The Cure’s bassist Simon Gallup quits the band over ‘betrayal’

Virgin Radio

17 Aug 2021, 15:57

Robert Smith and Simon Gallup of The Cure. Photo credit: Getty Images

After more than four decades as The Cure’s bassist, Simon Gallup has announced that he has left the band.

Alongside frontman Robert Smith, Gallup is the longest-serving member of The Cure, but in a recent post on his Facebook page, he said: “With a slightly heavy heart I am no longer a member of The Cure! Good luck to them all…”

When a friend asked him if he was OK, the bassist responded: “I’m OK Vicky… just got fed up of betrayal.”

It is not known what caused the dispute, or what the betrayal is to which Gallup is referring, as neither party has commented further at this stage.

Gallup joined The Cure back in 1979. He briefly left in 1982, before re-joining in 1984. In 2019, Robert Smith told NME, “For me, the heart of the live band has always been Simon, and he’s always been my best friend,” and that “he’s absolutely vital to what we do.”

In the same interview, the frontman said: “We’ve had some difficult periods over the years but we’ve managed to maintain a very strong friendship that grew out of that shared experience from when we were teens. When you have friends like that, particularly for that long, it would take something really extraordinary for that friendship to break.”

Having not released a studio album since 2008, The Cure have apparently recently recorded enough material for two new albums. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Robert Smith suggested that the next Cure album could be the final one, saying, “I can’t think we’ll ever do anything else. I definitely can’t do this again.”

Fans on social media have not taken the news of Gallup's departure well. One said, “Crossing my fingers that in the morning Simon Gallup will be back in the band and all will be right with the world.”

Another commenter said, “This struck me hard. As far as The Cure are concerned, Simon is irreplaceable. He’s been such a huge influence on me. He was the reason I bought my first bass when I was in high school.

Someone else added, “Simon Gallup leaving the Cure again is one of the signs of the apocalypse isn't it?”

Another Cure fan simply said, “Could someone tell me that it’s just a nightmare?”