195-512: Robert James Smith (born 21 April 1959) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and the co-founder, lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the Cure , a British post punk rock band formed in 1976. His guitar-playing style, singing voice, and fashion sense, often sporting a pale complexion, smeared red lipstick, black eye-liner, unkempt wiry black hair, and all-black clothes, were highly influential on
390-656: A sampled drum loop by Cure drummer Jason Cooper . Smith and Plati added keyboards, effects and new vocals, while Gabrels laid down "a gazillion guitar tracks". In February 1998, Robert again collaborated with Reeves Gabrels in the studio, co-writing, singing and playing on the song "Yesterday's Gone" (eventually finding its way to CD release in 2000). The following month, Smith was again recording solo between RAK and Outside studios, assisted this time by co-producer Paul Corkett, whose production credits included Nick Cave , Björk , Placebo , Tori Amos and Suede . These sessions produced "More Than This" (not to be confused with
585-423: A 'resit culture', while new linear courses give no opportunity to resit individual units. Controversially, some A-level course subjects have been abolished since 2017 as part of these reforms. These include archaeology, anthropology, creative writing, critical thinking, general studies, and home economics. Many universities criticized the scrapping of exams taken at the end of AS-level, which used to be worth 50% of
780-728: A Lost World , was released on 1 November 2024. The Cure were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. The founding members of the Cure were school friends at Notre Dame Middle School in Crawley, West Sussex . They first performed in public at an end-of-year show in April 1973 as members of a one-off school band, Obelisk. That band consisted of Robert Smith on piano, Michael Dempsey on guitar, Lol Tolhurst on percussion, Marc Ceccagno on lead guitar, and Alan Hill on bass. In January 1976, while at St Wilfrid's Comprehensive School , Ceccagno formed
975-590: A Lost World reached number one on the UK Albums Chart , and was the Cure's first chart-topping album since Wish in 1992. In the United States, Songs of a Lost World debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 , and was the band's first top ten album there since The Cure in 2004. In October 2024, Smith said the Cure would release a follow-up album to Songs of a Lost World and tour in 2025, and would release
1170-754: A Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education is awarded to students who have passed their national examinations that are set and marked by the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB). It is among the requirements for one to join a university in Uganda. The advanced level takes two years for one to complete. A-levels are a college or sixth form leaving qualification offered in England , Wales , and Northern Ireland . These are not compulsory, unlike GCSEs. In Scotland , A-levels are also offered by some schools as an alternative school-leaving qualification in place of
1365-596: A bad taste in many people's mouths, as [McGeoch] was informed of his sacking only a week after his recovery from a brief spell of clinical depression". Returning to England from the Banshees' tour of Australia , New Zealand , and Japan in January 1983, Smith was approached the following month by Nicholas Dixon, a young choreographer with the Royal Ballet , to score a choreographed adaptation of Les Enfants Terribles . To test
1560-431: A big box of words to which I contributed from time to time (Simon too) and he would use them all for songs. Tolhurst claimed to have written the lyrics for "All Cats Are Grey" from the 1981 album Faith , which he later re-recorded with his own project, Levinhurst . In contrast to Tolhurst's recollection of their songwriting as a group effort until after Pornography , in 1982 Smith claimed to have written "90 per cent of
1755-592: A bit about stagecraft, and how to use the audience a bit more. Because if you look at early clips of their performances you can see he's sort of much more shy and retiring than he becomes a bit later on, and of course, his whole look changes as well. Smith meanwhile conceived the Cult Hero side-project to collaborate with bassist Simon Gallup of the Magspies , recorded at Morgan Studios in October 1979. With some leftover time in
1950-475: A built-in tape recorder, including " 10:15 Saturday Night ". By the time the NME interviewed the band in October 1979 during their tour with Siouxsie and the Banshees , Smith was acknowledged as the principal writer of "almost all of the Cure's songs and lyrics", and stated that he was uncomfortable playing and singing songs that weren't his own. Following his return from the Banshees' tour, Smith also composed most of
2145-460: A departure from the Cure's sound up to that point, with Hedges describing it as "morose, atmospheric, very different to Three Imaginary Boys ." In its review of Seventeen Seconds the NME said, "For a group as young as the Cure, it seems amazing that they have covered so much territory in such a brief time." At the same time, Smith became concerned about the concept of an alleged "anti-image". Smith told
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#17330845420722340-452: A documentary in 2028. He also suggested that the Cure would retire in 2029, which would be the year he turns 70 and the 50th anniversary of their debut album Three Imaginary Boys . The Cure are often identified with the gothic rock genre, and are viewed as one of the form's definitive bands. However, the band has routinely rejected classification, particularly as a gothic rock band. Robert Smith said in 2006, "It's so pitiful when 'goth'
2535-448: A few pointless discussions we just went in and started writing songs, and eventually honed in on shared interests, one of which happened to be late 60's garbage, but nothing hippy-dippy. The problem for us was how can we get Barbarella onto a record sleeve and not be seen as idiots. Smith described the creation of the album by saying: I thought it was a real attack on the senses when we were doing it. We were virtually coming out of
2730-604: A five-piece rock band with Smith on guitar and Dempsey on bass, along with two other school friends. They called themselves Malice and rehearsed David Bowie , Jimi Hendrix and Alex Harvey songs in a local church hall. By late April 1976, Ceccagno and the other two members had left, and Tolhurst (drums), Martin Creasy (vocals), and Porl Thompson (guitar) had joined the band. This lineup played all three of Malice's only documented live shows during December 1976. In January 1977, following Creasy's departure, and increasingly influenced by
2925-516: A follow-up to 4:13 Dream later that year titled 4:14 Scream . The releases would be compiled together as a double album named 4:26 Dream. However, this project was eventually abandoned. The Cure paid tribute to Paul McCartney on the album titled The Art of McCartney , which was released on 18 November 2014. The Cure covered the Beatles ' song " Hello, Goodbye " which featured guest vocals and keyboards from Paul's son James McCartney . A video of
3120-468: A format, curriculum, or syllabus that is unique to Seychelles. In Singapore , H1/H2/H3 level qualifications are awarded upon successful completion of examinations jointly administered by Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). Singaporean A-levels are notably much more difficult than
3315-463: A front person, just by standing next to Siouxsie for a couple of months every night. I think he completely changed his persona on stage because of that; he came out of his shell. I think that he learnt how to be a bit more flamboyant, and how it was okay, and I think he saw how, y'know... how should I put it... Siouxsie's more "diva" moments were kind of acceptable because they were the front person, and I think he learnt how to get away with stuff. And just
3510-575: A guitar hero. Michael had a bass, I had got hold of a guitar and our first drummer, Graham, had a drum kit. His brother had an amp and a mic, so he sang. By December 1976, Graham's brother had been replaced by vocalist Martin Creasy, a journalist with The Crawley Observer , whose brief tenure with the group was a live débâcle according to those involved. By January 1977 Malice had changed their name to Easy Cure, partly to distance themselves from these earlier shows. Both drummer Lol Tolhurst and bassist Mick Dempsey are also noted as having performed vocals with
3705-442: A guitar of his own and had been borrowing his brother's, so his brother gave him the guitar for Christmas. Smith said of this gift, "I'd commandeered it anyway—so whether he was officially giving it to me at Christmas or not, I was going to have it!" Rock biographer Jeff Apter maintains that the guitar Smith received for Christmas of 1972 was from his parents, and equates this item with Smith's notorious Woolworths "Top 20" guitar that
3900-420: A lot, but got to the point where I was losing the sense of fun. I wish I'd stuck with it." He has said his guitar tutor was "horrified" by his playing. He gave up formal tuition and began teaching himself to play by ear, listening to his older brother's record collection. He was 13 or 14 when he became more serious about rock music and "started to play and learn frenetically". Up until December 1972, he did not have
4095-399: A lyric obsession with existential, almost literary despair." Most Cure songs start with Smith and Gallup writing the drum patterns and bass lines. Both record demos at home and then bring them into the studio for fine-tuning. Smith said in 1992, "I think when people talk about the 'Cure sound', they mean songs based on six-string bass , acoustic guitar and my voice, plus the string sound from
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#17330845420724290-473: A member of the band's road crew since 1984. That November, the Cure released a collection of remixes called Mixed Up . The one new song on the collection, " Never Enough ", was released as a single. In 1991, the Cure were awarded the Brit Award for Best British Group . That same year, Tolhurst filed a lawsuit against Smith and Fiction Records over royalties payments and claimed that he and Smith jointly owned
4485-624: A minor hit in the UK, reaching number 44 on the singles chart, and entered the Top 20 in Australia and New Zealand. It was followed in 1983 by two more successful songs: the synthesiser-based " The Walk " which reached number 12, and " The Love Cats ", which became the band's first British Top 10 hit, reaching number seven. These singles and their B-sides were compiled on the Japanese Whispers compilation, which
4680-519: A modular to linear structure (initially across 13 subjects). This means all A-level exams are taken in one sitting as a set of terminal exams (three exams for the majority of subjects), and there is no coursework set for many subjects. For A-levels that retain a coursework element, the percentage of the final grade determined by coursework has been reduced. An example of this can be seen in Edexcel 's new English Literature A-level, reformed in 2015, which reduces
4875-473: A phase he's going through, he's got some personality crisis, let's help him through it.'" He said "four other kids" beat him up after school, although Apter notes that Smith has given several conflicting versions of the story. Apter also reports that Smith put in just enough effort at Notre Dame to pass tests, and quotes Smith as saying, "If you were crafty enough, you could convince the teachers you were special; I did virtually nothing for three years." St Wilfrid's
5070-483: A popular choice among students, but due to financial implications, its reach is limited to the middle and upper classes in major cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong . In Brunei , the A-level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Education (CIE). Some subjects are unique to Brunei or have a format, curriculum, or syllabus that is unique to Brunei. The Advanced Level of Cameroon
5265-463: A poster unveiled in a pub in Robert Smith's hometown where the band played some of their earliest shows. On 26 September, the first single from the album, " Alone ", was released. The album was produced by Smith and Paul Corkett , who Smith previously worked with to produce Bloodflowers . Songs of a Lost World , their first studio album in sixteen years, was released on 1 November 2024. Songs of
5460-444: A profound effect on the attitude of the band and they were "stuck in a ghoulish rut". Sometimes Smith would be so absorbed by the persona he projected onstage that he would leave at the end in tears. In 1982 the Cure recorded and released Pornography , the third and final album of an "oppressively dispirited" trio that cemented the Cure's stature as one of the purveyors of the emerging gothic rock genre. Smith has said that during
5655-523: A solo cover version of Wendy Waldman 's "Pirate Ships", originally intended for Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary ; a compilation album celebrating the history of the Cure's US label Elektra Records . Instead, however, the full band line-up of the Cure recorded " Hello, I Love You " by the Doors for Elektra, and "Pirate Ships" did not see official CD release until Disintegration ' s "Deluxe Edition" reissue in 2010. In 1992, Smith invited Cranes to support
5850-467: A strong impact on him: "On stage that first night with the Banshees, I was blown away by how powerful I felt playing that kind of music. It was so different to what we were doing with the Cure. Before that, I'd wanted us to be like the Buzzcocks or Elvis Costello ; the punk Beatles . Being a Banshee really changed my attitude to what I was doing." The Cure's third single, " Jumping Someone Else's Train ",
6045-525: A teen group. They actually wanted us to do cover versions and we always refused." On 22 April 1978, Easy Cure played their last gig at the Montefiore Institute Hall (in the Three Bridges neighbourhood of Crawley) before guitarist Porl Thompson was dropped from the lineup because his lead-guitar style was at odds with Smith's growing preference for minimalist songwriting. Smith soon renamed
Robert Smith (musician) - Misplaced Pages Continue
6240-642: A third of the GCSE candidates can go on to study in the sixth form before applying to universities via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) while almost all Hong Kong students can study Form 6 before sitting the HKDSE examination. Relevant authorities such as the Hong Kong Examination and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) and UCAS also sought to connect the results from both exam systems to open doors for
6435-745: A trio before Porl Thompson returned to the Cure's lineup for their summer 2005 tour. In July 2005, the band performed a set at the Paris concert of the Live 8 series of benefit concerts. The Cure began writing and recording material for their thirteenth album in 2006. The Cure postponed their autumn 2007 North American 4Tour in August to continue working on the album, rescheduling the dates for spring 2008. The group released four singles and an EP – " The Only One ", " Freakshow ", " Sleep When I'm Dead ", " The Perfect Boy " and Hypnagogic States respectively – on or near to
6630-563: Is English and adopt IAL curriculum. Students in Macau can take the Cambridge exam board as well as the Edexcel exam board at their school. It is one of the most popular qualifications for the students who want to pursue their university study in UK, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. International Advanced Level qualification is also accepted by Macau local universities for applying for direct admission,
6825-771: Is based on the Cambridge International Education and similarly, conducted by the government of Cameroon in collaboration with Cambridge University. All the courses taken are related to what the candidate is willing to pursue a career in university and these courses are on a recognizable international standard for university entrance; as they are major relevant courses. You can select between 3 and 5 courses during your advanced level studies, prior to taking your advanced level examination on which. The British A-level qualifications such as GCE A-level and International A-level are widely accepted in Hong Kong as an alternative to
7020-854: Is because university offers are normally based on three A-level grades, and taking a fourth can have an impact on grades. Unlike other level-3 qualifications, such as the International Baccalaureate , A-levels have no specific subject requirements, so students have the opportunity to combine any subjects they wish to take. However, students normally pick their courses based on the degree they wish to pursue at university: most degrees require specific A-levels for entry. In legacy modular courses (last assessment Summer 2019), A-levels are split into two parts, with students within their first year of study pursuing an Advanced Subsidiary qualification, commonly referred to as an AS or AS-level, which can either serve as an independent qualification or contribute 40% of
7215-401: Is done on a specific month in a certain year. The exams are done throughout the country on the same date provided by the examination board. Examinations will depend on the cluster and core subjects in which a student shall take. There are three major clusters, namely science, business, and liberal arts plus core subjects of which are seven in total or more. Students who will then pass according to
7410-407: Is exactly what we thought at the time." Parry was concerned that the album did not have a hit song for radio play and instructed Smith and producer Phil Thornalley to polish the track " The Hanging Garden " for release as a single. Despite the concerns about the album's uncommercial sound, Pornography became the band's first UK Top 10 album, charting at number eight. The release of Pornography
7605-605: Is generally required across the board for university entrance, with universities granting offers based on grades achieved. Particularly in Singapore , its A-level examinations have been regarded as being much more challenging than those in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. A-levels are typically worked towards over two years. Normally, students take three or four A-level courses in their first year of sixth form , and most taking four cut back to three in their second year. This
7800-449: Is nice to sing a song that meant something, and to think it is going to be a single is a good thing. Strangely enough, it turned out to be the record company's favourite one (of the new songs). During 1981, the Cure received a home demo tape from And Also the Trees and immediately became friends. Front-man Simon Huw Jones later told Abstract Magazine that the Cure were AATT's "biggest fans,
7995-402: Is now a separate qualification and is not required for an A-level award, although it still encompasses the first year of the full A-level content. However, unlike AS-levels in the old modular courses, they are now worth only 40% as many UCAS points as a full A-level (from 50% in the modular courses), as content from the second year of A-level is considered more academically challenging than that of
Robert Smith (musician) - Misplaced Pages Continue
8190-453: Is still tagged onto the name The Cure", and added, "We're not categorisable. I suppose we were post-punk when we came out, but in total it's impossible ... I just play Cure music, whatever that is." While typically viewed as producers of dark and gloomy music, the Cure have also yielded a number of upbeat songs and been part of the new wave movement. Spin has said "the Cure have always been an either/or sort of band: either ... Robert Smith
8385-581: Is wallowing in gothic sadness or he's licking sticky-sweet cotton-candy pop off his lipstick-stained fingers." In 2004, Smith observed, "It's always been paradoxical that it's pushed down people's throats that we're a goth band. Because, to the general public, we're not. To taxi drivers, I'm the bloke that sings ' Friday I'm in Love '. I'm not the bloke who sings 'Shake Dog Shake' or ' One Hundred Years '." The Cure's primary musical traits have been listed as "dominant, melodic bass lines; whiny, strangulated vocals; and
8580-578: The Abitur or the Baccalauréat . Several countries use A-levels as a school-leaving qualification. The A-levels taken by students in other countries may differ from the A-levels taken in the United Kingdom. Many schools in countries world-wide offer A-Levels through international cross-border exam boards, which include Cambridge International Education (CIE), Pearson Edexcel , and OxfordAQA. In Bangladesh,
8775-522: The Advanced Placement . Examinations are handled by international British boards and the program is equivalent to Higher Secondary School Certificate . Cram Schools are established all around the country which prepares the students to take the examinations as private candidates. In Seychelles , the A-level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Education (CIE). Some subjects are unique to Seychelles or have
8970-591: The GCE AS and A-level are offered by Cambridge International Education (CIE) and Pearson Edexcel after completion of GCE O-level or IGCSE (CIE), and is conducted by the British Council . GCE Advanced Level qualifications are offered by some of the private, public, and international schools as an alternative to HSC ( Higher Secondary School Certificate ) offered by the Government Board of Education. It has become
9165-461: The Galore compilation lacklustre, Smith once again considered that the end of the Cure might be near and thus wanted to make an album that reflected the more serious side of the band. The Grammy -nominated album Bloodflowers was released in 2000 after being delayed since 1998. According to Smith, the album was the third of a trilogy along with Pornography and Disintegration . The band embarked on
9360-624: The Higher School Certificate , awarded upon successful completion of secondary school after passing of examinations jointly administered by the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). Some exam papers offered, such as French , are customized to support the national educational standards. Additionally, International A-level qualifications from Edexcel are available, for which exams may be registered through
9555-482: The Higher School Certificate . The A-level permits students to have potential access to a chosen university they applied to with UCAS points. They could be accepted into it should they meet the requirements of the university. A number of Commonwealth countries have developed qualifications with the same name as and a similar format to the British A-levels. Obtaining an A-level, or equivalent qualifications,
9750-523: The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education for both admission and employment purposes. It is one of the most popular qualifications used for university admission via the non- JUPAS channel. For example, average non-JUPAS offers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology require one to three A*s (the mid-50% range). Since the introduction of the high distinction grade (A*) in 2010,
9945-594: The Pornography album", and that he therefore couldn't leave the Cure, because it wouldn't be the Cure without him. For their first four albums ( Three Imaginary Boys , Seventeen Seconds , Faith and Pornography ), all members of the group had received equal songwriting credits. With Simon Gallup's departure reducing the group to a duo, and Tolhurst quitting drums to start taking keyboard lessons, from July 1982 until Gallup's return in February 1985, according to Smith, much of
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#173308454207210140-573: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . In NME 's cover article for March 2012, the Cure announced that they would be headlining a series of summer music festivals across Europe, including the Leeds/Reading Festival. On 1 May, Porl Thompson announced that he had left the Cure for the second time. On 26 May, the Cure embarked on a 19-date summer festival tour of Europe, commencing at the Pinkpop Festival , joined by Reeves Gabrels on guitar. On
10335-613: The Roxy Music song ) for The X-Files: The Album , and a cover of Depeche Mode 's " World in My Eyes " for the tribute album For the Masses . Again, both were released under the name of the Cure, but were essentially Robert Smith solo recordings. Having made a guest appearance on an episode of South Park earlier in the year, Smith again collaborated with Trey Parker under the name COGASM , featuring Reeves Gabrels and Jason Cooper, releasing
10530-486: The Small Wonder label as a stopgap until Fiction finalised distribution arrangements with Polydor. "Killing an Arab" garnered both acclaim and controversy. While the single's provocative title led to accusations of racism, the song is based on French author Albert Camus 's novel The Stranger . The band placed stickers that denied the racist connotations on the single's 1979 reissue on Fiction. An early NME article on
10725-610: The Solina ." On top of this foundation is laid "towering layers of guitars and synthesisers". Keyboards have been a component of the band's sound since Seventeen Seconds , and their importance increased with their extensive use on Disintegration . The band's early music videos have been described as "dreadful affairs" and have been maligned for their poor quality, particularly by the band itself. Tolhurst said, "Those videos were unmitigated disasters; we weren't actors and our personalities weren't coming across." The video for "Let's Go to Bed"
10920-492: The goth subculture that rose to prominence in the 1980s. Smith's other work includes playing the lead guitar as a member of Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1982 to 1984 and being the co-founder of the short-lived band the Glove in 1983. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cure in 2019, and Rolling Stone magazine ranked him as the 157th greatest singer of all time in 2023. Robert James Smith
11115-733: The "Play at Home" episode, substituting the Wizard of Oz concept with Alice in Wonderland to tie the theme with the Banshees' Wonderland recording label. The result was a 45-minute television programme featuring performances from Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Glove and the Creatures, in which all four members of the Banshees appeared in a recreation of the Mad Hatter's Tea Party dressed as Alice , while each individual member scripted their own solo character performance and monologue. Musical interludes included
11310-416: The "murder mitten" from the Beatles' animated feature Yellow Submarine , while the album title came from a B-movie by the same name about a potent strain of LSD that caused people to lose their hair and turn into homicidal maniacs many years after their first trip. Severin said of the project: Obviously there was an interest in psychedelia . We didn't have any set idea of what we wanted to do. After
11505-412: The 13th of each month, in the months leading up to the album's release. Released in October 2008, 4:13 Dream was a commercial failure in the UK compared to their previous album releases, only staying in the charts two weeks and not peaking higher than number 33. In February 2009, the Cure received the 2009 Shockwaves NME Award for Godlike Genius. O'Donnell officially rejoined the Cure in 2011 before
11700-667: The 1980s. The Cure have influenced a number of musical artists spanning multiple genres. Artists who have cited their influence by or appreciation for the Cure include Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins , Slowdive , Ride , My Bloody Valentine , Miki Berenyi of Lush , Britt Daniel of Spoon , Beach House , Chvrches , Blink-182 , Interpol , Manic Street Preachers , AFI , Deftones , Placebo , Mogwai , Korn , Foals , Drab Majesty , Converge , Tim Kasher of Cursive , Geoff Rickly of Thursday , and Alvvays . The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chose
11895-599: The 25th annual Meltdown Festival in London. Smith also selected the festival's lineup, which included several of his personal favourite artists, including Nine Inch Nails , My Bloody Valentine , Deftones , Placebo , Manic Street Preachers , and Kristin Hersh , among others. On 7 July 2018, Cure performed a 40th anniversary concert at Hyde Park as part of the British Summer Time concert series . For Record Store Day 2018,
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#173308454207212090-403: The 50th anniversary of the first Cure album [ Three Imaginary Boys ]. If I make it that far, that’s it. In the intervening time, I’d like to include playing concerts as part of the overall plan of what we’re going to do. I’ve loved it; the last 10 years of playing shows have been the best 10 years of being in the band. It pisses all over the other 30-odd years! It’s been great" Smith said. Smith
12285-543: The A-level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Education (CIE). Some subjects are unique to Malaysia or have a format, curriculum, or syllabus that is unique to Malaysia. For instance, there are two types of A-level in Malaysia, Cambridge A-level (administered by Cambridge International Examinations) and Edexcel International Advanced Level (administered by Pearson Edexcel ). In Mauritius , A/AS-level qualifications are taken as part of
12480-603: The B-side to the Cure's next single " Jumping Someone Else's Train " (released in November), A few dates into the Join Hands tour, however, Banshees' guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris quit the band hours before they were due to go on stage in Aberdeen , placing the tour in limbo. Determined not to let the tour end, Smith volunteered to replace McKay temporarily on condition that
12675-466: The Banshees as their lead guitarist in November 1982. He subsequently became a full-time member of that band, and was featured on the live video and album Nocturne . He then recorded the album Hyæna with them, but left the group two weeks before its June 1984 release to concentrate on the Cure. With Gallup's departure from the Cure and Smith's work with Siouxsie and the Banshees, rumours spread that
12870-528: The Banshees' single " Dear Prudence " (a cover of the Beatles' song) in September, all on the Banshees' own label Wonderland Records. Smith officially became a member of the Banshees. According to the Banshees' authorised biography, "Dear Prudence" had been recorded at Smith's insistence to document his time with the group, and it became their biggest UK hit, reaching number 3 on the Singles Chart . Shortly before
13065-584: The British A-level examination has regained its power to differentiate the very top levels of ability. According to the British Department for Education, in the academic year 2014/15, approximately 7.3%, 2.7%, 1.0%, and 0.3% of all the candidates from the GCSE cohort (548,480) achieved one to four A*s or a better result in the GCE A-level examination. This percentile rank is one important input for equating
13260-563: The British A-levels as offered through Edexcel or Cambridge International Examinations. At select examination centers, the British A-level exams may also be available to private candidates. A wide variety of subjects are offered at A-level by the five exam boards. Although exam boards often alter their curricula, this table shows the majority of subjects that are consistently available for study. Between 2015 and 2018 (first assessment Summer 2017), A-levels in England were reformed, transitioning from
13455-513: The British A-levels but a little bit easier than the Hong Kong A-level Examination in terms of the proportion of students achieving the highest grades, as part of the country's wider robust educational policy . In Sri Lanka , A-level qualifications are offered by governmental and non-governmental schools (Private Schools). The qualifications are awarded upon successful completion of examinations called Local A-levels while most of
13650-580: The Cure and the Banshees had previously left no time for the project. From May 1983, however, with the Cure on hold and Siouxsie and Budgie working together as the Creatures , recording of the Glove's album Blue Sunshine began in earnest. Budgie's then girlfriend Jeanette Landray, formerly a dancer with Zoo , was recruited to perform vocals, while Andy Anderson from Brilliant was brought in to play drums. The Venomettes with Martin McCarrick were hired to perform strings in studio. The Glove took its name from
13845-425: The Cure by saying, "the Cure is the ultimate band for a filmmaker to work with because Robert Smith really understands the camera. His songs are so cinematic. I mean on one level there's this stupidity and humour, right, but beneath that there are all [Smith's] psychological obsessions and claustrophobia ." The Cure are often regarded as one of the most significant alternative artists of the 1980s. They were one of
14040-672: The Cure embarked on a 23-date summer tour, consisting mostly of festival performances along with four dates in Sydney , Australia. The final Sydney show on 30 May was live-streamed. The band performed at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October 2019. Later that same month, the band issued 40 Live: CURÆTION-25 + Anniversary , a Blu-ray, DVD and CD box set featuring their Meltdown and Hyde Park performances from 2018 in their entireties. In interviews in June 2021, Smith referenced
14235-711: The Cure for induction in its Class of 2019. Although the Cure had been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2004, they were only nominated once previously, in 2012. The formal induction ceremony was held 29 March 2019 at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York. The members named by the Rock Hall for induction as part of the band are Perry Bamonte, Jason Cooper, Michael Dempsey, Reeves Gabrels, Simon Gallup, Roger O'Donnell, Robert Smith, Porl Thompson, Lol Tolhurst, and Boris Williams. Gabrels
14430-418: The Cure had broken up. In December 1982, Smith remarked to Melody Maker , "Do the Cure really exist any more? I've been pondering that question myself ... it has got to a point where I don't fancy working in that format again." He added, "Whatever happens, it won't be me, Laurence and Simon together any more. I know that." Parry was concerned about the state of his label's top band, and became convinced that
14625-603: The Cure headlined the Curiosa concert tour of North America, which was formatted as a traveling festival and also featured Interpol , the Rapture , Mogwai , Muse , and Thursday , among other groups. While attendances were lower than expected, Curiosa was still one of the more successful American summer festivals of 2004. The same year the band was honoured with an MTV Icon award in a television special presented by Marilyn Manson . In May 2005, O'Donnell and Bamonte were fired from
14820-502: The Cure live on the Wish Tour. For one of the French dates of the tour ( Stade Couvert Régional , Liévin , 15 November 1992), Cranes' vocalist Alison Shaw was ill and the group had to revise their entire set, with Robert Smith replacing Alison's vocal melodies on 6-string bass , and joined by the Cure's guitarist Porl Thompson. Cranes wrote most of their next album (1993's Forever ) while on
15015-543: The Cure released a remastered, deluxe edition of Mixed Up , along with a sequel titled Torn Down featuring 16 new remixes all created by Robert Smith. In a 30 March 2019 interview with Rolling Stone , Smith commented on the band's next album, saying, "For the first time in 20 years, we went into a studio – we actually went into the studio where they [ Queen ] did ' Bohemian Rhapsody '. The songs are like 10 minutes, 12 minutes long. We recorded 19 songs. So I have no idea what to do now... We'll finish it before we start in
15210-475: The Cure remained the opening act, while ex- Slits drummer Budgie joined on drums. The tour resumed on 18 September, with Smith playing in both bands each night. At the tour's end, Smith returned full-time to the Cure. Severin has attributed Smith's transition from a reticent figure to a more enigmatic front person to Smith's early experiences playing with Siouxsie and the Banshees: I think he learnt how to be
15405-405: The Cure, the Glove and the Banshees, Smith also found time to perform on Tim Pope 's Syd Barrett -inspired "I Want To Be A Tree" single. Pope at the time was the regular director of promotional videos for the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Marc Almond, among others, but was taken aback when his fame on American MTV as a video director began to rival that of the bands he worked for. He described
15600-509: The Cure. The Obelisk featured Smith (still playing piano at this point) alongside Marc Ceccagno (lead guitar), Michael Dempsey (guitar), Alan Hill (bass), and Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (percussion) and, according to the Cure's official biography Ten Imaginary Years , gave their only performance at a school function in April 1972. Jeff Apter, however, dates the performance to April 1973, which is at variance with Smith and his bandmates having already left Notre Dame Middle School by this time. During
15795-483: The Dance Fools Dance label to record and release the single "Frame One" by Crawley gothic/post-punk outfit Animation. In September, Smith with Tolhurst (now on keyboards) and session drummer Steve Goulding went into the studio to record a "blatant pop single" at the instigation of Fiction Records manager Chris Parry. Smith was reportedly so unhappy with the resultant track " Let's Go to Bed " that he attempted to have
15990-498: The Door , an album that managed to bind together the optimistic and pessimistic aspects of the band's music between which they had previously shifted. The Head on the Door reached number seven in the UK and number 59 in the US, a success partly due to the international impact of the album's two singles, " In Between Days " and " Close to Me ". Following the album and world tour, the band released
16185-671: The Dots: B-Sides & Rarities , 1978–2001 (The Fiction Years) . The album peaked at number 106 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The band released their twelfth album, The Cure , on Geffen in 2004. It made a top ten debut on both sides of the Atlantic in July 2004. To promote the album, the band headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that May. From 24 July to 29 August,
16380-524: The Fiction Records roster – with the new Cure line-up already performing a number of new songs for the projected second album. Meanwhile, a spin-off band comprising Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey, Gallup, Hartley, and Thompson, with backing vocals from assorted family and friends and lead vocals provided by their local postman Frankie Bell, released a 7-inch single in December under the name Cult Hero . Due to
16575-573: The Glove performing "A Blues in Drag", the Creatures playing "Weathercade" and the whole band performing "Circle". The programme (which did not air on television until the following year) concluded with live footage of Siouxsie and the Banshees playing "Voodoo Dolly" and "Helter Skelter" live at the Royal Albert Hall . Meanwhile, both the Glove's second single, " Punish Me with Kisses ", and the Banshees' live double album and companion video, Nocturne from
16770-647: The London YMCA on 3 August 1979. Both the Banshees and the Cure had been signed to Polydor and its imprint Fiction, respectively, by Chris Parry , and Smith was already a fan of the Banshees. The pair hit it off, and Severin invited Smith to accompany the Banshees on a UK tour in support of their second album Join Hands . The two bands embarked on the tour later in August, and meanwhile in September Banshees singer Siouxsie Sioux contributed backing vocals to "I'm Cold",
16965-672: The Magspies/Obtainers split single appeared on Dance Fools Dance the following year. On 3 and 4 April 1980 at the Rainbow Theatre in London, Robert Smith and Matthieu Hartley (also of the Magspies, Cult Hero and by this time, the Cure) were among the many guest members of a unique line-up of the Stranglers to play two protest concerts for Hugh Cornwell , who had been imprisoned on drugs charges in late 1979. Joy Division were also one of
17160-940: The Mauritius Examinations Syndicate. In Nepal , A-level offered from Cambridge International Education (CIE) is the most popular and is presented by several public, private, and international institutions as an alternative to the National Examination Board (Nepal) 's 10+2 curriculum. A-level has become a popular choice for many students in Nepal. Besides A-level, International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement are also offered at this level. Nepali students generally appear for 4 subjects at A-level and 5 at AS-level. A-levels are offered in Pakistan by governmental and private institutions, along with International Baccalaureate and other international examinations like
17355-789: The National Examination Standards shall be selected to join Advanced Secondary Education and are selected according to the subjects they passed the most and by their will to pursue certain subjects. There are only three core subjects to study in Advanced Level and one or more optional subjects to sit for the Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ACSEE). Then students are awarded Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education only if they have passed. The pass marks are arranged according to grades and
17550-467: The Psychedelic Furs and a longtime friend of Williams, to supplement the work of Tolhurst while allowing Thompson to focus on guitar. During the subsequent tour, Tolhurst's alcohol consumption began to interfere with his ability to perform. In 1989, the Cure released the album Disintegration , which was critically praised and became their highest-charting album to date, entering at number three in
17745-510: The Rocket for the first time by a support band from Horley called Lockjaw, featuring bassist Simon Gallup . Hansa, dissatisfied with the group's demos, did not wish to release their original song " Killing an Arab ". The label suggested that the band attempt cover versions instead. They refused, and by March 1978 Easy Cure's contract with the label had been dissolved. Smith later recalled, "We were very young. They just thought they could turn us into
17940-551: The Royal Albert Hall shows, appeared in November. In March 1984, the next Banshees single to feature Smith on guitar and keyboards, " Swimming Horses " was released; Smith co-composed the new material with them. This was followed by " Dazzle " in May, and finally the album Hyæna in June – Smith having left the Banshees the month prior to release, citing health issues due to his overloaded schedule. Meanwhile, in between commitments to
18135-593: The Scottish Advanced Higher . The main examination boards which administer British A-levels in the UK are: Oxford AQA, Edexcel, Cambridge International Education (CIE), and Learning Resource Network (LRN) also offer international versions of the British A-levels in the United Kingdom and worldwide. The British variant of A/AS-levels is also taken in many Commonwealth and former Commonwealth countries, as well as in examination centers worldwide. British international schools in foreign countries generally offer
18330-465: The Trees and Cranes . During 1989, Smith and producer Mark Saunders remixed 7″ and 12″ versions of the song "The Pear Tree", by And Also the Trees. The "Round Mix" of the song also appeared on the band's album Farewell to the Shade in 1989, followed by a US-only release of The Pear Tree EP the following year. In December that year while mixing the Cure's live album Entreat , he also recorded
18525-476: The Trees' 1982 cassette release From Under the Hill . Smith was initially to have also produced the band's debut single "The Secret Sea", but instead Lol Tolhurst stepped in as producer between 1982–84, both for the band's first two singles, and for their self-titled debut album . Smith would again collaborate with And Also the Trees in 1991. In the wake of the Cure's Fourteen Explicit Moments tour, which culminated in
18720-544: The UK and featuring three Top 30 singles in the UK and Germany: " Lullaby ", " Lovesong " and " Pictures of You ". Disintegration also reached number 12 on the US charts. The first single in the US, " Fascination Street ", reached number one on the American Modern Rock chart, but was quickly overshadowed by its third US single, "Lovesong", which reached number two on the American pop charts (the only Cure single to reach
18915-657: The US Top 10). By 1992, Disintegration had sold over three million copies worldwide. During the Disintegration sessions, the band gave Smith an ultimatum that either Tolhurst would have to leave the band or they would. In February 1989, Tolhurst's exit was made official and announced to the press; this resulted in O'Donnell becoming a full-fledged member of the band and left Smith as the Cure's only remaining founding member. Smith attributed Tolhurst's dismissal to an inability to exert himself and issues with alcohol, concluding, "He
19110-562: The US. From 1993, Smith's primary musical engagement was the recording of The Cure's album Wild Mood Swings , released in 1996 and followed by the Swing Tour, concluding in early 1997. He was meanwhile invited to perform at David Bowie 's 50th Birthday concert at Madison Square Garden (9 January 1997), where he duetted with Bowie on " The Last Thing You Should Do " and " Quicksand ". Here Smith met Bowie's guitarist Reeves Gabrels and co-producer Mark Plati , leading to their collaboration on
19305-534: The Wish Tour, and the album's title was partly influenced by touring with the Cure. In 1993, Smith and Bryan "Chuck" New remixed the extended 12" version of Cranes' single "Jewel" from the album; Smith again contributing his trademark Fender Bass VI sound and additional guitars to the remixed track. The single gave Cranes their first Top 30 single in Britain and Norway, and also became their biggest commercial breakthrough in
19500-448: The album as "psychedelia that can't be dated", while pondering, "I've yet to meet anyone who can tell me why the Cure are having hits now of all times." The Cure then embarked on their worldwide Top Tour with Thompson and Anderson, along with Phil Thornalley who had produced The Top and assumed bass duties for live performances. Released in late 1984, the Cure's first live album, Concert , consisted of performances from this tour. Near
19695-410: The amount of coursework to 20% (from 40% in the old modular specification). A-levels are no longer separated into units, and students must resit all of their exams if they wish to resit the qualification. While these reforms were expected to be complete for first teaching in 2017, this was extended to 2018 to include the reforms of less common languages such as Modern Hebrew and Bengali . The AS-level
19890-476: The applicants with IAL qualification are not required to take the Joint Admission Examination for Macao Four Higher Education Institution. In India , Cambridge International Education (CIE), and Learning Resource Network (LRN) GCE Advanced Level qualifications are offered at private and international schools as an alternative to the conventional Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC). In Malaysia ,
20085-544: The artists he worked with (The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Soft Cell , Talk Talk , the Style Council , Paul Young and Freur ) to "come along and slag me off on the showreel". He then played the artists the song, while filming their reactions to it. The Old Grey Whistle Test screened the video, which Pope says resulted in several record deals being offered. The song was re-recorded with Robert Smith playing most instruments in January 1984, produced by Chris Parry, and
20280-462: The band and James performing the song was released on 9 September 2014; it was filmed at Brighton Electric Studio in Brighton. Robert Smith also covered McCartney's " C Moon " on the album's bonus disc. In the summer of 2015, the Disintegration track "Plainsong" was featured in a humorous moment in the movie Ant-Man , but did not appear on the movie's soundtrack. In June 2018, the Cure headlined
20475-424: The band at the forefront of the emerging post-punk and new wave movements that were gaining prominence in the United Kingdom. Beginning with their second album, Seventeen Seconds (1980), the band adopted a new, increasingly dark and tormented style, which, together with Smith's stage look, had a strong influence on the emerging genre of gothic rock as well as the goth subculture that eventually formed around
20670-573: The band performed at the Vivid Sydney festival in Australia. This concert was the first in their Reflections concert series, in which they performed their first three albums in their entireties. The band performed seven additional Reflections concerts in 2011, one in London, three in New York City and three in Los Angeles. On 27 September, the Cure was announced as a nominee for 2012 induction into
20865-481: The band released two live albums, Show and Paris , featuring recordings from concerts on their world Wish tour. In 1994 the band composed the original song "Burn" for the soundtrack to the movie The Crow , which went to number one on the Billboard 200 album charts. Between the release of Wish and the start of sessions for the Cure's next studio album, the band's line-up shifted again. Porl Thompson left
21060-444: The band to tour with Page and Plant and was not replaced, while Boris Williams quit and was replaced by new drummer Jason Cooper (formerly of My Life Story ). After a four-year absence, Roger O'Donnell returned to play keyboards. The sessions for their next album began in 1994 with only Robert Smith and Perry Bamonte present; Simon Gallup then returned from a health-related leave of absence, after which Cooper and O'Donnell joined
21255-420: The band were due to go on tour. His return to guitar duties with the group prompted Smith to remark: Once a Banshee, always a Banshee. He later said that he was "fed up" and "really disillusioned" with the pressures of playing in the Cure, and that "the Banshees thing came along and I thought it would be a really good escape". Journalist/biographer Jo-Ann Greene noted that Smith's replacement of McGeoch "left
21450-422: The band wrote that the Cure "are like a breath of fresh suburban air on the capital's smog-ridden pub-and-club circuit," and noted: "With a John Peel session and more extensive London gigging on their immediate agenda, it remains to be seen whether the Cure can retain their refreshing joie de vivre ." The Cure released their debut album Three Imaginary Boys in May 1979. Because of the band's inexperience in
21645-529: The band's formation, including stints of guitarist Porl Thompson and drummer Boris Williams , Smith has remained the only constant member, though bassist Simon Gallup has been present for all but about three years of the band's history. The band's current line-up features Smith and Gallup alongside longtime members, Roger O'Donnell (keyboards), Perry Bamonte (guitar), Jason Cooper (drums) and Reeves Gabrels (guitar). Their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys (1979), along with several early singles, placed
21840-444: The band's lack of creative control on their first album, Smith exerted a greater influence on the recording of their second album Seventeen Seconds , which he co-produced with Mike Hedges. The album was released in 1980 and reached number 20 on the UK charts . A single from the album, " A Forest ", became the band's first UK hit single, reaching number 31 on the singles chart. The album was
22035-412: The band. O'Donnell claims Smith informed him he was reducing the band to a three-piece. Previously O'Donnell said he had only found out about the band's upcoming tour dates via a fan site and added, "It was sad to find out after nearly twenty years the way I did, but then I should have expected no less or more." The remaining members of the band – Smith, Gallup and Cooper – made several appearances as
22230-490: The company to issue partial refunds to fans who were subjected to excessive fees above the list price. The Cure released a 12-inch single on 1 October 2024 featuring live recordings of two new songs, "And Nothing Is Forever" and "I Can Never Say Goodbye", that were recorded at a concert in France in 2022. In September 2024, the band began sending out cryptic postcard messages to fans who signed up for their mailing list along with
22425-644: The compilation. The Cure toured to support the compilation and released a live concert VHS and LaserDisc of the show, filmed in the south of France and called The Cure in Orange . During this time, the band became very popular in Europe (particularly in France, Germany, and the Benelux countries) and increasingly popular in both the US and Canada. The band kicked off 1987 by performing in Buenos Aires , Argentina, becoming one of
22620-457: The departure of Simon Gallup and the temporary dissolution of the Cure, in June 1982, Smith began collaborating with Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees again. Although released under the name of the Cure, the only personnel to perform on the original Flexipop single release of "Lament" in August 1982 were Smith and Severin, and soon afterwards, Smith admitted that the Cure as a band now existed in name only. That August, Smith briefly resurrected
22815-423: The double album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me , with singles " Just Like Heaven " and " Hot, Hot, Hot! " was released to increasing popularity for the band in the US. From that time and on subsequent records, the writing was made by the whole band but still with Smith as the main composer and arranger. Robert Smith met Steven Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees at a Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire gig at
23010-401: The dour mood present on Seventeen Seconds . The album peaked at number 14 on the UK charts. Included with cassette copies of Faith was an instrumental soundtrack for Carnage Visors , an animated film shown in place of an opening act for the band's 1981 Picture Tour. In late 1981 the Cure released the non-album single " Charlotte Sometimes ". By this point, the sombre mood of the music had
23205-539: The emergence of punk rock , Malice's remaining members became known as Easy Cure – after a song written by Tolhurst. After winning a talent competition, Easy Cure signed a recording contract with German record label Ariola - Hansa on 18 May 1977. In September 1977, Peter O'Toole (no relation to the actor), who had been the group's vocalist for several months, left the group to live on a kibbutz in Israel. The band auditioned several vocalists that month before Smith assumed
23400-507: The eponymous Blue Sunshine , films cited as having fuelled the project included The Brood , Evil Dead , The Helicopter Spies and Inferno . Retrospectively, the Melody Maker' s Steve Sutherland described the Glove as "a manic psychedelic pastiche". The Glove's Blue Sunshine album and its lead single " Like an Animal " were both released in August 1983, followed by the Siouxsie and
23595-456: The first British alternative rock bands to perform a large-scale concert there. The concert ended in a riot after fans who had purchased counterfeit tickets were denied entry to the venue. The Cure did not play in Argentina again until 2013. In May, the Cure released the eclectic double album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me , which reached number six in the UK, the top 10 in several countries, and
23790-425: The first alternative bands to have chart and commercial success in an era before alternative rock had broken into the mainstream; in 1992, NME declared that the Cure had during the 1980s become "a goth hit machine (19 to date), an international phenomenon and, yet, the most successful alternative band that ever shuffled disconsolately about the earth". Pitchfork dubbed the Cure the "unlikeliest alt-rock heroes" of
23985-503: The first people who came up to us and said 'we think you're great'" and that the two groups were mutually influenced by one another. The group joined the Cure in support of the Eight Appearances tour of Scotland and Northern England during November and December 1981, together with 1313, featuring Steve Severin and Lydia Lunch , and the following year Robert Smith together with Cure/Banshees co-producer Mike Hedges co-produced And Also
24180-471: The first year. As these reforms took place in stages, many students took a combination of modular and linear courses before all reforms were complete, with AS-levels still being part of an A-level in older modular courses. These reforms look to combat grade inflation , where the proportion of students achieving the highest grades increases year upon year, causing the value of those grades to be eroded. The modular system has also been criticised for nurturing
24375-573: The genre. After the release of the band's fourth album, Pornography (1982), Smith introduced a greater pop sensibility into the band's music, and they subsequently garnered worldwide mainstream success. Their singles compilation Standing on a Beach (1986) sold four million copies worldwide by 1989, and they reached their commercial peak with the albums Disintegration (1989) and Wish (1992). The Cure have released 14 studio albums, two EPs , and over 40 singles, and have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Their most recent album, Songs of
24570-570: The grades will determine whether a student will qualify to join tertiary education. A-level education is a two years education which is offered by the government and non-government schools. It is regulated by the Ministry of Education which assures both qualitative and quantitative subject matters and there is a special independent council that is responsible in composing the Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ACSEE) namely The National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA). In Uganda,
24765-524: The group in the early years. Tolhurst also sang on a cover of " Wild Thing " at Malice's early shows, and Dempsey sang backing vocals on songs like "Killing An Arab", and even recorded lead vocals on one track on the Cure's debut album, their cover of Hendrix's "Foxy Lady". During March 1977, a vocalist named Gary X came and went, and was replaced by Peter O'Toole, described as "a demon footballer and Bowie fan" who made his singing debut in April. O'Toole remained Easy Cure's steady front man for several months while
24960-547: The group played the local pub circuit, "building up an enormous local following", and was even the singer on the home demo tapes that landed them their first recording contract with Hansa Records . However, by the time Easy Cure entered London's Sound And Vision Studio to record for Hansa in October 1977, O'Toole had left to work on a Kibbutz in Israel. Smith then fell into the vocalist role by default, since no better replacement appeared. He told Musician magazine in 1989: When we started, and were playing in pubs, I wasn't
25155-508: The group's scheduled Royal Albert Hall concerts in September and October 1983, Siouxsie and the Banshees were also invited to participate in an episode of Channel 4 's television series "Play at Home", which they agreed to in order to take advantage of having the upcoming concerts filmed. Smith had previously suggested to Severin that "the Banshees shouldn't be doing tours, they should be doing something really ambitious like The Wizard of Oz on stage", and Severin decided to adapt this idea for
25350-570: The holders of these qualifications who wish to study locally or overseas. Officially, the top distinction levels, A* in A-level and 5** in HKDSE, are currently recognized as broadly equivalent. In particular, in the light of statistical evidence, the 1% cut-off line is often set by admission offices at 2A*1A as compared to a score of 43/45 in the International Baccalaureate Diploma but the Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) instead of
25545-511: The idea, Smith and Severin recorded a reworking of the Cure's "Siamese Twins", with Tolhurst on drums, and Anne Stephenson and Virginia Hewes (later known as Ginni Ball) of the Venomettes on violins, which was performed on BBC Two 's music programme Riverside in March 1983, featuring two dancers choreographed by Dixon. Despite a positive critical reception, however, neither Dixon nor Smith were happy with
25740-487: The latter part of 1972, the nucleus of Smith, Ceccagno, Dempsey and Tolhurst had gone on to secondary school together at St Wilfrid's Comprehensive, where they and their friends continued playing music together. Smith said that they were known simply as "The Group" "because it was the only one at school so we didn't need a name." Dempsey, who eventually moved from guitar to bassist for the Group, said that another name they toyed with
25935-491: The lead vocalist of the Cure. Bowler and Dray note that the Obelisk had "featured Dempsey and Ceccagno as guitarists and him [Robert] on piano as very much a background player." As the Group gradually became Malice and began regular rehearsals in January 1976, Smith was still one of several floating members. Of their first "proper" rehearsal at St Edwards Church, Smith said: I think it all came about because Marc Ceccagno wanted to be
26130-673: The letter grades would be used in many cases to offer a much more subtle view of the candidate's academic potential. Typical offers from Cambridge Medical School require 2A*1A and Oxford University Medical School require 1A*2A whereas those from the medical and dentistry schools of the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong require 4A* and 3A* respectively in A-level due to fierce competition. The International Advanced Level qualifications are offered in some private schools and international schools which teaching medium
26325-406: The levels in both examinations. On the sole basis of percentile ranks and the grade statistics from HKEAA in 2017, a score of 29/35 from the best five subjects in Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education is comparable to 1A*2A in the best three British A-levels, 32/35 to 2A*1A, 33/35 to 3A* and 34/35 to 4A*. In deriving inferences from these statistics, it is important to note that slightly more than
26520-543: The lyrics for Seventeen Seconds , many were also rewritten by the group during the recording of the album itself. Dempsey's replacement Simon Gallup described the collective writing process to Sounds in 1980: When we play new songs live Robert ad libs [vocals] a lot until he gets the feel of it. Then when we record it if it's still not right it means everyone sitting around Chris Parry's (their manager's) kitchen all night scrawling sheets and sheets of paper – for "At Night" we got really desperate and finished up at six in
26715-472: The marks towards a full A-level award. The second part is known as an A2 or A2-level, which is generally more in-depth and academically rigorous than the AS. The AS and A2 marks are combined for a full A-level award. The A2-level is not a qualification on its own and must be accompanied by an AS-level in the same subject for certification. A-level exams is a matriculation examination and can be compared to matura ,
26910-409: The morning with Lol standing on the table pressing his head against the ceiling because he thought that might help. Lol Tolhurst later stated that he, Gallup and Smith all wrote lyrics for the Cure's early albums, and that the group dynamic only changed after their 1982 album Pornography : Generally as Robert had to sing the words he chose which ones he sang but they were from all of us. He kept
27105-603: The music for the album Seventeen Seconds using the Hammond, a drum machine and his trademark Top 20 Woolworth's guitar, during a home demo session in his parents' basement. Most of the lyrics had been written in one night in Newcastle. Michael Dempsey, discussing his own departure from the group at this time, later remarked: Robert's new songs were more of a personal statement – entirely personal to him – and I couldn't make that statement on his behalf. Although Smith wrote most of
27300-468: The name "The Cure"; the lawsuit finally ended in 1994 in favour of Smith. In the meantime, the band returned to the studio to record their next album. Wish (1992) reached number one in the UK and number two in the US and yielded the international hits " High " and " Friday I'm in Love ". The album was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1993. In the autumn of 1993,
27495-462: The new single " Wrong Number ", which featured longtime David Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels . In 1998 the Cure contributed the song "More Than This" to the soundtrack for The X-Files film, as well as a cover of " World in My Eyes " for the Depeche Mode tribute album For the Masses . With only one album left in their record contract and with commercial response to Wild Mood Swings and
27690-466: The nine-month Dream Tour, which included 20 dates in the United States. In 2001, the Cure left Fiction and released their Greatest Hits album and DVD, which featured the music videos for a number of their songs. The band released The Cure: Trilogy as a double live album video, on two double layer DVD-9 discs, and later on a single Blu-ray disc. It documents the Trilogy Concerts, in which
27885-489: The opportunity to apply for their foundation courses which only require O-level (Ordinary Level) results. A-level is an education structure after the completion of 11 years of Universal Primary Education (UPE). Universal Primary Education consists of two levels, the primary school level of seven years and ordinarily secondary level, of four years. Students are then required to sit for the National Examination which
28080-480: The overall A-level grade. This is because the universities used the grades achieved at AS-level (available to universities after a student applies during the second year of A-levels) as an indication of a student's ability and thus whether to give said student an offer. Opposition to these reforms in Wales and Northern Ireland has resulted in maintaining the modular structure of their qualification. In September 2023, it
28275-462: The post. On 14 October 2021, Gallup confirmed that he was still in the band. In March 2022, Smith confirmed that the first of the band's two projected new albums would be titled Songs of a Lost World . An update was provided in May 2022, when Smith claimed that the album would be released prior to the band's European tour in October 2022. This, however, did not happen, as the tour got underway with no new album being released, although new material
28470-407: The press he was fed up with the anti-image association that some considered to be "elaborately disguising their plainness", stating, "We had to get away from that anti-image thing, which we didn't even create in the first place. And it seemed like we were trying to be more obscure. We just didn't like the standard rock thing. The whole thing really got out of hand." That same year Three Imaginary Boys
28665-585: The private schools award them upon London A-levels. Local GCE Advanced Level qualifications are offered by the Department of Examinations . Private Schools ( International Schools ) in Sri Lanka provide A-level qualifications which are offered by: Passing A-levels is a major requirement for applying to local universities and for private universities in Sri Lanka . In the recent past, Universities in Sri Lanka have given
28860-547: The project as "a real piss-take of what was going on in America", prompted by people referring to "Tim Pope Videos", and said that he "felt really strongly that they were not Tim Pope videos, they were Cure videos or Siouxsie videos or whatever". Over the 1983 Christmas holidays, Pope and a friend, Charles Gray, recorded what Pope described as "this really stupid song" that they had co-written years earlier as teenagers. Pope made an accompanying video for his showreel , asking several of
29055-672: The public via the European Festival Awards website and receive hundreds of thousands of votes annually. A level The A-level ( Advanced Level ) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education , as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational authorities of British Crown dependencies to students completing secondary or pre-university education. They were introduced in England and Wales in 1951 to replace
29250-463: The recording of Pornography he was "undergoing a lot of mental stress. But it had nothing to do with the group, it just had to do with what I was like, my age and things. I think I got to my worst round about Pornography . Looking back and getting other people's opinions of what went on, I was a pretty monstrous sort of person at that time". Gallup described the album by saying, " Nihilism took over ... We sang 'It doesn't matter if we all die' and that
29445-412: The recording of two new Cure albums, saying "One of them's very, very doom and gloom and the other one isn't," and that the recordings have been completed, "I just have to decide who's going to mix them." On 15 August 2021, bassist Simon Gallup posted on his social media that he had left the Cure. No official statement concerning his departure was made by Smith or the band and Gallup subsequently deleted
29640-490: The remaining trio the Cure. Later that month the band recorded their first sessions as a trio at Chestnut Studios in Sussex, producing a demo tape for distribution to a dozen major record labels. The demo found its way to Polydor Records scout Chris Parry , who signed the Cure to his newly formed Fiction label – distributed by Polydor – in September 1978. The Cure released their debut single "Killing an Arab" in December 1978 on
29835-475: The rest of the album were minimal due to his alcoholism. The Cure then embarked on a successful tour which saw the band playing stadiums in the US. On 6 September 1989, the Cure performed "Just Like Heaven" at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. In May 1990, O'Donnell quit and was replaced by Perry Bamonte , who played both keyboards and guitar and had been
30030-676: The results, and the Les Enfants Terribles project was shelved indefinitely. Smith and Severin meanwhile co-wrote the music to Marc and the Mambas ' song "Torment", which appeared on the album Torment and Toreros . Between March and June 1983, Smith recorded with the Glove and (ostensibly) the Cure; prompting him to remark: "I need a holiday ... I keep making plans to go every week, but every week I'm in another group." Smith and Severin had first discussed collaborating on an external side-project in 1981, although their respective commitments to
30225-411: The role. The new four-piece of Dempsey, Smith, Thompson, and Tolhurst recorded their first studio demo sessions as Easy Cure for Hansa at SAV Studios in London in October and November 1977. None were ever released. The band continued to perform regularly around Crawley (including the Rocket, St Edward's, and Queen's Square in particular) throughout 1977 and 1978. On 19 February 1978 they were joined at
30420-464: The same day, it was announced that Gabrels would be standing in for the tour, but at that point was not a full-fledged member of the band. Several weeks into the tour, the band invited Gabrels to become a member and he accepted. In 2013, the Cure toured South America, where they had not performed since 1987 apart from two 1996 concerts in Brazil. In early 2014, Smith announced that the band would release
30615-483: The school and allegedly caused a riot: "I got taken back [in 1977] but they never acknowledged that I was there [...] I did three A levels —failed biology miserably, scraped through French, and got a 'B' in English. Then I spent eight or nine months on social security until they stopped my money, so I thought, 'Now's the time to make a demo and see what people think.'" According to Cure biographers Dave Bowler and Bryan Dray,
30810-464: The school expelled ex-Malice co-founder Marc Ceccagno along with Smith, whose new band Amulet played the December school show. Smith has given conflicting accounts of his alleged expulsion, elsewhere saying that he was merely suspended and that it was because he did not get along with the school headmaster, and on another occasion saying he was suspended because his "attitude towards religion was considered wrong". Smith has said that his first band when he
31005-408: The sessions. Wild Mood Swings , finally released in 1996, was poorly received compared with previous albums and marked the end of the band's commercial peak. Early in 1996, the Cure played festivals in South America, followed by a world tour in support of the album. In 1997 the band released Galore , a compilation album containing all of their singles released between 1987 and 1997, as well as
31200-523: The singer ... I was the drunk rhythm guitarist who wrote all these weird songs. We went through about five different singers – they were fucking useless, basically. I always ended up thinking, 'I could do better than this.' ... I mean, I hated my voice, but I didn't hate it more than I hated everyone else's voice ... So I thought, 'If I can get away with that, I can be the singer.' I've worked on that basis ever since. On 14 October 2024, Smith announced that he plans on retiring in 2029. "I’m 70 in 2029, and that’s
31395-411: The single " Wrong Number ". Although released under the name of the Cure, "Wrong Number" was one of several "one-off" studio projects recorded during this period by Robert Smith either performing solo, or with guest musicians from outside the full-time line-up of the Cure. Earlier versions of the song had already been recorded by the band, but Plati and Smith completely reconstructed the track, built around
31590-451: The single released under the name of Recur, feeling that the single let Cure fans down. During October, Smith and Severin also recorded early demos for what would become the Glove 's "Punish Me With Kisses" single, at Mike Hedges' studio "The Playground". Smith also returned to touring as a live guitarist with Siouxsie and the Banshees from November, following the collapse of then-Banshee John McGeoch from nervous exhaustion one week before
31785-423: The singles compilation Standing on a Beach in three formats (each with a different track listing and a specific title) in 1986. This compilation made the US top 50, and saw the re-issue of three previous singles: "Boys Don't Cry" (in a new form), "Let's Go to Bed" and, later, "Charlotte Sometimes". This release was accompanied by a VHS and LaserDisc Staring at the Sea , which featured videos for each track on
31980-405: The solution was for the Cure to reinvent its musical style. Parry managed to convince Smith and Tolhurst of the idea; Parry said, "It appealed to Robert because he wanted to destroy the Cure anyway." With Tolhurst now playing keyboards instead of drums, the duo released the single " Let's Go to Bed " in late 1982. While Smith wrote the single as a throwaway, "stupid" pop song to the press, it became
32175-435: The stress of touring. Former Cure bassist Simon Gallup, who had formed the band Fools Dance in the interim, rejoined the Cure after roadie Gary Biddles brokered a reconciliation between Gallup and Smith. Smith was ecstatic about Gallup's return and declared to Melody Maker , "It's a group again." In 1985, the new line-up of Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup, Williams, and Thompson (now on guitar and keyboards) released The Head on
32370-438: The studio at six in the morning, coming back here and watching all these really mental films and then going to sleep and having really demented dreams and then, as soon as we woke up at four in the afternoon, we'd go virtually straight back into the studio, so, it was a bit like a mental assault course towards the end ... I mean, God, we must have watched about 600 videos at the time! As well as Barbarella , Yellow Submarine and
32565-447: The studio from the Cult Hero sessions, Smith also produced recordings by the Magspies and a young vocal and percussion duo the Obtainers (described by Steve Sutherland of Melody Maker as "two 11-year olds banging on pots and pans"), for the fledgling independent label Dance Fools Dance co-founded by Robert Smith and Ric Gallup, elder brother of Simon. The Cult Hero single was released on the Fiction Records label in December 1979, while
32760-470: The studio, Parry and engineer Mike Hedges took control of the recording. The band, particularly Smith, were unhappy with the album; in a 1987 interview, he admitted: "a lot of it was very superficial – I didn't even like it at the time. There were criticisms made that it was very lightweight, and I thought they were justified. Even when we'd made it, I wanted to do something that I thought had more substance to it." The band's second single, "Boys Don't Cry" ,
32955-434: The summer, and it'll be mixed through the summer. And then so release date, I don't know, October? Halloween! Come on!" In an interview published on 5 July in NME , he noted that the band would be re-recording three or four songs in August 2019 but that, "I feel intent on it being a 2019 release and would be extremely bitter if it isn't." The year passed with no new studio release, as did the following four years. In 2019,
33150-462: The support bands on the second night. Recordings from the event were later released as The Stranglers and Friends – Live in Concert in 1995. Also during April, Smith provided backing vocals for the Associates ' debut album The Affectionate Punch , released in August 1980. At the time, the Associates were also signed to Fiction Records, and had been joined in late 1979 by former Cure bassist Michael Dempsey. The Associates' front man Billy Mackenzie
33345-457: The three albums – Pornography , Disintegration, and Bloodflowers – were played live in their entirety one after the other each night, the songs being played in the order in which they appeared on the albums. Trilogy was recorded on two consecutive nights, 11–12 November 2002, at the Tempodrom Arena in Berlin . In 2003, the Cure signed with Geffen Records . In 2004, they released a new four-disc boxed set on Fiction Records titled Join
33540-453: The tour's end, Anderson was fired for destructive behaviour, and was temporarily replaced for a few shows by Vince Ely of the Psychedelic Furs . The drummer position was then officially filled by Boris Williams , who had previously been the touring drummer for Thompson Twins . Ely and Williams had both been recommended by Phil Thornalley, from his previous experiences as a producer and engineer. Soon thereafter, Thornalley also left because of
33735-458: The track "A Sign from God" for the film Orgazmo . Smith's contribution to "Yesterday's Gone" appeared on Gabrels' solo album Ulysses (Della Notte) released in 1999 via Internet and in 2000 on CD by E-magine Music. The Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976 by guitarist, lead vocalist, and main songwriter Robert Smith and drummer Laurence Tolhurst . Throughout numerous lineup changes since
33930-399: The writing and recording process within the Cure effectively became a solo effort. Nonetheless, Tolhurst was credited as co-writer of five of the eight songs featured on 1983's singles and b-sides collection Japanese Whispers (including "Let's Go to Bed" and " The Walk "), while " The Love Cats ", "Lament" and "The Dream" were credited to Smith only. Of 1984's The Top , Smith would say it
34125-434: Was "the solo album I never made", having played nearly all instruments himself except for drums (by Andy Anderson), with Porl Thompson contributing saxophone to one song ("Give Me It"), and Tolhurst contributing keyboards to 3 of the album's 10 songs. In 1985, the band had success with The Head on the Door , with Smith as the sole songwriter. The line-up also included Gallup, Tolhurst, Thompson and Boris Williams . In 1987,
34320-433: Was 14 consisted of himself, his brother Richard, their younger sister Janet, and some of Richard's friends. He remarked, "It was called the Crawley Goat Band – brilliant!" However, while the Crawley Goat Band may have been Smith's first regular group, he would have been just 13 when he and his Notre Dame schoolmates gave their first one-off performance together as the Obelisk, an early incarnation of what would eventually become
34515-443: Was a friend of Smith's for more than 20 years, and the Cure song, " Cut Here " (from 2001's Greatest Hits album), was written in response to Mackenzie's suicide in 1997. As Smith told Jam! Showbiz following the release of "Greatest Hits": I kept passing on the opportunity to sit down and have a drink with him, have a chat ... I was very regretful. I had never used the words. I wrote them down to get it out of my system ... It
34710-446: Was a piano prodigy, so sibling rivalry made me take up guitar because she couldn't get her fingers around the neck ." He told Smash Hits that, from about 1966 when he turned seven years old, his older brother Richard taught him "a few basic chords" on guitar. Smith began taking classical guitar lessons from the age of nine with a student of guitarist John Williams , whom he called a "really excellent guitarist". He said, "I learned
34905-454: Was also not the sole songwriter or lyricist in the group during their early years; the band name Easy Cure came from a song penned by Lol Tolhurst, while Grinding Halt began as a Tolhurst lyric that Smith shortened to the first half of each line. Easy Cure condensed its name to the Cure shortly afterwards. During 1978–79, Smith composed and recorded demo versions of some of the Cure's definitive early songs on his sister Janet's Hammond organ with
35100-399: Was announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the A-level would be scrapped in England and merged with T-levels to form the Advanced British Standard , however this was cancelled by the Labour government after their victory in the 2024 general election . The GCE Advanced Level qualification is offered by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC). Before, this qualification
35295-673: Was born in Blackpool on 21 April 1959, the third of four children of Rita Mary (née Emmott) and James Alexander Smith. He came from a musical family, as his father sang and his mother played the piano. Raised as a Catholic , he later became an atheist . When he was three years old, his family moved to Horley , where he attended St Francis' Primary School. When he was six, his family moved to Crawley , where he attended St. Francis' Junior School. He later attended Notre Dame Middle School from 1970 to 1972, and St Wilfrid's Comprehensive School from 1972 to 1977. He and his younger sister Janet received piano lessons as children. He later quipped, "[Janet]
35490-423: Was followed by the Fourteen Explicit Moments tour, in which the band finally dropped the anti-image angle and first adopted their signature look of big, towering hair, and smeared lipstick on their faces. Simon Gallup left the Cure at the tour's conclusion after a bar fight with Smith; the two did not talk to each other for the following eighteen months. Smith then placed the Cure on hold and rejoined Siouxsie and
35685-486: Was initially not included in the induction, but was added in February 2019. At the Hall of Fame ceremony, the Cure were inducted by Trent Reznor before performing five songs. At the Brit Awards , the British Phonographic Industry 's (BPI) annual pop music awards, the Cure have won two awards from five nominations (Best British Video for " Lullaby " in 1990, and Best British Group in 1991). The European Festivals Awards were established in 2009. They are voted for by
35880-441: Was later used on many of the Cure's earliest recordings. Smith was quoted in several earlier sources as saying he purchased the guitar himself for £20 in 1978. Smith described Notre Dame Middle School as "a very free-thinking establishment" with an experimental approach, a freedom he claims to have abused. On one occasion, he said that he wore a black velvet dress to school and kept it on all day: "The teachers just thought, 'Oh, it's
36075-407: Was out of step with everything. It had just become detrimental to everything we'd do." Because Tolhurst was still on the payroll during the recording of Disintegration , he is credited in the album's liner notes as playing "other instruments" and is listed as a co-writer of every song; however, it has since been revealed that while Tolhurst had contributed to the song "Homesick", his contributions to
36270-493: Was performed. Perry Bamonte returned to the band for their Lost World tour beginning with their 6 October 2022 concert in Riga , Latvia. In March 2023, the Cure announced a 30-date North American tour called Shows of a Lost World , set to take place in May through July, the band's first full United States tour since 2016. Smith was outspoken against Ticketmaster 's dynamic pricing model and ticket scalpers , setting base prices as low as $ 20 before fees; he also negotiated with
36465-447: Was released in December 1983. In 1984, the Cure released The Top , a generally psychedelic album on which Smith played most of the instruments except drums (played by Andy Anderson ) and saxophone (played by early Malice member Porl Thompson, who then officially joined the Cure). The album was a Top 10 hit in the UK, and was their first studio album to crack the Billboard 200 in the US, reaching number 180. Melody Maker praised
36660-399: Was released in June. The Cure then embarked as the support band for Siouxsie and the Banshees ' Join Hands promotional tour of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales between August and October. The tour saw Smith pull double-duty each night by performing with the Cure and as the guitarist with the Banshees when John McKay quit the group in Aberdeen. That musical experience had
36855-463: Was released in October 1979. Soon afterwards, Dempsey was dropped from the band because of his cold reception to material Smith had written for the upcoming album. Dempsey joined the Associates , while Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthieu Hartley (keyboards) from the Magspies joined the Cure. The Associates toured as support band for the Cure and the Passions on the Future Pastimes Tour of England between November and December – all three bands were on
37050-408: Was released on Fiction Records (with a new video) in June. With the completion of the Blue Sunshine project and his departure from Siouxsie and the Banshees, by 1984 Robert Smith had returned to recording and touring with the Cure as his full-time primary band. Between 1985 and 1996, his musical outings beyond the Cure were comparatively rare, with notable exceptions including remix work for And Also
37245-466: Was repackaged for the American market as Boys Don't Cry , with new artwork and a modified track list. The Cure set out on their first world tour to promote both releases. At the end of the tour, Matthieu Hartley left the band. Hartley said, "I realised that the group was heading towards suicidal, sombre music – the sort of thing that didn't interest me at all." The band reconvened with Hedges to produce their third album, Faith (1981), which furthered
37440-407: Was reportedly stricter than Notre Dame. In the summer of 1975, Smith and his school bandmates took their O Levels , but only he and Michael Dempsey stayed on to attend sixth form at St Wilfrid's from 1976 to 1977. Smith has said that he was expelled from St Wilfrid's as an "undesirable influence" after his band Malice's second live performance shortly before Christmas in 1976, which took place at
37635-645: Was the Brat's Club – a reference to Evelyn Waugh 's A Handful of Dust . Smith said that "the group" eventually became Malice, "sort of a sub-metal punk group -with Michael Dempsey, Laurence and two other blokes." According to the band's Ten Imaginary Years biography, between January and December 1976, the shifting line-up for Malice featured several "other blokes", with founding guitarist Marc Ceccagno being replaced by Porl Thompson , an early drummer known only as "Graham" replaced by Lol Tolhurst, and "Graham's brother" replaced by vocalist Martin Creasy. By 1977, Malice had become Easy Cure . Smith did not intend to become
37830-418: Was the band's first entry into the US top 40 at number 35; the album was also certified platinum in the US. The album's third single, " Just Like Heaven ", was the band's most successful single to date in the US, being their first to enter the Billboard Top 40 . The album produced three other hit singles. After the album's release, the band recruited Roger O'Donnell , previously the touring keyboardist for
38025-421: Was their first collaboration with Tim Pope . The director added a playful element to the band's videos; the director insisted in a 1987 Spin interview, "I think that side of them was always there, but was never brought out." Pope would go on to direct the majority of the Cure's videos, which became synonymous with the band, and expanded their audience during the 1980s. Pope explained the appeal of working with
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