Fans of The Cure can rejoice because these hard-rocking Brits will finally be playing at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Aug 1!

But for those wondering what all this fuss is about, let the UrbanWire take you on a history tour of how The Cure became the celebrated veterans of English Rock.

Somewhere in the charming county of West Sussex, where lovely parks stretch for acres, and chimneys perch on pretty homes, a troubled teenage boy sat. Having had countless brushes with the law, his childhood was tainted with undesirable memories. Along with 2 friends, he set up a band and through music, he channelled all his fixations and frustrations. His music became his therapy. He is Robert Smith.

Call them “the masters of mope rock”, as David Letterman did, and Smith would probably be alright with it. Just don’t EVER, push it and call them “Goth”. He insisted that they have never been and will never be that in a 1997 Details Magazine Goth music spread.

I know, I know. This is Robert Smith we’re talking about. The “messiah of melancholy”, the “guru of gloom”, as he has been dubbed . This is the guy who with his unnerving tangle of black hair, deathly ashen complexion, and perpetually blood-stained lips wrote songs like “The Drowning Man” and “The Funeral Party”.

However, there is some truth to that. To simply tag them Goth, would be to pretty much disregard most of their glorious career. They’ve dabbled in a variety of styles successfully and best describe alternative music.

Initially christened “Easy Cure”, Laurence ‘Lol’ Tolhurst, Michael Dempsey, Porl Thompson and of course, Smith, won a talent competition that granted them a deal with German label, Hansa Records in 1977. After recording tracks which were never released and following disputes with the company, the contract was dissolved a year later. Following Thompson’s departure from the band, the trio resurfaced as The Cure.

They began big. Their first single, titled “Killing an Arab”, started a small riot and sparked off rumours of racism. In all actuality, the song was inspired by French writer Albert Camus’ “L’Etranger” which translates into The Stranger and condemns prejudice.

Under Fiction Records, they released their clean, minimalist debut, Boys Don’t Cry. The next 3 albums, Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography became increasingly dismal, each trapped in a macabre web, weaved into grief and sorrow.

Then, a drastic transformation ensued. They donned dancing shoes. The duo went pop, releasing upbeat, disco-esque tracks. One of the most recognised was the cheesy tunes of “Let’s Go To Bed”. And who could forget the electronic grooves of “The Walk” and manic cartoon sounds of “The Lovecats”.

After a short break, The Cure re-emerged in 1984 with The Top, an album filled with trippy anthems including the single, “The Caterpillar.” But it was really The Head On The Door, that shot them to superstardom. The album married the cynicism of their early works with the whimsical kinks of their boogie beats.

The year 1989 was a great one for them with the infamous bitter exit of Tolhurst as well as the release of Disintegration. The album was one of their most intense, capturing the essence of Smith’s stylistic ventures and remains, to date, a timeless offering.

Unfortunately for them, they began their free-fall into No-Luck Land. They released a strange remix album, Mixed Up, then the anxiously-anticipated Wish, which was sorely disappointing. And of course, no real rock band escapes a court battle.

In 1992, the discontented Tolhurst engaged the band in a tedious lawsuit over royalties. Smith won, by the way. And it was 4 long years before The Cure released Wild Mood Swings. While it was leaps better than Wish, it fell short of their previous works.

Fast forward 4 years. Bloodflowers, the supposed summation of their 23-year theme-park-like career, was released. Smith has intended to retire after the album and visited earlier works, Pornography, Disintegration and Wish. The guitar-driven record finally brought The Cure’s sound back and resuscitated Smith’s passion for music and writing.

And with that, their 23-year relationship with Fiction Records ended. In 2003, The Cure inked a 3-album deal with Geffen Records and is continuing to whisper violent lullabies worldwide.

The 4-piece band currently comprises Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Jason Cooper and Porl Thompson. True to their legacy, they’re touring hard and holding sell-out concerts everywhere.

Now with Smith’s trademark whine set to be heard for the first time on our shores, there’s no better time to be treated!

The Cure Concert

Date: Aug 1

Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium

Time: 8pm

Prices: $178, $148, $118, $78

Website: www.sistic.com.sg