The Cure are an Englishalternative rock band fromCrawley. Formed in May 1978,[1][2][3] the group originally consisted of vocalist, guitarist and keyboardistRobert Smith (the only constant member), bassistMichael Dempsey and drummerLol Tolhurst. The current lineup includes Smith, bassistSimon Gallup (from 1979 to 1982, and since 1984), keyboardistRoger O'Donnell (from 1987 to 1990, 1995 to 2005, and since 2011), drummerJason Cooper (since 1995) and guitaristReeves Gabrels (since 2012).
The Cure formed in May 1978, evolving from the previous outfits Malice and Easy Cure.[1] The band's original incarnation featured vocalist and guitaristRobert Smith, bassistMichael Dempsey and drummerLol Tolhurst.[4] After the release and promotion ofThree Imaginary Boys, Dempsey was replaced bySimon Gallup in November 1979, when keyboardistMatthieu Hartley also joined the band.[5] Hartley performed onSeventeen Seconds, but by August 1980 had left the band.[6] Keyboards onFaith andPornography were performed by Smith, Gallup and Tolhurst.[7][8] Following the end of thePornography touring cycle in June 1982, Gallup left the Cure and the band was placed on a temporary hiatus.[9] Later in the year, Smith and Tolhurst – now the band's keyboardist – returned with the single "Let's Go to Bed".[10]
After several performances with stand-in musicians, the Cure returned in 1983 with new bassistPhil Thornalley and drummerAndy Anderson.[6] Former Malice and Easy Cure guitaristPorl Thompson performed saxophone on the 1984 albumThe Top, before returning to the group on a full-time basis on guitar and keyboards.[6] During theTop World Tour, Anderson was fired from the band due to problems stemming from alcohol abuse; he was briefly replaced by Vince Ely and later byBoris Williams, the latter of whom was subsequently offered the position full-time.[6] Thornalley also left the band upon the tour's conclusion, replaced by the returning Gallup.[6] The five-piece lineup of Smith, Thompson, Gallup, Williams and Tolhurst released two studio albums: 1985'sThe Head on the Door and 1987'sKiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.[10]
For the tour in support ofKiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, the Cure addedRoger O'Donnell as a second keyboardist.[11] Tolhurst eventually left the band entirely, after limited contributions to bothKiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and its follow-upDisintegration.[12] His departure was announced in April 1989,[13] when Smith claimed that he "wasn't taking it seriously enough".[14] O'Donnell remained only until the following June, when he left due to "personal differences" and was replaced by the band's guitar technicianPerry Bamonte.[15] The new lineup releasedWish in 1992, before Thompson left in early 1993 and Bamonte took over as main guitarist.[10] The Cure spent much of 1994 on hiatus, as Smith was involved in a legal dispute with former bandmate Tolhurst.[10] By the time they returned to the studio later in the year, Williams had left.[16]
In spring 1995, the Cure commenced recording for their next album with new drummerJason Cooper and returning keyboardist O'Donnell.[16] This lineup remained active for ten years, releasing three studio albums and one live collection, before Bamonte and O'Donnell were dismissed in May 2005.[17] The keyboardist later claimed that Smith would be reducing the Cure back to a three-piece, with Bamonte and himself the two members culled from the lineup.[18] The remaining trio recorded a cover ofJohn Lennon's "Love" for theAmnesty International albumMake Some Noise,[19] before Porl Thompson returned for summer tour dates starting in July.[20]
In May and November 2011, the band performed a series of shows with former members Tolhurst and O'Donnell as special guests, although Thompson was not included.[21][22] On 1 May 2012, after not performing with the band since 2009, Thompson announced that he was no longer a member of the Cure.[23] He was replaced for subsequent tour dates byReeves Gabrels,[24] who became an official member after a few shows.[25]
In 2019, Eden Gallup filled in on bass guitar for two shows when his father, Simon Gallup, was prevented from playing, due to personal circumstances.[26] In August 2021, Simon Gallup announced that he had quit the band,[27] although he said he was still in the band the following month.[28] On October 6, 2022,Perry Bamonte returned to the lineup on the first show of the Lost World Tour inRiga,Latvia.[29] In fall 2025, the band announced their first festival show of 2026 with a promotional picture that did not include Perry Bamonte, which Roger O'Donnell confirmed was the lineup going forward.[30]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Robert Smith | 1978–present |
| allCure releases to date |
.jpg) | Simon Gallup |
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_(cropped).jpg) | Roger O'Donnell |
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.jpg) | Jason Cooper | 1995–present |
| all Cure releases fromWild Mood Swings (1996) onwards |
.jpg) | Reeves Gabrels | 2012–present |
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| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Lol Tolhurst | 1978–1989(guest in 2011) |
| all Cure releases from "Killing an Arab" (1978) toDisintegration (1989) |
| Michael Dempsey | 1978–1979 |
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| |
| Matthieu Hartley | 1979–1980 | keyboards | Seventeen Seconds (1980) | |
| Andy Anderson | 1983–1984(died 2019) |
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| Phil Thornalley | 1983–1984 | bass |
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 | Porl Thompson |
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 | Boris Williams | 1984–1994(guest in 2001) |
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 | Perry Bamonte |
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| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Venomettes | 1983 | strings | Severin and the Venomettes performed with the band during early 1983 for theBBC Two showRiverside.[6] | |
 | Steven Severin | bass | ||
| Derek Thompson | Thompson performed one show with the Cure in April 1983 for the BBC Two show theOxford Road Show.[6] | |||
.jpg) | Norman Fisher | 1984 | Fisher substituted for Phil Thornalley in March 1984 for a second performance on theOxford Road Show.[6] | |
| Vince Ely | drums | After Andy Anderson left the band due to issues with alcohol abuse, he was temporarily replaced by Ely.[6] | ||
| Roberto Soave | 1992 | bass | Soave substituted for Simon Gallup, who had contractedpleurisy, for several shows in November 1992.[31] | |
| Eden Gallup | 2019 | Simon Gallup's son and bass tech, substituted for his father for a performance at theFuji Rock Festival in July 2019 andAustin City Limits Festival in October 2019.[32] | ||
| Mike Lord | 2023 | keyboards | Due to health reasons, keyboard tech Mike Lord stepped in for Roger O'Donnell on the Latin American leg of the 2023 Shows of A Lost World Tour[33] |
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| May 1978 – November 1979 |
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| November 1979 – December 1980 |
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| December 1980 – June 1982 |
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| June 1982 – June 1983 |
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| June 1983 – January 1984 |
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| January – October 1984 |
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| October – November 1984 |
| none |
| November 1984 – April 1987 |
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| April 1987 – April 1989 |
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| April 1989 – June 1990 |
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| June 1990 – early 1993 |
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| Early 1993 – late 1994 |
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| Spring 1995 – late 2001 |
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| Late 2001 |
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| Late 2001 – May 2005 |
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| May – June 2005 |
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| June 2005 – May 2011 |
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| May – June 2011 |
| none–Reflections shows only |
| June – November 2011 |
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| November 2011 |
| none– Reflections shows only |
| December 2011 – May 2012 |
| none |
| May 2012 – October 2022 |
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| October 2022 – 2024 |
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| 2025- |
| none |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Live albums | |
| Compilations | |
| Remix albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Singles |
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| Other songs | |
| Video releases | |
| Tours | |
| Related articles | |
