The Cure

United Kingdom, 1978–now

English band led by Robert Smith, formed in 1978. Their records range from spare post-punk (Seventeen Seconds) through the bleak Pornography to the layered pop of Disintegration.

MusicRoots documents 3 artists who influenced The Cure and 13 artists The Cure influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced The Cure?

• Jimi Hendrix — Hendrix was the young Robert Smith's first idol: 'the first person I had come across who seemed completely free... he represented this thing that I wanted to be.' Smith (11 at the Isle of Wight, 1970) has named him the reason he wanted to become a singer and guitarist.
• David Bowie — Smith has cited Low-era Bowie as the record that shaped The Cure's early atmospheric direction.
• Siouxsie and the Banshees — Robert Smith played guitar in the Banshees on tour in 1979 and 1982–84 — an apprenticeship whose ice-cold guitar aesthetics fed directly into the Cure.

Which artists did The Cure influence?

• The Cranberries — The Cure were among the post-punk acts O'Riordan named as her primary teenage influences.
• Thirty Seconds to Mars — The band's early moody, atmospheric alternative sound drew on The Cure, whom Leto has cited as an influence.
• Deftones — Chino Moreno has called The Cure his favourite band; Deftones covered 'If Only Tonight We Could Sleep' with Robert Smith's approval.
• The Killers — The Cure was Brandon Flowers's conversion — his first-ever concert; he has said 'Push' 'baptized' him, and the band later covered it.
• Placebo — The Cure's goth-tinged alternative rock is among the darker post-punk influences cited for Placebo's sound.
• Kino — The icy post-punk of the Cure was one of the Western sonic templates for Kino's sound.
• Bloc Party — The Cure are a stated source for Bloc Party's spiky, atmospheric guitar rock.
• The Bravery — The Bravery's sound echoes the new-wave and gothic style of '80s British bands like the Cure, a key reference for the band.
• My Chemical Romance — The Cure's gothic romanticism is among MCR's stated influences, colouring their darker, atmospheric songs.
• Paramore — Hayley Williams names Robert Smith of the Cure as a personal influence, part of the melodic, atmospheric side of Paramore.
• Taking Back Sunday — The Cure's atmospheric, heart-on-sleeve rock is part of the emotional lineage behind Taking Back Sunday's sound.
• The xx — The Cure's spare, atmospheric post-punk is a stated influence on the xx's hushed, melancholic minimalism.
• The Smashing Pumpkins — The Cure's gothic melodicism and atmosphere are a key influence on the Smashing Pumpkins' dreamier, melancholic side.