the cure: cultural legacy
disclaimer: info on the founding members as Malice is hard to find so it might be different then things written other places
the cure: music and fashion
music: genre defying songs
The Cure began as a band called "Malice" in West Sussex in 1973 between school friends Robert Smith, Micheal Dempsey, Laurence Tolhurst, Marc Ceccagno, and Alan Hill.
after some members left The Cures story officially started.
in 1976 Easy Cure was formed with the remaining 3 members Robert Smith, Lol Tolhurst, and Micheal Dempsey with local guitar hero Porl Thompson. The name came from a song Tolhurst had written.
Easy Cure began writing and demoing, eventually playing live shows throughout Southern England in 1977 to a growing crowd of fans.
in 1978 Easy Cure releases their first single “The Easy” and let go of Porl Thompson, becoming The Cure.
the lineup has since changed over the years with the current members being vocalist Robert Smith, bassist Simon Gallup, keyboardist Roger O’Donell, guitarists Perry Bamonte and Reeves Gabriels, and drummer Jason Cooper.
the cures debut album "Three Imaginary Boys "placed them in the post-punk and new wave genres.
the following album Seventeen Seconds was more dark and melancholy, which was where the cures goth influence came into play.
the cure is a genre defying band due to their pop turn in the later albums and tendency for playing in whatever style they please. the cure worked in many different genres throughout their time as a band and was received with success in each.
as of posting this the cure has released their first new song in 15 years with their newest album "Songs Of A Lost World" due to be released on November 1st 2024.
fashion: goth trendsetter
when anyone talks about the cures image, lead singer Robert Smith comes to mind. his dark eyeliner, smeared lipstick and teased hair are simply iconic. i will also note that he is another man who wore makeup in the early scene.
robert smith has denied both the band and himself being goth but despite this there's no ignoring their influence on the subculture.
i believe that the big teased up hair (one of the most defining parts of the goth look) can be attributed to robert and siouxsie sioux. robert was part of the banshees so i think that the two most likely bounced looks off one another. the wild hair they both sported made its way into larger fashion groups, becoming a common part of the goth style.
it is important to note that the cure, siouxsie and the banshees, and bauhaus were all founded around the same time. i believe that the the emergence of goth fashion can be connected to the mix of all these different artists looks.
heavy eyeliner was sported siouxsie sioux and members of bauhaus. robert smith made it messier, giving people a new style to choose from.
what i think is most important about roberts influence on goth fashion is that he was very low effort. his casual outfits showed that you didnt always have to have layers and big angular makeup, goth could be anything. i think this more laidback expression of the fashion side of the movement was able to make goth more accessible to people who felt intimidated by the complexity of the style.
(these are all my own claims and if they are bullshit please feel free to correct me, its so hard to find more info or opinions about this when i research)
robert kept his signature black eyeliner and red lipstick combo while wearing baggy clothes, large sneakers, jewlery, trenchcoats, and feminine clothing. he also layered clothes!
i would call his style funky. hes a funky dude who wears what he wants and very clearly enjoys it! i also dont wanna label it cuz cmon, hes robert smith.
despite his denial about being goth we can see elements of goth fashion below with distinctive layering, and flowey clothes, sweaters, trenchcoats, and the fact that hes wearing atleast one black item in every photo.
