Lol Tolhurst

Lore & Background

Tolhurst was born in Horley, Surrey, the fifth of six children to William and Daphne Tolhurst. He states in his memoir Cured that his father was an alcoholic with unpredictable moods. The Tolhurst family later moved to nearby Crawley, where he first met future bandmate Robert Smith when they were both five years old. Tolhurst's grandmother lived next door to Smith's family, and Tolhurst and Smith attended St. Francis Primary and Junior Schools together. During their teen years, the two played together in several early bands, with Tolhurst on drums. These bands eventually evolved into the Cure in 1978. Tolhurst and future bandmate Pearl Thompson were present at the outbreak of the 1976 Notting Hill Carnival Riot and ran away as the riot began. Tolhurst played drums and occasionally keyboards for the Cure on their first four albums. After the tour for the Pornography album in 1982, Tolhurst decided to abandon the drums and switch to keyboards and synthesisers full time. During this period he also produced two singles and one album for the band And Also the Trees. By 1985, Tolhurst's contributions to the Cure were diminishing due to his alcoholism, and during live performances some of his keyboard parts had to be supplemented by guitarist Pearl Thompson. Shortly after the release of Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me in 1987, Tolhurst's apparent lack of preparation for the album's upcoming tour caused the band to recruit a second keyboardist, Roger O'Donnell. During the recording of the following album Disintegration in 1989, Tolhurst's alcoholism became so severe that the other members of the band threatened to quit, and Tolhurst contributed very little to the album even though he was credited as a co-writer on all songs. While it was later revealed that Tolhurst contributed to the song "Homesick", his contributions to the rest of the album were nearly nonexistent, and he was ultimately credited with "other instruments" in the album's liner notes. Tolhurst was fired by Robert Smith shortly before the album's release.

Reader's Guide

In 2016, Tolhurst published his memoir Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys, largely recounting his childhood friendship with Robert Smith and the early years of the Cure. Tolhurst undertook an extensive book tour of the United Kingdom and United States. In 2018, he was featured in an episode of the BBC Radio 4 series Soul Music, in which he discussed the history of the Cure song "Boys Don't Cry". In 2019, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cure. In 2021, Tolhurst developed the podcast Curious Creatures with Budgie, a member of longtime Cure associates Siouxsie and the Banshees, in which they explore "post punk's enduring legacy and contemporary relevance" along with invited guests. Tolhurst's second book Goth: A History was published in 2023. The Guardian wrote that the book "traces the genre from its 18th-century literary roots to its flourishing as a music subculture". During this period, Tolhurst took up drumming again and teamed up with Budgie and Jacknife Lee on the album Los Angeles, released in November 2023. The album features guest appearances by James Murphy, the Edge, Bobby Gillespie, and Isaac Brock. Mojo praised the album as "thrilling", saying that "Los Angeles lands with a visceral impact, rich texturing and smart distortions adding a destabilising wobble". The album was issued on vinyl, CD, and digital. Tolhurst and Budgie toured in the US in spring 2024.

Did You Know?

• Tolhurst lost a 1994 lawsuit against Robert Smith and Fiction Records over unpaid royalties and was ordered to pay Smith's legal expenses; Smith refunded the money years later after they reconciled.
• Tolhurst's son was born in 1991, after he had moved to Los Angeles and overcome his alcoholism.