Sept. 30th
Robert was on BBC Five Live
today, doing an interview and playing 'Boys Don't Cry' live (with
Jason on tambourine). He wanted to do 'Taking Off', but Simon didn't
show up at the studio. You can listen to it here. Only real
news from the interview is that they will probably be playing a
show in London this December. No other plans after Christmas, they
need a break.
The Lyon show has been confirmed
by Europe 2 and tickets go
on sale Saturday at 10am:
"Tickets for the Cure concert
with Europe 2 in Lyon on Nov 19th go on sale on Saturday at 10:00
AM CET for 30 euros (general admission):
http://www.uk.francebillet.com/fiche_manifestation_uk.jsp?codman=LEURO"
(Thanks Olivier and Dennis)
Robert will be guest hosting
the John Peel
show on BBC Radio 1 in mid-October:
"I thought you might like to notify your users about
this news - Robert Smith will be standing in for John Peel in a few
weeks time on Radio 1.
We've set up a form where users can submit questions
to Bob. Please encourage them to do so!"
(Thanks to Clare at BBC Radio 1
Interactive)
Looks like there will be another
German 3" single for 'Taking Off':
"I don't recall seeing this
yet, but a seller on ebay is listing a German 3" cd single for Taking
Off for pre order. The one he's listing is sold, but where there's
one, there's bound to be more.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4040991239&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT"
(Thanks Charles)
Sept. 29th
The Cure will be playing live
on XFM's Music Response show tonight
just after 8pm (UK time).
Update
- They played Three Imaginary Boys, Us or Them, alt.end, Taking
Off and 10:15 Saturday Night. Here's a review:
"Just listened to the live
session on XFM so I've wrote some words about it.
Important points:
* Mentioned the re-release of 3IB in "November", next
three re-releases (not named) supposed to be out in February and
March 2005. - "Supposed
to be..."
* Robert says the extras are more for historical value
rather than actually being any good and it is a good reference
for other bands to hear "how awful" The Cure actually were when they
started !!!!
* The live version of 10:15 that appears on the extras
disc apparently was from the last show the original trio played
and Robert reckons he sounds like he has loads of pent-up frustration
and the song ends up doing about 250bpm.
* Robert conceded that the album probably would not
sound any different if Ross Robinson had not been involved.
* Robert said (laughing) that calling the latest album
The Cure was "idiocy" and he still has doubts that it should be
called something else.
* Icon show was mentioned. Robert sarcastically
called Marilyn Manson and Deftones "Gods" when asked what he thought
of watching them play the show and when the XFM dj said Deftones were
heavier than The Cure Robert bizarrely said "they're smart enough not
to say that". Eh ??
Update - "No no no, Robert
said that watching them pay homage to The Cure made them feel like
"gods" with sarcasm dripping from his mouth." - Pyra
* He said that MTV gave Robert a list of bands set
to appear and Robert went back to MTV and said that rather than
having the original list of
bands that had all "dissed" The Cure for the last 15
years (no names mentioned!!) he wanted bands that actually have
always respected The Cure.
* Robert said that despite The Cure's success in the
US they still don't do very well in certain parts of the US, for
example Nashville !!!
* The Cure's contract with Geffen states that "when
or if" they make another album it will be released on Geffen.
Note the "if".
Songs played:
Three Imaginary Boys: was brilliant, it actually barely
sounded any different at all to the original version, even Robert
sounded very young
again singing this ! Not too sure what Roger
was playing though.
Us Or Them: Glad to see XFM left in the f-words on
this track, no bleeping out or anything - yay !!! Unfortunately
you couldn't really hear the weird guitar arpeggio parts that play
during the "I don't need your us or them.." parts - very quiet.
alt.end: Way to go messing up live !!! I have
no idea if what they did to this song was planned but at least one
of the band totally screwed up midway through, Simon's bass line seemed
to be all over the place before he remembered what part of the song
he was meant to be playing. Sounds like they tried to play an
edited version of the song, with some of the band forgetting all about
it and continuing to play the full version !!!
Taking Off: Terrible sound, terrible. No idea
what the hell was going on here, Roger's opening keyboard was lagging
about half a second behind
the rest of the song - hopefully not on purpose.
Perrys lead guitar part was simply inaudible at the start as well
and barely got any louder later on. Basically all you could
hear was the drums, accoustic guitar and Robert's voice. A shame
as it's such a beautiful song.
10:15: Goddamit, the intro to this was totally screwed
up as well !!!! Either Robert or Roger were playing in the
wrong key, meanwhile Simon started his bass intro in totally the
wrong key and then just stopped until he remembered what key to play
in. Surely they can't have suddenly got nerves after all these
years. But a good version of the song when they eventually got it
right, Jason's drums were absolutely thundering on this, especially the
parts where he thumps the toms. Very very funny though, when the
song ended Robert laughing his head off said "...and that's why I shouldn't
talk before I start a song. By the way, that wsn't my fault at
the start....much".
A nice little performance despite the slightly dodgy
sound, but the band were clearly having a lof of fun and it was
a nice surprise for me considering I only saw the news about the
show on Chain Of Flowes about 15 minutes before it was due to start
!"
(Thanks Dave Ace)
During the XFM interview today,
Robert said that only 3IB will be out on Nov. 15th, with the next
three remastered cds out in Feb. or March of 2005.
The Cure will play Paris, France
on Oct. 14th. More info here.
(Thanks Sylvia)
And they will play Lyon, France
on Nov. 19th:
"The french radio "Europe
2" organizes a live concert with "The Cure, Franz Ferdinand and
De Palmas (a french singer)" the NOVEMBER 19, 2004 in the Halle
Tony Garnier, Lyon, France.
This info is sure, i have the confirmation of Europe
2 and the "Halle Tony Garnier".
Tickets will be on sale as from Saturday !"
(Thanks to Laurie and Figurehead
at Massive Attack Area)
Curespotting:
"From the October 14th, 2004
issue of Rolling Stone magazine: Robert Smith on Interpol - "They're
very good at writing melodies," says the
Cure's Robert Smith. "Lyrically, their songs are very
heartfelt, and that makes for a good contrast with the starkness
and icy veneer of their sound. They look really good onstage, yet
they don't try too hard. It sems almost contrived at first, but they
have such a fantastically defined sense of self." From the same article:
I've [writer Jenny Eliscu] been warned in advance that Dengler [Interpol's
bassist] maintains a series of "policies" that guide him through life.
For instance, he is so insistent in his refusal to gamble that, during
the Curiosa tour, he turned down a request from [Robert] Smith - his
hero - to join in on a few hands of poker. "I was like, 'You're Killing
Me, Robert. Please don't make me do this,' " says Dengler. "I firmly believe
in the cliche of money being the root of all evil.
That being said, constructing games around the acquisition of these
slips of paper is like indulging in the very evil essence that it
is."
From the November 2004 Revolver magazine: "Favorite
Shit with The Cure's Robert Smith" by Brian Stillman. While today's
hardcore and screamo
singers like to think that they invented melancholic
lyrics and dark musical atmosphere, the truth is, none of them
hold a black candle to the Cure's Robert Smith. Albums like "Pornography"
(1982), "Disintegration" (1989), and "Bloodflowers" (2000) could make
a Prozac-popping clown contemplate suicide. Along with his flair for
the morose, Smth also harbors an uncanny talent for crafting picture-perfect
pop gems that have helped land his band near the top of the charts with
alarming regularity over the last four decades. The Cure's latest release,
a self-titled affair improbably produced by Ross Robinson (Slipknot,
Limp Bizkit), successfully melds these two dichotic elements and represent
a fine addition to the band's impressive legacy.
FAVORITE JOKE: "A guy walks into a psychiatrist's office
and says, 'Doctor, I think I'm a Jack Russell terrier.' So the
psychiatrist looks at him for
a minute and then says, 'Okay, why don't you lie down
on the couch and we'll talk.' And the guy replies, 'I Can't, Doctor.
I'm not allowed on the furniture!' "
FAVORITE FOOTWEAR: Bunker Boots. "I've been wearing
these for the last four years. They make my legs stronger - they
weigh about four stone [56 pounds]. All my shoes are castoffs from
Simon [Gallup, bass]. We have the same foot size, so I end up wearing
whatever he's done with."
FAVORITE SWEATER: "My mom knits all my jumpers [sweaters].
Strangely enough, black is always the predominant color...She
made one for me with a skull on it, which I quite like. It's got
a matching hat and gloves, too." FAVORITE FILM: 2001: A Space Odyssey
"I saw the premiere of it in London when I was 10. And I went with
my brother seven more times after that. We'd pile in his car with all
his friends. They'd smoke up and fill the car with smoke, and by the
time we'd get to the theater, I was pretty intoxicated. I actually
made sure that I watched the movie again on New Year's 2000. It's a vision
of the future that you just wanted to happen.
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: Euro Disney "I take 25 or so
members of my family there for New Year's Eve. It's a lot of fun,
and I never remember anything about it - I just get wasted. We
take videos, and I'm always in the background looking quite deranged.
And the characters in the costumes are hammered, too. One year, Tweedle
Dum and Tweedle Dee took their heads off and started punching each
other in the restaurant. They'd obviously gotten fed up with their
work."
FAVORITE MAKEUP: MAC cosmetics "When you're playing
under hot lights, you need something that stays on you."
FAVORITE GUITAR: Signature Schecter guitar "I'm using
it on tour; I used a prototype of it on the record. It was made to
my speicifications. It's
got a massive body. I'm quite pleased with it - it's
got character."
FAVORITE RUMOR ABOUT HIMSELF: "That I'm dead. I get
that on an annual basis. It specifies how I die, and I always look
forward to hearing it. One of the best was that I'd dived into an
empty swimming pool. There's another that said I was lost on a mountain."
(Thanks Rust)
"MTV2 is airing a commercial for the forthcoming
ShortList Prize, featuring short soundbites from the artists who
are acting as judges, including Robert Smith; it passed too quickly
for me to transcribe what he said. Also of note: MTV2 has started showing
the "Taking Off" video."
(Thanks Rust)
"The Lovecats made it to fourth place on the TMF (a
musical cable channel) top schooll disco anthems!!!"
(Thanks Morgan)
"just heard a snippet of boys don't cry on woman's
hour, bbc radio 4, as a trailer for a piece about men crying.
very small, but so good to hear!"
(Thanks Alison)
Sept. 28th
Some 'Taking Off' singles
info and other promotional news:
The Cure
Taking Off
Release Date - 18th October 2004
Format 7"
Singles
Cat. No.
9864601
Barcode 0602498646014
Price £
1.42
Tracklisting
Side : 1
1. Taking Off
Side : 2
1. Why Can't I Be Me
Format CD
Single Enhanced
Cat. No.
9864491
Barcode 0602498644911
Price £
2.69
Tracklisting
Side : 1
1. Taking Off
2. Why Can't I Be Me
3. Your God Is Fear
4. Taking Off
(Video)
Overview
'One of the most influential bands of all time'
The Guardian
The Cure bring out the second single from the top
10 album `The Cure' on 18th October. `Taking Off' will be released
on CD maxi and 7" picture disc featuring brand new exclusive studio
tracks.
`Taking Off' is The Cure at their very best - a
fresh sounding dark pop track with a sound that is totally unrivalled
by those they have inspired over the years. The band have had a great
run of live dates this year including the Move festival at Manchester's
Trafford Cricket Ground and the extensive US Curiosa tour which
featured Interpol, The Rapture & Muse on support duties amongst
others.
The Cure are confirmed to record sessions for Radio
One & XFM before the release of the single - their first in
many years - tune in!
Marketing
Club: Full club service to all indie DJ's &
rock clubs across the UK.
Press Ads: Guardian Guide, NME, Uncut & Kerrang
Radio Ads: 20 second ads on XFM
Online: Reworking Cure mini-site to include single
release details, sleeve art, competition & video / sound
clips
Radio
Playlists: XFM Daytime & BBC 6 Music B list
Confirmed promo: Radio One session with Zane Lowe,
XFM session
Video
Video playlists: Added to MTV2 & VH2 so far.
Confirmed promo: MTV Icons show, Popworld interview,
MTV2 interview.
Promo tbc: Later With Jools Holland.
Press
Confirmed features: Independent feature, Word feature
Single reviews confirmed across the board
(Thanks Chris, Ange and
Nikki)
Sept. 27th
MTV has posted
videos of the Cure covers from the Icon show.
(Thanks Dan and Olivier)
Icon will be airing on MTV
Latin America:
"just to let you know
that yesterday on a mtv news report for mtv latin america they
anounced that the icon show would be airing november 27th
for mexico.. not sure about the hour or the dates
for other countries in latin america.. "
(Thanks Conrado)
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Changes in The Cure
Main man Robert Smith is excited for the release
of a new album–‘It’s been years!’
By Cris O. Ramos Jr.
“When I hear myself talking about how we made
the new album, it sounds almost unreal,” said Robert Smith on
www.thecure.com. “It sounds like
I’m talking about some kind of weird group therapy,
but making this album has really changed my attitude to what
we do. I expect so much more of us now.”
It’s been quite some time since the New Wave trailblazer
The Cure had made an album, and understandably, main man Robert
Smith is excited.
One of the reasons for the “change” that took
place in this famous eighties group is that they worked with
a producer for the first time. To top it off, the band’s choice
for producer is arguably uncharacteristic—Ross Robinson, whose
credits include bands of the nü-metal/hardcore/metal variety
(Korn, Slipknot, among others).
Smitten by The Cure since his early teens, Robinson
had publicly stated that working with the band would be his ultimate
achievement, and his
determination to make this their best album even
pushed them to new limits. The Cure was so satisfied with the end
result that they were happy to christen this album The Cure.
“The performances on the new album are so emotionally
driven,” explains Smith, “largely because we recorded the songs
live in the studio, which
is something we haven’t done since our very first
album.”
The result is a successful fusion of the band’s
two sides: the poppy “In Between Days” and “Friday, I’m in Love”
side and the dark Disintegration
side. Although the album includes songs covering
a range of musical styles, the emotional intensity never flags,
so that a tuneful pop gem is delivered with the same conviction as
a grinding single-riff onslaught.
From the savage opening assault of “lost”
to the closing strains of the atmospheric, acoustic-driven “Going
Nowhere,” the essence of The Cure is
distilled in every cut. The inwardly-directed
rage of “The Promise,” the chilling sense of impending doom of
the first single “The End of the World” and the warm guitar lines
of “Before Three”—these elements have never before existed side
by side on a single, utterly coherent album.
To The Cure fans who are upset about the news
that this would be the band’s final album, don’t fret because
the group has just signed a global three-album deal with Geffen
Records. In a recent phone interview with Smith through MCA Music’s
Tony Molina, he talks about the group’s new record, its inspiration,
and why he remains in the world of music to this day.
The Manila Times: In 1999, you said that Bloodflowers
was going to be the last Cure album. Did you really think then
that The Cure was finished?
Robert Smith: I repeatedly told everyone around
me that Bloodflowers was the last thing I was going to do for
a number of reasons. One, because
it was the last album we had on our deal at the
time. I was pretty serious about ending it (the band) because
I’ve always promised myself that I would reach 40 and do something
else. It was all going according to plan except that I actually
didn’t feel like stopping. I was kind of preparing myself for
a plunge into a new world but I never quite did it, you know? I got
sucked back into The Cure world. I can’t honestly think of anything
I would rather be doing. So, I just keep doing this. I guess it shows
a lack of imagination or it just means I’m very, very happy in my job,
doesn’t it? Or both.
TMT: Can you talk about some of the themes you
tackled on the album?
RS: I’m drawn to the same universal themes of
time passing, lost love . . . I don’t know, self-awareness. What
else . . . truth, goodness and beauty; that was a new one that
crept in.
TMT: Any book that particularly inspired your
latest album?
RS: I read this book by this modern philosopher
called The View from Nowhere. I was actually tempted to steal
the title for this album at some point. The idea of the book was
this concept of stepping outside of yourself. And in order to do
that you had to recognize who you were in the first place. It’s a
small book but quite an exhausting book to get through and it actually
set me off, it was the inspiration behind the stuff we sang on the
record.
TMT: Why did it take you a long time to release
a self-titled album?
RS: See, I didn’t use to care about stealing titles
from other people. In fact, a good deal of our early works was
stolen. Then, we weren’t high profile so I didn’t think anyone
would bother suing us, whereas now we have to be more careful.
The very first working title that we had for the
project when we started doing the demos was actually “Good Dream,
Bad Dream.” And I originally
wanted to do a double-album, one obviously of
the lighter side of what we do and one of the dark side. But
Ross convinced me that if we melded
the two it probably would be a better record over-all
and it would draw people in more because they would be intrigued
by it. Very early on, he was intent on producing the definitive
Cure album.
TMT: The CD sleeve artwork comprises a lot of
children’s drawings. What’s the significance of that?
RS: They were really generated by my nephews and
nieces. I asked them to draw some pictures for the cover of the
album. Half of them had no idea
what I was talking about (laughs) because they
don’t know what I do. And the other half wondered what they were
going to be paid. The middle lot
who were the best artists just got on with the
job.
Over a period (of time) when we were recording,
I kept getting envelopes with pictures in and I’d stick them
on the walls and just gauge the response that I had. I think that
there’s a great sense of immediacy and naïveté about
children’s drawings that, I think it’s impossible not to like children’s
drawings even if you don’t know the child.
It triggers something in you because everyone’s
done it. Everyone’s drawn pictures, everyone’s drawn the sky
as a blue line, everyone’s drawn the grass as a green line and
everyone’s drawn hands as a circle with five sticks.
We also had some adult artists send us works,
some of them really, really good, actually. A lot of the artwork
we were being sent was really gruesome, but it didn’t resonate.
It didn’t kind of make us feel the album, you know? I think the children’s
drawings had the unfair advantage, I suppose if you could put it
that way, of actually being stuck on the wall. So, we lived with them
for a long time.
(Thanks Tempest)
Curespotting:
"Club Beat: If its comes
from Omaha, it's bound to be laden with misery. Judging solely
by the musical crop it has produced in the past few years, Omaha,
Neb., is a city shrouded in pathos. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/192143_club24.html"
(Thanks Tempest)
Sept.
24th
Here are all of the official
Curiosa numbers that have been reported to Boxscore/Billboard
so far:
"Here are all the totals
reported to us from this summer's Curiosa Tour. There are a few
missing and I'm not sure if those will be reported or
not, so I wanted to go ahead and send you these.
If I do get any more Cure totals in the next week or so, I'll
forward them on to you.
The Cure - Curiosa Tour 2004
Total Gross: $4,817,647
Total Attendance: 125,632
Total Capacity: 274,228
Total Shows: 15
Event Date: July 24, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Sound Advice Amphitheatre
City/State: West Palm Beach, Fla.
Gross: $420,737
Attendance: 10,476
Capacity: 19,271
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $55, $29.50
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: July 25, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Ford Amphitheatre
City/State: Tampa, Fla.
Gross: $359,595
Attendance: 10,002
Capacity: 20,670
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $49.50, $10
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: July 28, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Starwood Amphitheatre
City/State: Antioch, Tenn.
Gross: $167,924
Attendance: 5,860
Capacity: 17,356
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $51.50, $10
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: July 29, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
City/State: Atlanta, Ga.
Gross: $333,291
Attendance: 7,153
Capacity: 15,000
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $59.50, $49.50, $35
Promoter(s): House of Blues Concerts
Event Date: Aug. 1, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
City/State: Camden, N.J.
Gross: $391,016
Attendance: 10,780
Capacity: 24,970
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $77.50, $15
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: Aug. 3, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Riverbend Music Center
City/State: Cincinnati, Ohio
Gross: $159,192
Attendance: 5,705
Capacity: 20,581
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $49.50, $17
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: Aug. 4, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Blossom Music Center
City/State: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Gross: $270,669
Attendance: 6,929
Capacity: 18,500
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $59.50, $49.50, $29.50
Promoter(s): House of Blues Concerts
Event Date: Aug. 7, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
City/State: Mansfield, Mass.
Gross: $352,063
Attendance: 9,368
Capacity: 19,900
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $50, $35
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: Aug. 9, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Molson Amphitheatre
City/State: Toronto, Ont., Canada
Gross: $394,416 ($516,881 Canadian)
Attendance: 10,676
Capacity: 12,000
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $65.24, $49.98, $32.43, $19.46
Promoter(s): House of Blues Canada
Event Date: Aug. 11, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: DTE Energy Music Center
City/State: Clarkston, Mich.
Gross: $336,260
Attendance: 7,941
Capacity: 15,129
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $62, $32
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: Aug. 12, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Tweeter Center
City/State: Tinley Park, Ill.
Gross: $430,428
Attendance: 10,837
Capacity: 28,500
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $66, $15
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: Aug. 15, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
City/State: The Woodlands, Texas
Gross: $354,803
Attendance: 8,506
Capacity: 15,825
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $61.50, $25
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: Aug. 24, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Coors Amphitheatre
City/State: Chula Vista, Calif.
Gross: $335,895
Attendance: 8,087
Capacity: 19,492
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $56.50, $31
Promoter(s): House of Blues Concerts
Event Date: Aug. 25, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Cricket Pavilion
City/State: Phoenix, Ariz.
Gross: $259,002
Attendance: 7,930
Capacity: 19,474
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $49.50, $25
Promoter(s): Clear Channel Entertainment
Event Date: Aug. 31, 2004
Artist/Event: The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture,
Mogwai & others
Venue: Everett Events Center
City/State: Everett, Wash.
Gross: $252,356
Attendance: 5,382
Capacity: 7,560
Shows: 1
Sellouts: 0
Ticket Prices: $49.90, $20
Promoter(s): House of Blues Concerts
(Thanks David and Bob)
Final chart update for 'The
Cure':
US - Drops out of the
Soundscan/Billboard
chart after 11 weeks on. 12th week sales were
5,025, down 17.7% from last week. Total US
sales so far - 260,157.
(Thanks Friend of COF)
Cure on XFM:
"according to my XFM
e-letter, the cure will be guests on music response (hosted
by ian camfield) sometime in the next seven days. the
show is on from 7-9 PM (UK time) monday - thursday
http://xfm.co.uk/sectional.asp?id=341&b=none&t=musicresponse
if you're in london, you can listen on 104.9
FM, otherwise you can listen online at http://xfm.co.uk (there's a link
near the top)"
(Thanks Elyse)
(Thanks Ange)
(Thanks to Autumn at
Pictures of You)
Curespotting:
"sept 24, returning
from the bottom-of-the-hour break during their second hour, "unfiltered"
(http://www.unfilteredradio.com/)
played the intro from "close to me"
and during the third-hour "party machine" segment,
co-host lizz winstead did her impression of bob and sang the
phrase "jumping someone else's train"
always a joy to hear the cure (especially bob's
heavy breathing) on air america radio! (http://airamericaradio.com/)"
(Thanks Pirat)
"yesterday on the WNPR program "Hear and
Now" the author Dave Eggers was interviewed and asked about his
new book projects and some other things he's been doing in his life.
there is an intersting mention of The Cure at
the end of the interview (and even some of "Why Can't I Be
You?" played).
Dave Eggers has mentioned The Cure or Robert
Smith in all of his books, so this Cure spotting comes as no surprise
...
here's a link to the page where the interview
can be heard.
http://www.here-now.org/shows/2004/09/20040923_13.asp"
(Thanks BDEE412)
"I might have missed
this, but this month's Rolling Stone, RS 958, September 30,
has an insert with a free hp+iPod tattoo. I got the Cure tattoo
in my issue, and it appears to be random for each issue.
Here's a Vanessa Carlton tattoo in action: http://ubb.frostyplace.com.tw/viewtopic.php?t=11994
more on the tattoos available: http://h10049.www1.hp.com/music/us/en/tattoos.html"
(Thanks Jason)
Sept.
23rd
Cure to do a Black Session
on France Inter:
"Just have a good
information from Universal France : The Cure will play for a
session called "Black session" (animated by Bernard lenoir) for
the french radio FRANCE INTER. The session will take place at "La
maison de la Radio" in Paris at the end of october or beginning of
november."
(Thanks Jerome)
Simon in Bass Player magazine:
"I was unable to buy it myself tonight,
and I'm not sure if it's been reported on Chain Of Flowers, but
I found a recent issue of Bass Player Magazine at Barnes & Noble
tonight which had an interview with Simon. The interviewer, or
editors, screwed up a bit, getting Jason and Roger's instruments switched,
which was sort of funny. Simon also gives some of his alternate tunings,
which I was unaware of(other than the dropped D tuning on some of the
new songs), and talks about his effects and the EQ settings that make
up his usual(non-Ross) bass sound. He also had somewhat "philosophical"
things to say about the role of bass players that I found "reaffirming"(...being
a bass player myself)."
(Thanks Carroll)
Euro promo shows instead of
a tour?
"I went to an Interpol
concert in Paris and guess who I met just after the gig???
Perry himself !! So we just spoke a little bit and guess (again
;-) what
I heard?? The band should come to France
before the end of year (November, but it's not official yet)
for "PROMOTIONAL SHOWS" of the remasters albums! Perry was very
very cool with me and also told me he thinks Interpol is the next
BIG THING, and so he's right because the show was so excellent!"
(Thanks Julien)
Some performance and interview
footage from the Icon show:
"http://netscape.feedroom.com/iframeset.jsp?ord=1880
on netscape's feedroom thing there is a video
about the icon show with brief clips of blink-182, the deftones,
afi and the cure playing taking off as well as an interview with
robert. click on entertainment on the left and it should be there.
They update the site often so it probably wont be there for more
than a day or 2."
(Thanks Will)
New Robert interview:
"There is a new
Cure video interview that has been posted on a French website
(I think it was done on 9/17/04).
http://www.mcm.net/interview/index.php/48885/"
(Thanks to Dayna at
A Foolish Arrangement)
Cure cover:
"The tribal/progressive
house version of 'Same Deep Water as You' is previewing on
the site (www.liquified.org) ,
and will be released internationally as 12" vinyl by Bonzai
Trance Progressive, a Belgian house label, most likely in October."
(Thanks Roh)
"We are Moth's Tales,
a dark wave band from Italy and we've got a live recording
of our "A Forest". We made our own music but we have so fun
playing The Cure in our concerts... female
singer and no keyboard. :)
The link is: http://www.mothstales.com/recs/a_forest_live.mp3
"
(Thanks Moth's Tales)
Sept. 21st
Finally have some news about
the 3IB remastered cd:
"Hi from Bulgaria.
this is press release from my local "Universal
music" for The Cure remastered albums
The Cure's debut album from 1979 has now
been elevated to the Deluxe Edition series.
Compiled by Robert Smith and Digitally
Remastered by Chris Blair at Abbey Road, this 2 CD set is a
must for all Cure fans.
Contains 6 Previously Unreleased songs
and 15 tracks on CD for the very first time !
The 16-page booklet contains sleevenotes
by Johnny Black plus rare and previously unseen photographs
from Robert Smith's personal archive.
Album released 15 November 2004
DISC ONE
01. 10:15 SATURDAY NIGHT
02. ACCURACY
03. GRINDING HALT
04. ANOTHER DAY
05. OBJECT
06. SUBWAY SONG
07. FOXY LADY
08. MEATHOOK
09. SO WHAT
10. FIRE IN CAIRO
11. IT'S NOT YOU
12. THREE IMAGINARY BOYS
13. THE WEEDY BURTON (1:05) *
DISC TWO
01. I WANT TO BE OLD (SAV STUDIO DEMO
10/77) *
02. I'M COLD (SAV STUDIO DEMO 11/77) **
03. HEROIN FACE (LIVE IN THE ROCKET 12/77)
04. I JUST NEED MYSELF (PSL STUDIO DEMO
1/77) *
05. 10:15 SATURDAY NIGHT (HOME DEMO w/vox
2/77) **
06. THE COCKTAIL PARTY (GROUP HOME DEMO
3/77) *
07. GRINDING HALT (GROUP HOME DEMO 4/77)
**
08. BOYS DON'T CRY (CHESTNUT STUDIO DEMO
5/77)
09. IT'S NOT YOU (CHESTNUT STUDIO DEMO
5/77) **
10. 10:15 SATURDAY NIGHT (CHESTNUT STUDIO
DEMO 5/77) **
11. FIRE IN CAIRO (CHESTNUT STUDIO DEMO
5/77) **
12. WINTER (3IB CASSETTE STUDIO OUT-TAKE
CASSETTE 10/77) *
13. FADED SMILES (aka I DON'T KNOW) (3IB
STUDIO OUT-TAKE CASS. 10/77) *
14. PLAY WITH ME (3IB STUDIO OUT-TAKE
CASSETTE 10/77) *
15. WORLD WAR (on early copies of BOYS
DON'T CRY album 1979 )
16. BOYS DON'T CRY (on BOYS DON'T CRY
album 1979 )
17. JUMPING SOMEONE ELSE'S TRAIN (on BOYS
DON'T CRY album 1979 )
18. SUBWAY SONG (LIVE IN NOTTINGHAM 10/79)
19. ACCURACY (LIVE IN NOTTINGHAM 10/79)
**
20. 10:15 SATURDAY NIGHT (LIVE IN NOTTINGHAM
10/79) **
* PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED SONG / INSTRUMENTAL
** PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED VERSION "
(Thanks Pascal)
Fate of the postponed European
tour already decided?
"Just to tell
you that "The Cure" has disappeared from the Alias website
(which is the Cure's concert agent). They were noticed as "concerts
to be annouced" and now they're not anymore. It really looks like
the Fall tour is cancelled :-( "
(Thanks Julien)
I forgot to post the chart
info last week, so here it is now:
'The Cure'
US - Drops
to #168 in it's 11th week on the Soundscan/Billboard
chart. 11th week sales were 6,104, down 22%
from last week. Total US sales so far - 255,129.
Denmark Top 100: re-enters at 90 (9th
week)
Germany Top 100: down to 97, then out
Switzerland Top 100: out from 97
Italy Top 75: down to 55 from 50
France Top 200: down to 102 from 95
Greece Top 50: up to 17 from 18
Belgium / Wallonie Top 50: re-enters at
46 (10th week)
Belgium / STUBRU Top 50: out from 45
'The End
of the World'
Canada Top 50: up to 26 from 33
Argentina Top 100 Airplay: up to 54 from
86
'alt.end'
Radio & Records National Alternative
Airplay Top 50: enters at 49 with 200 plays
'Greatest Hits'
Ireland Top 75: up to 60 from 63 (17th
week !)
(Thanks Pietro and Friend
of COF)
(Thanks Maria)
(Thanks Jim)
Some more info on that unauthorized
Cure dvd 'Out of the Woods':
CURE - OUT OF THE WOODS: UNAUTHORIZED
For the first time The Cure: Out Of The
Woods goes behind the scenes and under the greasepaint to
discover the truth about this astonishing band.
Revealing how these performers of melancholy
music achieved their success, how they've continued to be
at the cutting edge of innovative music for more than 25 years,
and why they remain hugely relevant in today's fickle music industry.
Includes exclusive and previously unseen film footage and in-depth
interviews with those that worked closely The Cure during their
career, including close friends, colleagues, journalists, producers
and musicians. DVD
SKU#: CVIS371DVD
UPC: 823564504698
SRP: $19.95
REGION: 0
BOX LOT: 30
LABEL: CHROME RECORDS
PRE-BOOK DATE: 10/19/04
STREET DATE: 11/16/2004
(Thanks Dave)
Sept.
20th
(Thanks Vicky)
Some photos of fans before
the Icon show.
(Thanks Bill)
(Thanks Lenore
and John)
Robert on XM radio:
"The
following is on the XM Guide for the upcoming week.
Thursday 9/23:
5 Song Set: The Cure's Robert
Smith
VH 1 Radio - XM 156
2AM / 8AM/ 2PM/ 8PM
Their latest self-titled album continues
to remind fans why they fell in love with The Cure in the first
place! Listen in as Robert Smith plays his answers
to our 5 most important music questions."
(Thanks Dennis)
A reminder about the Guitar
World interview:
"November's
Guitar World Magazine
The November issue of Guitar World, on newsstands
now, features a Q&A entitled "Mope Springs Eternal," where
Alan Di Perna sits down with
Robert Smith. Three decades into
his career, the Cure's Robert Smith reflects on his group's
new album and his enduring influence on gloomy
rockers everywhere. Plus, Guitar
World features the first-ever Cure model guitar and Smith
reveals the moods and methods behind some of the
Cure's greatest hits."
(Thanks Marie)
Curespotting:
"The Cure is featured on the new
compilation that comes with the 10/2004 issue of German
Sonic Seducer. Feautured track in the multimedia section is
the video for 'The end of the world'. True experts, as on the
cover the song is credited to smith, gallup, bamouk, cooper, o'donnell..."
(Thanks Dennis)
"I'm not sure
if this was reported yet. I was watching the bonus material
on the Clerks 10th anniversary edition. Included is a pseudo
documentary
that Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier shot
while in film school called "Mae Day" In several shots there's
a poster of the Boys Don't Cry (New Voice)
single in the background. In a couple
of other shots there's also what could be a poster of the
cover of the Picture Show vhs. I guess between this and how prominently
High is featured in Jersey Girl, that Kevin's a Cure fan."
(Thanks Charles)
"on RTL, a german TV-Station, they played
"Boys don't cry" in a Comedy show called "Meine schoensten
Jahre" (my best years) as the title-music
in the show. The show is a comedy series
about a young boy in east-germany and his life in east-germany.
The comedy show come every Friday the next time at 09.15 PM
for 30min."
(Thanks Thomas
and Dennis)
Sept. 18th
For
those of you who don't want to know anything about the
Icon show before it airs, you probably shouldn't read COF for
the next 24-48 hours or so.
(Thanks Steven)
More reports from Icon:
"After all
the free shots of tequila on entry I cant say I was taking
it all in for the first half hour or so until the cover of if
only tonight which was great, Roger was joining in with the crowd
a little bit (nice hair) Simon was looking really well. Marilyn
Manson was being shouted to -*$!! off ugly. everytime a known
Curefan appeared on the screen we cheered One hundred years was
the musical highlight and a couple of the new songs."
(Thanks Kerrie
n Ratty)
"Just a
quick note about the icon show. As they were showing footage
of Ross R. on the screen Roger was making the international
sign for "Tosser" or "wanker" - it got a laugh from the crowd
- Robert didnt see him do it....nearly as funny as Manson on
his knees in front of Robert."
(Thanks Anonymous)
"Probably the most bizzare night
of The Cure's career, definately the most bizzare 'concert'
I have ever attended...but ultimately, it was enjoyable!
Arrived at the venue after some (too)
heavy drinking at about 8.45pm, weather was awful it was
raining hard but some nice Curefans leant me their umbrella,
reinforcing my belief that Curefans are the kindest people on the
planet We were let in quite late, felt like we were standing
there waiting for almost an hour, but I would imagine it was about
9.30pm by the time we got in. The MTV people were very nice to us,
on more than one occasion I was told 'hope you have a good night,
enjoy it'. Although many felt they were messed about to get tickets
I must say I was impressed by the MTV guys in general so I thank them.
After more drinks and a couple of photos in the auditorium we made
our way over into where the concert was to take place. As we were on
the guestlist we got our hand stamped which meant we were allowed into
the very front standing area. Stage set was very gothic, dark, a couple
of fake trees all lit up, a swing, black planks of wood which gave the
effect of disused buildings or sheds...all infront of a backdrop of 3
larges arches. There was a big screen
just to the right of the stage. Really nice set up, and I
was in the middle about 3 rows back to enjoy it.
Then the bizarre- The Cure were introduced
by Marilyn Manson and came walking down some stairs to
big cheers....then they sat down to the left
of the stage (behind the standing
area of fans actually) they all looked rather dumfounded,
hard to fathom wether Robert was enjoying it haha. It was too
dark really to see all their facial expressions. Blink 182 came on
first, murdering A Letter To Elise, played like a fast rock song...still
we were jumping to it though! Robert was then introduced on stage
where he did his duet 'All of This', it was really good to hear it
, Robert put alot of emotion into it, eyes closed most of the song.
I can't remember too much about the other supposting bands, the effects
of the alcohol were still pretty strong, I remember a truly awful
Boys Don't Cry by Razorlight and a really excellent powerful If Only
Tonight We Could Sleep by Deftones. Just Like Heaven by AFI was ok. Inbetween
the bands there were various Cure videos being shown on the screen,
we would all be cheering them as they were shown. There were also various
interviews but I could not hear anything, the sound wasn't too hot. During
these bits I often turned round to try and see what the band were making
of it all sat in their chairs, like I say it was just all so bizzare...I'd
love to know what Robert was thinking of it all! At one point
Marilyn Manson walked over to where Robert was sitting, mumbled something
through the mic and got down on one knee and put his arms around Robert!
Robert put his arms reluctantly around Marilyn and gave a smile...not
sure what was being said but maybe it will be shown on MTV! Weirdest thing
i've ever seen lol. Oh and another thing was that when Ross Robinson came
on the big screen he was booed by quite a few people, I didn't know what
to make of that I have mixed feelings about him.
So now it was main event time and
after about 15 mins to get their equipment all set up, The
Cure come on to a rapturous reception. The cameras were rolling
as they played their new single Taking Off, arms in the air for
the 'bit a for it push' line 10:15 was great then there was
a slight delay (maybe a commercial break?!) and the Cure were introduced
AGAIN before they went into Shake Dog Shake (complete with Shaking
Dogs on the big screen, more bizarreness!) Anyway I think this was
the proper start to the gig! The best bits of the set were 'End of
the world' a great live song, which I never tire of, Jupiter Crash,
which was great because it gave us a moment to recover from all the
jumping (man it was almost as hot as the Barfly in there) Before
Three (a beautiful golden sea shown on the big screens), the one pop
moment of the brilliant Bloodflowers, Maybe Someday went down really well.
FTEOTDGS really got the crowd going and there were many 'hands in the
sky', alt.end was my personal highlight of the night cause it was sung
so well by Robert and the rest of the crowd really seemed to love it.
One Hundred Years was AWESOME, nothing like hearing this song in a small
club type venue. The encore, as I suspected was pure pop, Robert was
dancing through Clost to Me and Why Can't I be You? hope this is shown
on tv! The Lovecats got the biggest cheer of the night cause even the
MTV guys knew this one hehe.
So yeah overall a very very strange
event indeed, from Mansons compering to the elaborate gothic
stage set to the crappy covers (and better ones
too) - it was almost surreal...Must
thank the band for making it memorable and playing that
extra hour, made it all worthwhile and it was nice to see them
all looking reasonably happy Also thanks alot MTV, everyone
was so nice to us, can't wait to watch this madness on tv next
month!"
(Thanks Cureboy)
"My friend Nina
and me arrived in London on Thursday after a long travel
from Belgium.
We went to the q-casting, and hoped to
still be selected for the show. When that worked we decided
to go take a look where the concert would take place. When
we arrived at the back of the building, there were security-guys
everywhere so we thought to wait, because it was obvious that there
was a rehearsel already. After only 5 minutes, a car arrived and
we got very excited when we saw it was Roger, but he got so fast inside
the building
that we didn’t have the chance to go
and meet him. Totally overwhelmed we stood there to see
that after a few minutes another car arrived, and when
someone opened the door to get out, we
saw a huge black shoe coming out, followed by a great amount
of hair, which could only mean that Robert had arrived. This
time we acted a little faster, and we went to him. Robert was
such a sweetheart to us, we were so nervous to stand there with our
lifetime
idol that I couldn’t say one decent word
but he made us feel very comfortable, and was so friendly
to us.
The security-men wanted him to go into
the building right away but Robert himself wanted to stay
with us for a few minutes so we could say something
and get the chance to be with him. We
tried to take a picture, but my camera wouldn’t work. Robert
took it and he looked at it, then he saw that the
camera stood off but there wasn’t time
enough to make one. I was really disappointed and Robert saw
that, so he asured us that he would come back if we waited for
him. We stood there for 6 hours, and in that time Roger and Simon
passed us and I could take a nice picture of Roger, who was such
an amazing person. Nina and I were the only fans standing there,
nobody else knew that they’d be there a day before the show (we didn’t
knew either, we have been so lucky to go and take a look because
otherwise this would never have happened). At 9 pm Robert finally
came back and we were very lucky to have a picture with him, which
I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. His wife Mary was there too, waiting
for him in the car, she seemed so sweet. I wished him a great show for
the next day and then we said goodbye.
The next day we arrived at the concert
building around 3 pm and there we met a few fans with who
we had a great time listening to the sound-checks and talking
about our love for The cure. There were only 300 fans invited,
from all over the world ( I met people from Israel, Italy, Poland,
USA, France, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, ..) so it was a special
private concert for us, and we were very happy to be part of it.
Around 9 pm we could enter and we got
free tequila drinks there, while waiting to go into the concert
room itself. It looked amazing there, with
decorated trees and it was really cosy.Nina
and I were lucky to get to the front row and from there we
enjoyed every moment.
Everyone went crazy when The cure came
down the stairs around 10 pm to take place on a platform on
the side of the stage, that was build for them to
watch the show with us.Marilyn Manson
was the host, and there were a few bands to each play a song
of the cure (Blink 182 : A letter to Elise and All of this –
together with Robert- , AFI: just like heaven, Razorlight: Boys
don’t cry, Deftones: If only tonight we could sleep).
Between those songs they showed clips
of the cure on a huge screen which was really nice, and they
also showed us the documentary that will be showed when MTV
Icon: The cure, will be played on television. And I can assure
you: it looks fantastic!! There are also a few fans in it that
we met that day, which will be so cool to see them back on television
next month (if you see a guy with a huuuuge Robert Smith tattoo
on his back – the one from boys don’t cry- that’s a friend of me now,
I spend the whole day with him lol).
Everyone there were friends and it felt
like I was surrounded by family ( they called me the “little
sis of our cure family” hehe) Then around midnight The cure finally
took place on the stage to play a 2 hours concert.
I loved it so much and they involved
us in it by talking to us and to answering fans who screamed
something to them, they are so nice people!
Robert made some jokes and he was so
shy, he’s adorable! They played all of their greatest hits,
and everyone was singing and dancing to it.
You could see that the cure themselves
enjoyed it very much and adored the love they got from us.
Everything got filmed and I think that
the camera must have been into my face like 10000 times while
I was singing madly lol. Sol if you see me on
MTV soon… I wouldn’t be surprised.The
highlights for me were Fascination street ( my all time favourite),
The end of the world, Friday I’m in love, and the last 3 songs
: The lovecats, Close to me and Why can’t I be you (I guess we all
knew that this was the end so the adrenaline was very high). Oh
and another thing that was so funny: During Lullaby, Robert was doing
his spider performance as usual (you all know what I mean) and suddenly
he choked lol, he reached to his troath, then he spit something
out, and I saw that he was looking confused, I don’t know eather what
went wrong, but it was so funny to see. (and no, it wasn’t part of
the show, it was for real) Around 2 am the show was over, it ended with
an overwhelming applause and
screams that lasted for ages, but they
deserved it! The show was fantastic, I never went to a concert
this intense.
Afterwards we got a Cure-lanyard (you
know, this thing to put your keys on, that you can wear around
your neck) a t-shirt of msn (yeah, msn was the
sponsor so lol) and another gadget.We
all said goodbye to eachother and promised to stay in contact
and meet again at the next special Cure concert.
It were 2 amazing days and even though
we a felt like a zombie, we will never forget this unique
experience, I remember every second of it."
(Thanks Rebecca)
Sept. 17th
First reports from the show:
"Here
goes:
- Blink-182: A Letter to Elise,
All of this (with Robert)
- AFI: Just Like Heaven
- Razorlight: Boys Don't Cry
- Deftones: If Only Tonight We
Could Sleep... (two takes)
- The Cure: Taking Off, 10:15 Saturday
Night, Shake Dog Shake, Fascination Street, The End of
the World, Lovesong, Inbetween Days, Friday I'm in Love, Jupiter
Crash, Lullaby, Before Three, Maybe Someday, From the Edge of
the Deep Green Sea, alt.end, One Hundred Years.
Encore: The Lovecats, Close to
Me, Why Can't I Be You?
A Forest was on the setlist but
not played. The Cure played for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
(Thanks Olivier)
"let me
be the first to review the show. I call myself lucky, because
I only live a 5 minute car drive away from the venue. I actually
call myself even more lucky because I have had the great chance
to have been to this show. It was like this. Last week, Saturday
morning I checked your website and that's the first time I found
out about it. went to the casting with my girlfriend at 3pm
that afternoon.Today, a week later, I can tell you how it was.
I arrived at the venue at around 7.30pm and there were already
a few people queuing up. My girlfriend and I were hungry, so
we went to eat and came back at around 8.30pm as the official entry
time was 9pm. By that time it was raining constantly and all the fans
were waiting in the rain. Some fans arrived with stretch-limos.
You could already see that there were people from across Europe and
from the US who have come only for this event. They let us in
a bit late, which was a bit annoying because we were all soaked
by then. But as soon as we stepped in, it was like in a different world.
There was a special corner for professional photographs on the right.
There was a large sceen showing MTV stuff. There were a group of hotly
dressed hostesses serving free drinks incl. tequila shots. The cocktails
were quite cool and and very strong. It just felt very special and
it was great that everything was free. To the right was a small passway
to the main stage and seating area. A few people already queued up
to go in there but generally people were very relaxed once inside the
venue. It was great. The main hall had a theatre style seating area.
In front was a small standing area, then a part of the stage, which
went around the front standing area. The stage was nicely decorated
with a huge tree and a swing. There was also a large screen on the
right. I was very happy when I found out that I was able to go to the
front standing area, because I think not everyone was allowed. But then
again, not everyone was allowed to the seating area either. I wasn't
quite sure, but very happy to be right at the front (3rd row).
The show started off with a host
making some announcements about what to do and what not
to do and warning us that it would be a bit *stop and
go* but that The Cure would reward
us with a 1 hour live set at the end. Then The Cure were
announced and came across the stage to a special
seating area on the left that was
only for the band and very few friends, maybe 20 in total.
Marilyn Manson was then hosting the main part of the show
and the filming started. First up was Blink 182. They played
A Letter to Elise and I have to say the sound wasn't so good.
Of course it was a much harder version of the song that The Cure's,
but all in all it wasn't so great.
Inbetween they played some cure
videos on the large screen and also showed what I think
is the rest of the Icon show, where other well known bands comment
on how they got influenced by The Cure. It was really strange
standing there and watching these snapshot interview while The Cure
were sitting at the side and watching it with everybody. It was a
cool atmosphere though. It was a special occasion, and not like
any other show I've been to.
Next up, Robert Smith joined Blink
182 to play their Blink 182 song together. I'm not a blink
182 fan, so I don't know the title, but I've heard it before
of course. I thought that sounded quite good though. Again
it was strange to see the rest of The Cure watching Robert sing
with Blink 182....
Next up, I can't remember, could
have been Razorlight or whatever they are called, then AFI,
(one of which played Boys don't cry, and the other one
I can't remember now) and then finally
Deftones, playing *If only tonight we could sleep*. I really
liked their version, I think they played very well and it
came across really well too. But I couldn't hear the keyboards
and I thought they just left them out. But after they finished they
were asked to play it again, as *technical difficulties* had to
be sorted out, and then the keyboards were audible. Again, I have
to say, they were really quite good.
Then the Cure came on. The show
was much longer than expected, around 1 and a half hours,
and it was getting quite late, so some people seemed
tired. But of course we also had the hardcore supporters who
were jumping around to the end. IT was a great show, I really liked
the whole set they played. Highlights for me were FTEOTDGS,
Fascination Street, Maybe someday, jupiter crash (as that's
when I first saw the cure live, in 95), and 100 years, and shake
dog shake. They were all great.
Afterwards people waited around
for about half an hour to get backstage but it seemed that
only very few were able to. You needed a wristband and not
even the hardcore UK fans (which were by the way also shown on
the big screen as part of the Icon interviews!!) did not seem
to have one. Another nice thing was that when the last people left
the venue at around 2a.m., alledgedly Robert Smith's parents came
walking through to the inside. I saw them walking past me but I
can't personally confirm whether they were his parents, but other
fans recognised them.
It was a great night, thanks to
MTV for this excellent free night out!!! And thanks to
Chainofflowers for letting everyone know about it in the first
place!!! Thanks and good night."
(Thanks Curehead)
"Wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was gonna be.
I liked Blink's take on A Letter to Elise, and the Deftones were good too.
AFI were crap and
as for Razorlight murdering BDC,
give me Idlewild any day.
The band seemed to enjoy themselves,
Simon was particularly bouncy.
Not the greatest Cure show ever,
but good fun nonetheless."
(Thanks
Hugh)
The Deftones are doing a cover
of 'If Only Tonight We Could Sleep", and it's said
to be amazing. Slow and very heavy. On the other hand,
Blink 182's cover of 'A Letter to Elise' was not so good,
but that's no surprise.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are NOT
at the Icon show. The Deftones, AFI, Blink 182 and
Razorlight are.
Steve Severin addresses the
rumors about him "replacing" Roger (as if he or anyone
could):
Steve
Severin Diary :
"Sept 16 Go on the Creatures
board to dispel rumours that I am about to join the
Cure as keyboard player! Amazingly, minutes later, Daryl, the
Cure's manager rings me.......I'm
invited to see The Cure play for a MTV ICON show....Is
this my chance to talk to Robert about the forthcoming
Glove remastering or are
they going to pop the question? Don't touch your dial!"
(Thanks
Cedric)
More info about the 'Taking
Off' single:
"I add few days ago the
scan of the new single with the info on the tracks and
release date in France that Polydor gives me.
www.on-fiction.com/TheCure/taking_off.htm"
(Thanks
Salvatore)
MTV Icon advert airing in
the UK:
"theres a very entertaining
advert on mtv UK to promote icon
theres a select few people
who "knew" rob as a kid and they recall things just
as the postman ripping his jumper, which is where rob got his
baggy
ripped jumper idea from,
a barmaid with eyemake up which "influenced" rob and
a dinner lady who sued to twist her hair which gave rob his
hair idea,
then rob pops on and says
"thats how i became me"
it has cure tracks palying
through out and is very very funny."
(Thanks
Craig)
Here's a scan of that NME
interview with Robert, entitled "Texas Hairspray
Massacre". Who says NME aren't clever? : )