List of the Cure band members

The Cure are an English alternative rock band from Crawley. Formed in May 1978,^[1][2][3] the group originally consisted of vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Robert Smith (the only constant member), bassist Michael Dempsey and drummer Lol Tolhurst. The current lineup includes Smith, bassist Simon Gallup (from 1979 to 1982, and since 1984), keyboardist Roger O'Donnell (from 1987 to 1990, 1995 to 2005, and since 2011), guitarist and keyboardist Perry Bamonte (from 1990 to 2005, and since 2022), drummer Jason Cooper (since 1995) and guitarist Reeves Gabrels (since 2012).

Two lineups of The Cure performing in 2007 (top) and 2013 (bottom).

History

The Cure formed in May 1978, evolving from the previous outfits Malice and Easy Cure.^[1] The band's original incarnation featured vocalist and guitarist Robert Smith, bassist Michael Dempsey and drummer Lol Tolhurst.^[4] After the release and promotion of Three Imaginary Boys, Dempsey was replaced by Simon Gallup in November 1979, when keyboardist Matthieu Hartley also joined the band.^[5] Hartley performed on Seventeen Seconds, but by August 1980 had left the band.^[6] Keyboards on Faith and Pornography were performed by Smith, Gallup and Tolhurst.^[7][8] Following the end of the Pornography touring cycle in June 1982, Gallup left the Cure and the band was placed on a temporary hiatus.^[9] Later in the year, Smith and Tolhurst – now the band's keyboardist – returned with the single "Let's Go to Bed".^[10]

After several performances with stand-in musicians, the Cure returned in 1983 with new bassist Phil Thornalley and drummer Andy Anderson.^[6] Former Malice and Easy Cure guitarist Porl Thompson performed saxophone on the 1984 album The Top, before returning to the group on a full-time basis on guitar and keyboards.^[6] During the Top World Tour, Anderson was fired from the band due to problems stemming from alcohol abuse; he was briefly replaced by Vince Ely and later by Boris Williams, the latter of whom was subsequently offered the position full-time.^[6] Thornalley also left the band upon the tour's conclusion, replaced by the returning Gallup.^[6] The five-piece lineup of Smith, Thompson, Gallup, Williams and Tolhurst released two studio albums: 1985's The Head on the Door and 1987's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.^[10]

For the tour in support of Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, the Cure added Roger O'Donnell as a second keyboardist.^[11] Tolhurst eventually left the band entirely, after limited contributions to both Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and its follow-up Disintegration.^[12] His departure was announced in April 1989,^[13] when Smith claimed that he "wasn't taking it seriously enough".^[14] O'Donnell remained only until the following June, when he left due to "personal differences" and was replaced by the band's guitar technician Perry Bamonte.^[15] The new lineup released Wish in 1992, before Thompson left in early 1993 and Bamonte took over as main guitarist.^[10] The Cure spent much of 1994 on hiatus, as Smith was involved in a legal dispute with former bandmate Tolhurst.^[10] By the time they returned to the studio later in the year, Williams had left.^[16]

In spring 1995, the Cure commenced recording for their next album with new drummer Jason Cooper and returning keyboardist O'Donnell.^[16] This lineup remained active for ten years, releasing three studio albums and one live collection, before Bamonte and O'Donnell were dismissed in May 2005.^[17] The keyboardist later claimed that Smith would be reducing the Cure back to a three-piece, with Bamonte and himself the two members culled from the lineup.^[18] The remaining trio recorded a cover of John Lennon's "Love" for the Amnesty International album Make Some Noise,^[19] before Porl Thompson returned for summer tour dates starting in July.^[20]

In May and November 2011, the band performed a series of shows with former members Tolhurst and O'Donnell as special guests, although Thompson was not included.^[21][22] On 1 May 2012, after not performing with the band since 2009, Thompson announced that he was no longer a member of the Cure.^[23] He was replaced for subsequent tour dates by Reeves Gabrels,^[24] who became an official member after a few shows.^[25]

In 2019, Eden Gallup filled in on bass guitar for two shows when his father, Simon Gallup, was prevented from playing, due to personal circumstances.^[26]

On October 6, 2022 Perry Bamonte returned to the lineup on the first show of the Lost World Tour in Riga, Latvia. ^[27]

Members

Current

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Robert Smith	1978–present	vocals guitar harmonica keyboards bass cello violin recorder tambourine	all Cure releases to date
	Simon Gallup	1979–1982 1984–present	bass keyboards occasional guitar	Seventeen Seconds (1980) Faith (1981) Pornography (1982) all Cure releases from The Head on the Door (1985) onwards
	Roger O'Donnell	1987–1990 1995–2005 2011–present	keyboards tambourine percussion (2011 Reflections shows)	Disintegration (1989) Entreat (1990) all Cure releases from Wild Mood Swings (1996) to The Cure (2004) Bestival Live 2011 (2011)
	Perry Bamonte	1990–2005 2022–present	keyboards guitar bass	all Cure releases from Play Out (1991) to The Cure (2004), except Acoustic Hits (2001)
	Jason Cooper	1995–present	drums percussion occasional samples	all Cure releases from Wild Mood Swings (1996) onwards
	Reeves Gabrels	2012–present	guitar bass	40 Live (Curætion-25 + Anniversary) (2019); (appeared as a special guest playing guitars on the 1997 single "Wrong Number", 15 years prior to joining the band)

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Lol Tolhurst	1978–1989 (guest in 2011)	drums (1978–1982) keyboards and drum machine (1982–1989) percussion (2011 Reflections shows)	all Cure releases from "Killing an Arab" (1978) to Disintegration (1989)
	Michael Dempsey	1978–1979	bass backing and occasional lead vocals	"Killing an Arab" (1978) Three Imaginary Boys (1979) "Boys Don't Cry" (1979) "Jumping Someone Else's Train" (1979)
	Matthieu Hartley	1979–1980	keyboards	Seventeen Seconds (1980)
	Andy Anderson	1983–1984 (died 2019)	drums percussion	The Top (1984) Concert: The Cure Live (1984) Live in Japan (1985)
	Phil Thornalley	1983–1984	bass	Concert: The Cure Live (1984) Live in Japan (1985)
	Porl Thompson	1984–1993 2005–2011 (also a member of Easy Cure)	guitar keyboards saxophone	Three Imaginary Boys (1979) all Cure releases from The Top (1984) to Paris (1993) Festival 2005 (2006) 4:13 Dream (2008)
	Boris Williams	1984–1994 (guest in 2001)	drums percussion	all Cure releases from The Head on the Door (1985) to Paris (1993) Acoustic Hits (2001)

Substitute performers

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Details
	The Venomettes	1983	strings	Severin and the Venomettes performed with the band during early 1983 for the BBC Two show Riverside.^[6]
	Steven Severin		bass
	Derek Thompson			Thompson performed one show with the Cure in April 1983 for the BBC Two show the Oxford Road Show.^[6]
	Norman Fisher	1984		Fisher substituted for Phil Thornalley in March 1984 for a second performance on the Oxford Road Show.^[6]
	Vince Ely		drums	After Andy Anderson left the band due to issues with alcohol abuse, he was temporarily replaced by Ely.^[6]
	Roberto Soave	1992	bass	Soave substituted for Simon Gallup, who had contracted pleurisy, for several shows in November 1992.^[28]
	Eden Gallup	2019		Simon Gallup's son and bass tech, substituted for his father for a performance at the Fuji Rock Festival in July 2019 and Austin City Limits Festival in October 2019.^[29]

Timeline

Lineups

Period	Members	Releases
May 1978 – November 1979	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, harmonica Michael Dempsey – bass, vocals Lol Tolhurst – drums	"Killing an Arab" (1978) Three Imaginary Boys (1979) "Boys Don't Cry" (1979) "Jumping Someone Else's Train" (1979) The Peel Sessions (1988)
November 1979 – December 1980	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, harmonica Simon Gallup – bass Lol Tolhurst – drums Matthieu Hartley – keyboards	Seventeen Seconds (1980)
December 1980 – June 1982	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica, cello, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Lol Tolhurst – drums, keyboards, drum machine	Faith (1981) "Charlotte Sometimes" (1981) Pornography (1982)
June 1982 – June 1983	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine	"Let's Go to Bed" (1982) "The Walk" (1983)
June 1983 – January 1984	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards Phil Thornalley – bass Andy Anderson – drums, percussion Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine	"The Love Cats" (1983)
January – October 1984	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, violin, harmonica, recorder Porl Thompson – guitar, keyboards, saxophone Phil Thornalley – bass Andy Anderson – drums, percussion Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine	The Top (1984) (without Thornalley) Concert: The Cure Live (1984) Live in Japan (1985)
October – November 1984	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, violin, harmonica, recorder Porl Thompson – guitar, keyboards, saxophone Phil Thornalley – bass Vince Ely – drums (touring only) Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine	none
November 1984 – April 1987	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards Porl Thompson – guitar, keyboards, saxophone Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Boris Williams – drums, percussion Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine	The Head on the Door (1985) Half an Octopuss/Quadpus (1985) The Cure in Orange (1987) Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)
April 1987 – April 1989	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards Porl Thompson – guitar, keyboards, saxophone Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Boris Williams – drums, percussion Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, drum machine Roger O'Donnell – keyboards	Disintegration (1989)
April 1989 – June 1990	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Porl Thompson – guitar, keyboards, saxophone Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Boris Williams – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards	Entreat (1990)
June 1990 – early 1993	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Porl Thompson – guitar, keyboards, saxophone Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Boris Williams – drums, percussion Perry Bamonte – keyboards, guitar, bass	"Never Enough" (1990) Play Out (1991) Wish (1992) Show (1993) Paris (1993)
Early 1993 – late 1994	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Perry Bamonte – guitar, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Boris Williams – drums, percussion	"Purple Haze" (1993) "Burn" (1994)
Spring 1995 – late 2001	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Perry Bamonte – guitar, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards	Wild Mood Swings (1996) Bloodflowers (2000)
Late 2001	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Perry Bamonte – guitar, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards Boris Williams – percussion (guest)	Acoustic Hits (2001)
Late 2001 – May 2005	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Perry Bamonte – guitar, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards	Trilogy (2003) The Cure (2004)
May – June 2005	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion	"Love" (2005)
June 2005 – May 2011	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Porl Thompson – guitar Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion	Festival 2005 (2006) 4:13 Dream (2008)
May – June 2011	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, harmonica Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards, percussion (guest) Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, percussion (guest)	none – Reflections shows only
June – November 2011	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards	Bestival Live 2011 (2011)
November 2011	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, harmonica Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards, percussion Lol Tolhurst – keyboards, percussion (guest)	none – Reflections shows only
December 2011 – May 2012	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards, percussion	none
May 2012 – October 2022	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, harmonica, recorder, tambourine Reeves Gabrels – guitar, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards, percussion	40 Live (Curætion-25 + Anniversary) (2019)
October 2022 – present	Robert Smith – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, recorder Reeves Gabrels – guitar, bass Perry Bamonte – keyboards, guitar, bass Simon Gallup – bass, keyboards Jason Cooper – drums, percussion Roger O'Donnell – keyboards	none

References

1. McPherson, Sam (17 April 2018). "The Cure working on new music as part of 40th anniversary". axs.com.
2. "The Cure: A Perfect Dream - A Bio of Robert Smith's Goth Band". Rockarchive. 23 August 2018.
3. Collins, Andrew (8 July 2019). "The Cure: Anniversary 1978-2018 Live in Hyde Park London – review". Radio Times.
4. Peacock, Tim. "Searching For The Cure". Record Collector. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
5. "No Simple Cure". Record Mirror. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 10 November 1979. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
6. "A History of The Cure (Part 2)". Record Collector. London, England: Diamond Publishing. 1 August 1993. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
7. "Faith - The Cure: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
8. "Pornography - The Cure: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
9. "Gary Biddles, of Cure spin-offs Fools Dance and Presence, dies". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
10. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Cure: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
11. "Roger O'Donnell: Recording of The Cure's 'Disintegration' a 'happy, jokey' time". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
12. Azerrad, Michael (7 September 1989). "Searching for the Cure". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
13. Stratton, Sally (29 April 1989). "The Cure – Intimate Disintegration" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 17. London, England: European Music Report. p. 28. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
14. Hey, Chrissy (6 May 1989). "If You've Got The Fever, We've Got... The Cure" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. 52, no. 43. New York City, New York: Cash Box Publishing. p. 7. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
15. "Cure Keyboardist Quits" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 846. Los Angeles, California: Radio & Records. 29 June 1990. p. 39. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
16. "The Cure". Hip Online. 13 January 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
17. "The Cure Change Line-Up". NME. 31 May 2005. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
18. "Update: Two Members Exit The Cure". Billboard. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
19. Apter, Jeff (5 November 2009). Never Enough: The Story of The Cure. London, England: Omnibus Press. p. 415. ISBN 978-0857120243. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
20. "Cure Recruit Former Guitarist". NME. 21 June 2005. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
21. "The Cure to play their first three albums at Sydney Opera House". NME. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
22. Cooper, Leonie (27 September 2011). "The Cure to perform first three albums live at Royal Albert Hall – ticket details". NME. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
23. "The Cure's Porl Thompson auctioning guitars, album artwork, leather corsets and more". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
24. "Video: The Cure debuts guitarist Reeves Gabrels, digs out rarities at Pinkpop Festival". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 26 May 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
25. Gourlay, Dom (9 July 2018). "Live Review: The Cure at British Summer Time, Hyde Park, 07/07/2018". Gigwise. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
26. "The Cure again performs without Simon Gallup following 'another serious personal situation'". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 2019-10-13. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
27. Trendell, Andrew (6 October 2022). "The Cure debut new songs and welcome Perry Bamonte back to band as they kick off 2022 tour". NME. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
28. "Gallup home for The Cure". NME. London, England: IPC Magazines. 14 November 1992. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
29. Corcoran, Nina (29 July 2019). "The Cure bassist Simon Gallup replaced by his son for Fuji Rock performance: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 5 August 2019.

External links

• The Cure official website