The Cure concert that ended in a brawl between the band
Touring can be gruelling for any band, and the schedule can occasionally drive a wedge so deep within the balance of a band that they cross the point of no return. In 1982, The Cure were tested to their absolute limit, and the band’s disastrous show in Brussels almost marked the end of what has proven to be a glittering career.
The atmosphere within The Cure’s camp was already at an extreme low before they arrived in Belgium to play the final show of their tour. The band had been on the road non-stop for two months after beginning their European run in the United Kingdom in April. While two months might not sound like a significant amount of time in civilian life, it’s a different story when touring and sharing a confined space with the same people every day.
Tensions between the band reached boiling point when the tour rolled through to Strasbourg, a situation which resulted in Robert Smith and Simon Gallup entering a physical altercation. In his book, Ten Imaginary Years, Gallup recalled: “I was about to leave when some guy came up and told me I hadn’t paid for my drinks. He thought I was Robert. I was knackered, but the bloke took me up to the bar, and Robert appeared to see what was going on. I hit him, he responded, and we had a fight.”
However, Smith remembers the infamous night in France differently. He later said: “I was on the first floor of this club when they came up and told me there was a problem downstairs. Simon was so wound up that no one could talk to him – he was screaming at the barman, this young kid who was nearly in tears. By himself, Simon would have never behaved like that, but he was surrounded by the road crew, so he was behaving the way he thought a rock and roller ought to behave.”
Despite trying to resolve the issues with their fists, Gallup and Smith’s relationship deteriorated further before the tour ended. Ahead of the final show, there was a strange feeling in the air backstage, and Smith believed the performance in Brussels would be the final time The Cure played together. Although the performance wasn’t anything special, the band managed to escape disaster. However, everything fell apart during the encore thanks to an unnecessary intervention from their roadie, Gary Biddles. Gallup decided to exit the stage in a rage, and in his bandmates’ minds, the bassist was no longer part of the group.
In Ten Imaginary Years, Smith remembered: “Before the concert, Lol and I sat in the dressing room, miserable because we knew it was the end. The show was quite flat and, during the encore, Biddles came on and started singing ‘Smith’s a wanker, Tolhurst’s a wanker, only Simon’s worth anything in this band’. I was drumming, so I stopped, threw the drumsticks at the back of his head and told him to fuck off. Everyone looked at each other… and that was it.”
He added: “I slept right through the journey back the next day, and then I said goodbye to Simon. I didn’t see him again for 18 months.” Time proved to be the greatest healer, and two years later, Gallup accepted Smith’s invitation to rejoin The Cure, which seemed an implausible scenario following the Brussels debacle.