Music & Visions selected by Anna Lisa DM
Siamese Twins, from Pornography album, released 4 May 1982, Studio: RAK Studios, London, England, Label: Fiction, Producers: Phil Thornalley, The Cure.
The Cure:
“It all started in 1976 as Easy Cure, formed by Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) along with schoolmates Michael Dempsey (bass), Lol Tolhurst (drums) and local guitar hero Porl Thompson. They began writing and demoing their own songs almost immediately, playing throughout 1977 in Southern England to an ever growing army of fans. In 1978 the ‘Easy’ was dropped, along with Porl, and an eager trio now known simply as The Cure were quickly signed to Chris Parry’s new Fiction label.
In May 1979 their debut album Three Imaginary Boys was released to great acclaim, and as the band toured extensively around the UK, the singles “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Jumping Someone Else’s Train” were released. Michael left the band at the end of the year, and Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthieu Hartley (keyboards) joined. In early 1980 the Cure quartet embarked on an exploration of the darker side of Robert’s song-writing, and emerged with the minimalist classic album Seventeen Seconds, along with their first bona-fide ‘hit single’ “A Forest.”
After an intense world tour Matthieu left the group, and in early 1981 the trio recorded an album of mournful atmospheric soundscapes entitled Faith, which included another successful single in “Primary.” The band then set out on a second global trek, named ‘The Picture Tour’, during which they released the non-album single “Charlotte Sometimes.” In 1982 The Cure went back into the studio, and their increasingly ugly fascination with despair and decay culminated in the unrelenting sonic attack of the Pornography album. An intensely volatile tour ensued, and the single “The Hanging Garden” was released just as Simon left the band.
After pushing the limits of excess, Robert felt he had to change things, and did so by ‘going pop’ again. Rejuvenated, the Cure duo released their first real dance single, the cheesy “Let’s Go To Bed,” and during the making of the accompanying video forged a colourful and lasting relationship with director Tim Pope. The band continued into 1983 with the groovy electronic dance of “The Walk,” followed by the demented cartoon jazz of “The Lovecats.” All 3 singles and accompanying B-sides were then compiled and re-released as the Japanese Whispers album. In 1984 The Top album was released, a strange hallucinogenic mix, which contained the infectiously psychedelic single “The Caterpillar.” The world Top Tour saw the band expand to a quintet, with the addition of Andy Anderson (drums) and Phil Thornalley (bass), and the return of Porl Thompson (guitar).
The new Cure sound was captured live for the album Concert. Andy and Phil left soon after the end of the tour, and were replaced by Boris Williams (drums) and further returnee Simon Gallup (bass). This new incarnation started work on 1985‘s The Head On The Door album with a very real sense of ‘something happening’… The vibrant hit single “Inbetween Days” was followed up by “Close To Me,” and the ensuing world tour paved the way for the massive success of the singles collection album Standing On A Beach in 1986. That summer saw the band headline the Glastonbury Festival for the first time, and a year of extensive gigs and festivals was crowned by Tim Pope’s live concert cinema film The Cure In Orange.
In 1987 The Cure brought out Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, an immense double album of extreme and extraordinary stylistic range, and with the arrival of Roger O’Donnell on keyboards the Cure sextet traveled the world with ‘The Kissing Tour’, enjoying 4 more hit singles along the way. The wonderfully atmospheric Disintegration album was demoed in 1988 and released in 1989, and despite being a work of powerful brooding grandeur, it too gave rise to 4 hit singles. The awesome ‘Prayer Tour’ that followed, with the band back down to a quintet following the departure of Lol Tolhurst, included some of The Cure’s best performances to date, and was captured live for the album Entreat.”
bio continues here
Born in Xuzhou, China
Now lives and works in Beijing
Education
2013—2015 MA Painting, Royal College of Art, London
2014 Exchange Programme in Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf
2008—2012 BA Oil Painting, China Central Academy of Fine Arts,Beijing
2004—2008 The Fine Art School attached to the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing
Awards
2015 Runners-up Prize of Gordon Luton Award for Fine Art
2015 Neville Burston Prize
2015 The Tom Bendhem prize for Figure Drawing, RCA
2011 The Second Class Scholarship Recipient, CAFA
2010 The Second Class Scholarship Recipient, CAFA
2009 National Scholarship Recipient
2009 First Place, Excellent Student Works of the Year, CAFA
2008 Second Place, Excellent Student Works of the Year, CAFA
Solo Exhibitions
2017 the Politics of the Void, Duo Exhibition with Lanfranco Quadrio, Rosenfeld Porcini, London
2015 The Plurals, Beijing Art Now Gallery, Beijing
2012 Virtual Reality, Shiyue Gallery, Xuzhou
Follow The PasseNger Times on facebook ∞ instagram ∞ twitter
thepassengertimes.com 