Pearl Thompson (born 8 November 1957 as Paul Stephen Thompson
[Chris Gerrard (2021)The Cure FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Most Heartbreakingly Excellent Rock Band the World Has Ever Known. Backbeat, ISBN 9781493053988, p. 155]) is an English
musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...
and
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the ...
. Thompson is best known as a member of the English
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercia ...
band
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...
from 1983–1994 and 2006–2010, credited as Porl Thompson and playing mainly guitar with occasional keyboards and saxophone. During and after The Cure, Thompson was active with a few other bands and projects but has since retired from music and turned to painting.
Career
Thompson was a member (alongside
Robert Smith,
Michael Dempsey
Michael Stephen Dempsey (born 29 November 1958) is an English musician and composer, who has played bass as a member of several post-punk and new wave bands, including the Cure and the Associates.
History
Early years
Dempsey was born on 29 ...
and
Lol Tolhurst
Laurence Andrew "Lol" Tolhurst (born 3 February 1959) is a founding member and the former drummer and keyboardist of English band The Cure - he left the Cure in 1989 and was later involved in the band Presence and his current project, Levinhu ...
) of the Easy Cure, which was a precursor to The Cure.
Thompson left Easy Cure to go to art college; his style did not mesh well with Smith's approach to songwriting.
Thompson went on to become a member of The Exotic Pandas and occasionally played with
The Glove
The Glove was a 1983 English musical collaboration and recording project by the Cure's Robert Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees' Steven Severin. They released one studio album, '' Blue Sunshine'', in 1983 as part of Severin's solo deal with ...
, a collaboration between Smith and
Steven Severin
Steven Severin (born Steven John Bailey; 25 September 1955) is an English songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees which he co-founded in 1976. He took t ...
of
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine ...
.
Thompson rejoined his bandmates in The Cure in 1983, initially playing
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to ...
on several tracks that would appear on the group's 1984
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, ''
The Top''. During the Top
tour
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
, he expanded his instrumental contributions to include
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Mus ...
as well as guitar, also continuing to perform with The Glove when they appeared on
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
. Over time, Thompson became known principally as a guitarist in the band, and is sometimes seen as the most technically proficient musician in the band's history after
Reeves Gabrels.
[
In 1994, Thompson left The Cure to play with ]Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
and Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...
of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
during the Page and Plant
Page and Plant (also known as Jimmy Page & Robert Plant) was an English rock band active between 1994 and 1998. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant (both formerly of English rock band Led Zeppelin), accompanied ...
tour of 1995. He also played with Babacar, a band formed by long-time Cure drummer Boris Williams
Boris Peter Bransby Williams (born 24 April 1957) is a French-born English drummer best known for his extensive work with the Cure (1984–1994).
Biography
Born in Versailles, France, he had previously worked with various artists, including ...
. Later, Thompson formed another project called Quietly Torn. Thompson continued working with Plant, joining the singer's group for the 2002 release '' Dreamland''.
In June 2005 Thompson rejoined The Cure, and was with the band for the recording of the live DVD '' The Cure: Festival 2005''; for the recording of the band's 13th studio album, '' 4:13 Dream''; and for the band's 2007–2008 4Tour
The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...
.
In 2007, Schecter Guitars released a Pearl Thompson Signature model featuring graphics by the British artist Kev Grey. The guitar was featured in the book ''108 Rock Star Guitars'' by photographer Lisa S. Johnson.
Thompson is featured on the album ''Callus
A callus is an area of thickened and sometimes hardened skin that forms as a response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation. Since repeated contact is required, calluses are most often found on the feet and hands, but they may o ...
'' by Gonjasufi, released in August 2016.[Patrin, Nate (18 August 2016)]
Gonjasufi - Callus (review)
''Pitchfork''
As an artist
Thompson and background designer Andy Vella were the co-founders of Parched Art. Parched Art produced many of the record sleeves found on The Cure's albums. The most recognisable record sleeves were primarily drawn, painted, or photographed by Thompson.
In 2002, Thompson also had an exhibition of paintings in Cornwall, UK, and Canada titled "100% SKY".
In March 2015, Thompson's first US painting exhibition of abstract landscape paintings was held at Mr. MusicHead Art Gallery on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The exhibition was entitled "...Through the eyes of birds". Remote Malibu canyons inspired the work and desert landscapes.[ Also in 2015, Thompson announced that he would focus his endeavors on his artwork.][
]
Personal life
Close friends had long used "Pearl" as a nickname. Thompson's first name was legally changed to "Pearl" in 2011.[(8 March 2015)]
The Cure Star Legally Changes His Name As He Leaves The Music World For Art
''Contact Music''[(23 September 2014)]
Ex-Cure star to exhibit art for the first time
''Express''
Pearl is noted for being reclusive and private.[Davroy, Gabrielle (10 April 2016)]
Let's Talk About Sex : Porl Thompson The Cure
''RTBF
The ''Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française'' (RTBF, ''Belgian Radio-television of the French Community'', branded as rtbf.be) is a public service broadcaster delivering radio and television services to the French-speaking Com ...
'' From his early time in The Cure Thompson dated Janet Smith,[Apter, Jeff. ''Never Enough: The Story of The Cure'', (2009), Omnibus Press, pg. 34; ] the younger sister of Robert Smith. Thompson and Smith are married and have four children.[
]
Discography
;The Cure
* ''Three Imaginary Boys
''Three Imaginary Boys'' is the debut studio album by English rock band The Cure, released on 11 May 1979 by Fiction Records. It was later released in the United States, Canada, and Australia with a different track listing as a compilation albu ...
'' (1979) (Disc 2 of 2004 deluxe issue only)
* '' The Top'' (1984)
* ''Concert
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...
'' (1984)
* '' The Cure Live in Japan'' (1984) VHS
* '' The Head on the Door'' (1985)
* '' Standing on a Beach'' (1986)
* '' The Cure in Orange'' (1986), VHS
* '' Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me'' (1987)
* '' Disintegration'' (1989)
* '' Mixed Up'' (1990)
* '' Entreat'' (1990)
* ''Wish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.
In fiction
In fiction a ...
'' (1992)
* ''Show
Show or The Show may refer to:
Competition, event, or artistic production
* Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry
* Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy
** Cat show
** Dog show
** Horse show
** ...
'' (1993)
* ''Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
'' (1993)
* '' Galore'' (1997)
* ''Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' (2001)
* '' Festival 2005'' (2005), DVD
* '' 4:13 Dream'' (2008)
;Gonjasufi
* ''Callus
A callus is an area of thickened and sometimes hardened skin that forms as a response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation. Since repeated contact is required, calluses are most often found on the feet and hands, but they may o ...
'' (2016)
* '' Mandela Effect'' (2017)
;Page and Plant
* '' No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded'' (1994)
;Robert Plant
* '' Dreamland'' (2002)
;Shelleyan Orphan
* ''Humroot'' (1992)
;Babacar
* '' Babacar'' (1998)
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Pearl
The Cure members
1957 births
Living people
English rock guitarists
English new wave musicians
English multi-instrumentalists
People from Wimbledon, London