The early tunes of Crawley's finest get an airing ahead of Tomorrow's Ghosts festival
Wednesday 28th October was Lol Tolhurst’s warm-up show before the band’s sold-out performance at Whitby’s legendary Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival. This particular festival has become the goth Mecca, so Lol Tolhurst is an obvious choice for the bill, as he was, of course, a founding member of The Cure.
Lol initially drummed for the band, then went on to play keyboards throughout The Cure‘s heyday. Since then, he formed the bands Presence and Levinhurst, and most recently released an album called ‘Los Angeles,’ which is a collaboration with Budgie (of Banshees fame) and Jacknife Lee. He has even written a highly acclaimed book on this dark musical genre, titled simply, ‘Goth: A History‘.
His present-day band does not play that frequently, so we are truly honoured to welcome Lol and his band to Brighton on this wintry evening. We have been promised classic songs by The Cure tonight, as well as new and old songs.
Quarters is the name of this seafront venue, and perhaps an appropriate one to release the bats from, with its windswept sea and blustery outlook. Actually, tonight’s sea was rather calm, and the evening was surprisingly mild for late October.
First up tonight is the very talented Evi Vine, who I had the pleasure of witnessing in recent times when her band supported post-punk legends The Chameleons at Concorde 2. I only realised recently that she has also featured on an album by The Eden House called ‘Smoke And Mirrors‘, which is a modern-day gothic masterpiece in my mind. Her solo stuff is impressive too, and her 2019 album ‘Black Light White Dark’ was a great listen. Recently, Evi Vine has performed and self-released an album of poems by Elisabeth Siddal. She has also just released a brand-new single called ‘Songs Of Presence And Absence‘, with the promise of a new album on the horizon.
As there were two drum kits set up tonight, the band were stretched across the full breadth of the stage, some members seemingly lurking in the shadows… Evi Vine kicked off the set with a couple of old ones, and the crowd were all present and correct to enjoy this atmospheric spectacle. You soon knew you were watching a class act as the songs slowly built up to a dramatic crescendo. With three guitarists (Evi Vine, Steven Hill, and Tom Jones) and a bassist (Matt Holt) in the band, they sure know how to make a big noise. Their music sometimes feels like you’re being swept away into some deep dark ocean. All of this was accompanied by Evi’s dreamy, ethereal vocals.
Evi spoke of ‘dark energies’ pervading our world today and praised our connectivity through art and music. A coming together, which creates strength through unity, when things seemed stacked against us. She mentioned that people’s attitudes towards women have devolved, and with the help of each other and from decent men, we can overcome these problems.
The third song in the set was one from the band’s ‘Black Light White Dark‘ album. Evi mentioned their upcoming gig supporting The Mission at Whitby’s Tomorrow’s Ghosts festival. She said she toured with the band at one point too, which I imagine was a good match. The second half of tonight’s set were songs from Evi Vine‘s new album, ‘Return Of The White Raven.’ All the songs were suitably dramatic, with an excellent drumming climax from Benoit Martyn to end on.
Evi Vine plays Brighton once again on November 12th at Daltons, with Grace Hayhurst and Dea Velata. On the 5th of December she plays in Manchester at the New Century Hall with The Chameleons.
Lol Tolhurst and his band’s first song of the night was ‘The Holy Hour‘, which is the opening song from The Cure’s third album, ‘Faith‘. It’s a mid-tempo number with a long intro, and this 3-piece did a grand job with their rendition. Lol’s son, Gray Tolhurst, was on vocal and guitar duties tonight, and he achieved the Robert Smith vocal technique, but without completely copying it. There was certainly no danger of the band saving the best till last (The Cure have endless classics in their back catalogue), because the next song of the evening was the absolutely sublime ‘A Forest‘. This song never gets old for me, with its deceivingly simplistic song structure, highly infectious bassline, and its overall starkness. This song actually sounds ‘cold’ to me, and the band did it justice tonight. Lol even played the song’s keyboard intro before laying down the beat.
‘The Hanging Garden‘ is another firm favourite of mine, and I was pleased to see it get a welcome airing from Lol and the band tonight. It featured on The Cure‘s infamous ‘Pornography‘ album, which is definitely one of the best albums they ever wrote together. It’s certainly the most devastating. I love the tribal drumming in this song, which has the ability to hypnotise. It was cool to see Lol perform that rhythm in such an intimate setting. Gray sang the song in a slightly different key than I was familiar with, but I soon became accustomed to it, and their version was very enjoyable. Oliver Cherer (Miki Berenyi Trio/Aircooled) was on bass duties tonight, making full use of the stage. One of the highlights of the night for me.
‘All Cats Are Grey‘ was up next, which Lol said he wrote about his mother. It’s an excellent song, with a sequenced electronic groove, and one where Gray puts down his guitar to perform the lead vocal. The sound in Quarters was top-notch at this point, and paired with the venue’s lightshow and laser display, it really put across the feel of the song effectively. ‘Three Imaginary Boys‘ is another early one in The Cure‘s back catalogue, and Lol Tolhurst and his band performed a top version of it. Lol seemed particularly happy with it too. He also mentioned how Brighton holds special memories for him, as The Cure in their early years wandered these streets regularly.
The penultimate song of the night was a bit of a crowd pleaser; ‘Boys Don’t Cry‘. At the time the song displayed The Cure at their poppiest, and this bittersweet track has been used on numerous films and TV series in recent years. Quite rightly too, as this song is pop perfection with ever-relatable lyrics of a teenage angst kind. The room was a warm and busy one tonight, and the crowd gave good cheer to this classic.
Lol Tolhurst closed tonight’s set with the excellent ‘10:15 Saturday Night‘, which is another favourite of mine. I had almost forgotten about this song from my youth until recently, when I chanced upon it being played in Brighton Rocks bar in Kemp Town a few weeks ago. What a clever song this is, and another from The Cure‘s very early years. There are so many different things going on in it that it’s impossible not to get drawn in. This was a magic moment for me tonight, and I especially enjoyed that brilliant bass break towards the end of the song. With a song like that, what’s not to like?
Lol Tolhurst and his band bade us farewell, but not before getting back onstage for a brief encore, in the form of another performance of ‘Three Imaginary Boys.’ In fact, this rendition was even better than the earlier run-through!
Lol Tolhurst and band played an enjoyable set tonight. Lots of notable tunes from The Cure‘s heyday got highlighted and celebrated, and Mr. Tolhurst made some good song choices. Tonight’s performance should put him in good stead for his sold- out show in Whitby, as tonight was a real treat. It truly is a special thing to watch Lol Tolhurst perform these darkened hymns of the past. Those classic songs we grew up with, and the later ones he helped to shape.
Main Photo Credit / All Photos and Videos: SONNY TYLER
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Lol Tolhurst plays intimate warm-up show bringing the songs of The Cure to Brighton’s seafront
Wednesday 28th October was Lol Tolhurst – a founding member of The Cure’s – warm-up show before the band’s sold-out performance at Whitby’s legendary Tomorrow’s
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I have been writing reviews for Brighton & Hove News, and more recently Vive Le Rock magazine for a few years now. Previously, I could be spotted playing drums for many a band over the decades. A noisy habit developed whilst wearing short trousers at school, and one that has had me touring around the UK and Europe. Punk rock is my life, but I am also quite eclectic. I am an avid gig go-er and music devourer, and can feel out of sorts if a gig date is not on the horizon. I have also been known to put gigs on myself in order to fill those gaps.
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