)
The Hanging Garden (L'écho des bananes - Oct. 24th, 1982)
One Hundred Years (L'écho des bananes - Jan. 16th, 1983)
Play For Today (L'écho des bananes - March 20th, 1983)
Interview (Decibels - Dec. 8th, 1985)
Close To Me (Champs Elysées - April 12th, 1986)
Robert intro (Tout le monde en parle - July 12th, 2003)
Robert interview (Tout le monde en parle - July 12th, 2003)
Lullaby & interview with fans at Eurockéennes de Belfort 1995
If I've missed any, please let me know.

Reading & Leeds teaser

So, can anyone make anything out of this image? (Thanks John)
Update: Hmm, I think that image is actually last year's poster. I can make out Muse and My Chemical Romance, I think.

In other R & L news, NME reports that everyone who buys a weekend ticket gets a free beer & burger. : )