Dec. 18th

Just a quick follow up from Dave Martinez on his Cure split report:

"I have nothing new about the cure's split or Robert quitting. I'm
trying to speak to Julian Ruiz, the journalist who gives the news at
Cadena 40, but it's being impossible to find him. I promise you that as
soon as i get a connection with him i'll ask him where he got this
information from and e-mail you, just to confirm or deny. OK?"

Dec. 16th

Tickets for the Jan. 9th David Bowie Birthday Concert go on sale today.

Dec. 13th

I received the following message from Dave Martinez in Barcelona this morning:

Yesterday night (central european time), "Cadena 40" (the most important 
music radio station in Spain) interruptes their emission to offer a 
"special news". That's what they said:
"The rumours get confirmed. Robert Smith quits The Cure to begin his 
solo career. After almost 20 years, Smith says that his first solo album 
is due to out in 1997"

Please note that this is an unconfirmed report.I don't doubt that Dave heard this report,as he has given me a lot of good info over the last few months.However,I have no way of knowing if Cadena 40 is a reliable station,or if they report every rumor they hear.Here's a link to Cadena 40's website(I can't read Spanish,but I don't see anything about The Cure in their news section):

It may be a false report,Robert being tired at the end of a long tour,or it just might be true.I'm trying to find out more,and will post whatever I or anyone else can find out as soon as possible.But seeing as no one else has heard anything,and nothing was said at the Sheffield show,this looks like a false report.

In other news,Music News of the World reports that Robert Smith will be among many other musicians joing David Bowie's birthday bash at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 9th.Tickets go on sale Monday(Dec. 16th).The show will be taped for a future airing on Pay-Per-View.

Dec. 11th

Wild Mood Swings is nominated for Best Rock Album in the Playboy Jazz&Rock Poll.Their competition:Dave Matthews Band,Rage Against the Machine,Hootie and the Blowfish,Sting,Tracy Chapman,Everclear,Black Crowes,No Doubt and Oasis.

Dec. 9th

The Glasgow and Aberdeen shows were cancelled.No word on the reasoning,but Rui reported to the Descent mailing list,that the European Truck Strike has caused problems with the transportation of the stage and equipment.

Dec. 4th

Tonight's show in Newcastle has been cancelled.

Patrick Loeser talked to Perry Bamonte after the Hamburg show,and says this is the plan for next year:The band will take time off until March,with a live video and cd planned for release in Feb. or March.Then the band will begin recording a new album,and then they will do 20th anniversary gigs(presumably like the Bataclan show) at some of the summer festivals.

Here's further news sent in by Dave Martinez:

I talked to the whole band and i'm a friend of the promoter who brought
the cure to spain.He's a press agent and i can tell you,as Robert said it in
an interview while i was Backstage that the band is releasing a dance
music album.Not like Mixed up,it's more like seventies and reggae and
soul,funky, etc... the album is due to out in the spring of 1997.

And Jonas Hedkvist sent this to Descent:

In one of our papers here in Sweden today there is a short interview with
Robert,done one hour after the gig Saturday.There the reporter
comments on the fact that the Cure are celebrating 20 years next
year,and is an excellent opportunities for the band to release a lot of
compilations and special concerts, to which Robert says:

"No. I have decided not to let that happen.I am terrified to try and sum
up The Cure's history.The band today has nothing to do with the first
one."

Other than that,he mentions that it looks that everyone in the band will
still be friends when the tour is over and that he is planning to cut his
hair when it ends in december.

Dec. 2nd