Born on February 3: Laurence Tolhurst, former drummer with The Cure, is not ready to retire

Born in the small English town of Horley in Surrey in 1959, he was given the nickname “Lol” (short for “Laugh outloud”). And yet, he's anything but a constant laughingstock!

In The Cure, which he founded with Robert Smith and Michael Dempsey (later Associates and Lotus Eaters) in 1978, he first served as drummer for a few years, then as keyboardist until 1989. Robert Smith then firmly showed him the way out. This left him with a lingering resentment, which he attempted to assuage in 2016 with his auto-biography “Cured: The Tale Of Two Imaginary Boys”, in which he fondly recalls their long friendship since childhood, as well as the grievances that keep them apart to this day.

After a thunderous start to his career with the still emblematic The Cure, Tolhurst has returned to an anonymity from which he only emerges on rare occasions. And without unleashing the hysteria of the crowds. Following his ousting from The Cure, he formed Presence, a band that spent just under three years navigating between punk and gothic rock. They had just one album to their credit. Some ten years later, he began to take an interest in electronica, with his partner Cindy Levinson on vocals. They combined their two surnames to form Levinhurstet and recorded three albums together.

In 2023, he teamed up with Bungie, drummer for Siouxsie & The Banshees, to record the eclectic and sometimes abrupt “Los Angeles” for the independent label Play It Again Sam, which has just been absorbed by the Universal hydra. To do this, Laurence opened his address book and assembled a fine line-up of guests including The Edge (U2), James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and Robert Gillespie (Primal Scream). 

As he seems to have taken a certain pleasure in writing, he has also taken up the pen to sign “Goth: A History”, which, according to the English daily The Guardian, delves into the literary roots of the 18th century, which still leave their mark on the musical inspiration of bands claiming this label today. 

Lol Tolhurst, who keeps a low profile on the live scene, will be playing a handful of European dates next spring, accompanied by the Miki Berenyi Trio, the brains behind Lush. Lol will be accompanied by his son Grey.

Album: “Los Angeles” - Play It Again Sam/ Universal - 2023

(Stéphane Soupart - Tr.: MH - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)
Caption: Laurence “Lol” Tolhurst with The Cure on stage at Rock Werchter (Belgium) June 5, 1981