The Cure to Appear at Centre

After 11 albums,Robert Smith and his band,The Cure,continue to challenge the
conventions of rock music.The band will bring its particular brand of daring
to the Capital Centre tomorrow night on the second stop of "The Prayer"
tour.It is,Mr. Smith says,the last tour the band will give.

On the group's latest album,"Disintegration," for example,The Cure dares to
play a long instrumental introduction before every song.It's not the kind of
thing a lot of rock bands would do.Mr. Smith dared to wear a black velvet
dress to Notre Dame Middle School when he was 11 years old and got beaten
up for it.When he was 14,he dared to ask Mary,a classmate of his,if she'd
go out with him,and then he married her 15 years later.

With a black and white wardrobe,teased hair,purposefully white complexion,
and dark eyes,Mr. Smith appears eccentric.But he and his band have endured
where other trendy bands have failed because under the pasty-white makeup
are some talented musicians.

"Disintegration" begins with dark overtones and Mr. Smith's eerie wailings,
a similar feature of other albums.Dark,but throughout the album there is
confident music,diverse moods and intriguing lyrics.Mr. Smith's voice,
which on previous albums has remained in a strain,changes and melds with
the newer music.In "Lullaby" it even resembles a purr.

"Disintegration" is getting back to basics,basically.In 1982,The Cure
released "Pornography," an album filled with intense,emotional songs.
"Faith," 1981,was in somewhat the same style.But in the past couple of
years,The Cure has not released anything with that same intensity and
emotion until now.

After "Pornography," The Cure disbanded and Mr. Smith went to play with
Siouxsie and the Banshees.The vacation was short-lived and The Cure
returned in late 1982 with three singles,but no album until 1983.
"It's really perfect," Mr. Smith says,"to have been able to go on so long
and not to have compromised or regretted anything we have done."

The Cure's music is dark and,in some instances,depressing.The gloom is
reminiscent of a Mahler symphony.

As an album that shows the band's maturity and experience, "Disintegration"
appeals to not only New Music and Cure fans,but also Top 40 listeners.
Although the music has been heard on top-pop charts,the band has produced a
thoughtful album that enthusiasts appreciate.The group does not fear being
categorized as a Top 40 band.

Their diverse career has kept them in the limelight.No one knows what to
expect next out of them.Plans for a purely instrumental album are on the
back burner,but The Cure keeps its future hidden from the rest of the world.
Whatever it is,it will be different and it will be exactly what The Cure
wants to be heard.

Mr. Smith has thought about going solo a couple of times but never got
around to it.In 1987,he took all the music he was writing for a solo
project,introduced it to the band and the group produced "Kiss Me Kiss Me
Kiss Me."
He still holds quite a few solo tunes that have never been heard,but he
hasn't gone solo yet.

Mr. Smith states emphatically that The Cure will never play live again.But
he never says the band is through.It's The Cure mentality.Keep 'em guessing.

WHAT:The Cure
WHEN:8 p.m. Tuesday
WHERE:The Capital Centre,Landover
PRICE:$19.50. Only upper-level seats remain.
PHONE:Tickets at the box office,TicketCenter outlets or call 432-0200.
For information,call 350-3400.