Simon Gallup
Encyclopedia
Simon Jonathon Gallup is an English
musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure
.
Simon married a woman called Carol. They had two children named Eden (born 18 March 1990) and Lily (born 7 September 1992) before they divorced. Since then, Simon has remarried and had a third child.
Before joining The Cure, Gallup was the bass player for a punk
band called Lockjaw
.
in 1979, replacing Michael Dempsey
on bass guitar
. He also has been credited for occasionally playing the keyboard, particularly after Matthieu Hartley
's departure in 1980; he took over keyboard lines for many of the songs that Hartley played. Examples of songs he played keyboard on live include "At Night", "A Forest
", "A Strange Day" and "Pornography". During "Cold" he multi-tasked playing bass guitar and bass pedals. On the Swing Tour in 1996, he played acoustic 12-string guitar on "This is a Lie". On the Dream Tour in 2000 he played a Fender Bass VI
on "There Is No If". He is also credited with singing lead vocals for a demo for "Violin Song." Gallup first performed on the Cure albums that make up "The Dark Trilogy": Seventeen Seconds
, Faith, and Pornography
.
During the Pornography Tour in 1982, a series of incidents prompted Gallup to leave The Cure, including an incident when he got into a fist fight with Robert Smith
at a nightclub reportedly over a bar-tab.
Gallup left the band and started The Cry with Gary Biddles and Matthieu Hartley. Their first gig was at the Covent Garden Rock Garden on 19 April 1983. They later changed their name to Fools Dance
, which released two EP
s - Fools Dance
and They'll Never Know
. Biddles sang most of the songs that were released by this band, Gallup sang on one called "The Ring". When asked why he left The Cure
, he said, "It's just basically that Robert and I are both really arrogant bastards, and it got to such an extreme. I suppose you just can't have two egocentrics in a band, and Robert was sort of 'the main man.'"
In 1984, Smith asked Gallup to return to The Cure, an offer which he accepted. Since then, the two of them have remained on good terms. Gallup also served as best man at Smith's wedding in 1988.
In late 1992, Gallup again took a brief break from the band during the Wish Tour after he had to be transported to hospital, suffering from pleurisy
after being ill for several months. During this time, he was replaced on bass by former Associates and Shelleyan Orphan
member Roberto Soave.
Gallup is the second longest serving member of The Cure
, which has led to him being referred to as Robert Smith
's right-hand man. He performed on every album except Three Imaginary Boys
/Boys Don't Cry
, Japanese Whispers
, The Top
, and Concert
.
Fools Dance
→ See Fools Dance discography
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
.
Early years
Simon is the youngest of six children born to Bob and Peg Gallup. His siblings are Stuart, David, Duncan, Monica, and Ric. Ric Gallup helped to make the Cure video Carnage Visors.Simon married a woman called Carol. They had two children named Eden (born 18 March 1990) and Lily (born 7 September 1992) before they divorced. Since then, Simon has remarried and had a third child.
Before joining The Cure, Gallup was the bass player for a punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band called Lockjaw
Lockjaw (band)
- Members :* Gary Bower - vocals* Stuart Hinton - guitar* Simon Gallup - bass* Martin Ordish - drums- Discography :* Radio Call Sign / The Young Ones in November 1977...
.
The Cure
Gallup first joined The CureThe Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
in 1979, replacing Michael Dempsey
Michael Dempsey
Michael Dempsey is a bassist from England, who has performed as a member of several post-punk and New Wave bands including The Cure and Associates.-Early years:...
on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. He also has been credited for occasionally playing the keyboard, particularly after Matthieu Hartley
Matthieu Hartley
Matthieu Hartley is an English musician born in Smallfield, England. He is best known as the original keyboardist for The Cure, but before that he and Simon Gallup were involved in two other bands called Lockjaw and The Magazine Spies....
's departure in 1980; he took over keyboard lines for many of the songs that Hartley played. Examples of songs he played keyboard on live include "At Night", "A Forest
A Forest
"A Forest" is a single by the English rock band The Cure, released on March 28, 1980 as the only single from their second album Seventeen Seconds. It was their first chart single in the UK, reaching #31; the song was also a hit in the Netherlands, reaching #26. It was also their first single to be...
", "A Strange Day" and "Pornography". During "Cold" he multi-tasked playing bass guitar and bass pedals. On the Swing Tour in 1996, he played acoustic 12-string guitar on "This is a Lie". On the Dream Tour in 2000 he played a Fender Bass VI
Fender Bass VI
The Fender Bass VI, originally known as the Fender VI, is a six-string electric bass or Scale Baritone Guitar by Fender.The Fender VI was released in 1961, and followed the concept of the Danelectro 6-string bass released in 1956, having six strings tuned E-E, an octave below the Spanish guitar...
on "There Is No If". He is also credited with singing lead vocals for a demo for "Violin Song." Gallup first performed on the Cure albums that make up "The Dark Trilogy": Seventeen Seconds
Seventeen Seconds
Seventeen Seconds is the second studio album by The Cure, released in April 1980 by Fiction Records. It is the only Cure album to feature keyboardist Matthieu Hartley, and was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album reached number 20 on the British album charts...
, Faith, and Pornography
Pornography (album)
NME reviewer Dave Hill wrote, "This record portrays and parades its currency of exposed futility and naked fear with so few distractions or adornments, and so little sense of shame...
.
During the Pornography Tour in 1982, a series of incidents prompted Gallup to leave The Cure, including an incident when he got into a fist fight with Robert Smith
Robert Smith (musician)
Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
at a nightclub reportedly over a bar-tab.
Gallup left the band and started The Cry with Gary Biddles and Matthieu Hartley. Their first gig was at the Covent Garden Rock Garden on 19 April 1983. They later changed their name to Fools Dance
Fools Dance
Fools Dance was a short-lived British rock band, formed in 1982 by Simon Gallup after he left The Cure, due to a conflict with Robert Smith. Initially calling themselves 'The Cry', the band played their first gig at the Covent Garden Rock Garden on the 19th April 1983...
, which released two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s - Fools Dance
Fools Dance EP
Fools Dance is the eponymously-titled first EP from the band Fools Dance. This record has been released through various record labels and the only existing copies of this record are in vinyl format, which are very hard to find....
and They'll Never Know
They'll Never Know
They'll Never Know is the second EP released by Fools Dance. This album features the only song ever released with Simon Gallup on lead vocals. Like its predecessor Fools Dance, the only existing copies of this record are in vinyl format...
. Biddles sang most of the songs that were released by this band, Gallup sang on one called "The Ring". When asked why he left The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, he said, "It's just basically that Robert and I are both really arrogant bastards, and it got to such an extreme. I suppose you just can't have two egocentrics in a band, and Robert was sort of 'the main man.'"
In 1984, Smith asked Gallup to return to The Cure, an offer which he accepted. Since then, the two of them have remained on good terms. Gallup also served as best man at Smith's wedding in 1988.
In late 1992, Gallup again took a brief break from the band during the Wish Tour after he had to be transported to hospital, suffering from pleurisy
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs. Among other things, infections are the most common cause of pleurisy....
after being ill for several months. During this time, he was replaced on bass by former Associates and Shelleyan Orphan
Shelleyan Orphan
Shelleyan Orphan is a British alternative music group, that peaked during the 1980s and early 1990s.-Career:In 1980, Caroline Crawley and Jemaur Tayle met in Bournemouth, England, where they discovered a mutual appreciation of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley...
member Roberto Soave.
Gallup is the second longest serving member of The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, which has led to him being referred to as Robert Smith
Robert Smith (musician)
Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
's right-hand man. He performed on every album except Three Imaginary Boys
Three Imaginary Boys
The album included an uncredited, final instrumental track informally called "The Weedy Burton". The fact was not acknowledged until the Deluxe Edition re-issue.-2004 Deluxe Edition:...
/Boys Don't Cry
Boys Don't Cry (album)
Boys Don't Cry is a U.S. debut album by The Cure, released in February 1980 in the UK and in August 1980 in the U.S. It is a compilation of songs from Three Imaginary Boys, but replacing five of that album's tracks with "Jumping Someone Else's Train", "Boys...
, Japanese Whispers
Japanese Whispers
Japanese Whispers: The Cure Singles Nov 82:Nov 83 is a compilation album by British rock group The Cure. It was released in late 1983 by their record company, Fiction Records....
, The Top
The Top (album)
The Top is the fifth studio album by British band The Cure, released in 1984.-Overview:The Top was the studio album to follow Pornography. After Pornography, Robert Smith found himself without his friend Simon Gallup, who departed the band due to a fight.Smith then took a radical shift in his music...
, and Concert
Concert (album)
Concert: The Cure Live is the first live album of English rock band The Cure. It was recorded in 1984 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London and in Oxford...
.
Discography
The Cure- Seventeen SecondsSeventeen SecondsSeventeen Seconds is the second studio album by The Cure, released in April 1980 by Fiction Records. It is the only Cure album to feature keyboardist Matthieu Hartley, and was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album reached number 20 on the British album charts...
(1980) - Faith (1981)
- PornographyPornography (album)NME reviewer Dave Hill wrote, "This record portrays and parades its currency of exposed futility and naked fear with so few distractions or adornments, and so little sense of shame...
(1982) - The Head on the DoorThe Head on the DoorThe Head on the Door is the sixth studio album by British band The Cure, released in 1985. The album is the first to feature drummer Boris Williams, it also features the return of Simon Gallup and is Porl Thompson's first album as an official member....
(1985) - Standing on a BeachStanding on a BeachStanding on a Beach is a singles compilation released by the British rock band The Cure in May, 1986, marking a decade since the band's founding in 1976...
(1986) - The Cure In OrangeThe Cure in OrangeThe Cure in Orange is a concert film by British rock group The Cure. It is viewed as being as an essential document of the Cure at their mid-late 1980's peak by fans of the group.-Plot Description:...
(1986), VHS - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss MeKiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss MeKiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is the seventh studio album by British alternative rock band The Cure. Released in 1987, this album helped put The Cure into the American mainstream, becoming their first album to reach the Billboard Top 40.-History:...
(1987) - Disintegration (1989)
- Mixed Up (1990)
- EntreatEntreatEntreat is a live album by The Cure, recorded at London's Wembley Arena in July 1989. It consists entirely of songs performed from the band's 1989 record Disintegration; while they were on their international Prayer Tour. Entreat was distributed exclusively in France as a promotional tool...
(1991) - Wish (1992)
- ParisParis (The Cure album)Paris is a live album recorded by The Cure at Le Zénith de Paris, in October 1992 during their Wish tour, but released in 1993.Paris was released at the same time as Show, which was recorded in the United States. The album features more cult classics like "The Figurehead" and "One Hundred Years"...
(1993) - Show (1993)
- Wild Mood SwingsWild Mood SwingsWild Mood Swings is the tenth studio album by British band The Cure, released in 1996 .-History:After Wish, it seemed The Cure was on the brink of being disbanded due to the departure of Porl Thompson and Boris Williams. Simon Gallup was also forced to take a vacation due to health problems, which...
(1996) - Galore (1997)
- BloodflowersBloodflowersBloodflowers is the eleventh album by English band The Cure, released in 2000. The album is seen as a sombre return to form by critics and fans alike...
(2000) - Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (The Cure album)Greatest Hits is a 2001 compilation album by The Cure. The band's relationship with longtime label Fiction Records came to a close, and The Cure were obliged to release one final album for the label. Robert Smith agreed to release a greatest hits album under the condition that he could choose the...
(2001) - TrilogyThe Cure: TrilogyThe Cure: Trilogy is a double live album video by The Cure, released on two double layer DVD-9 discs, and later on a single Blu-Ray disc...
(2003), DVD - The Cure (2004)
- Festival 2005The Cure: Festival 2005Festival 2005 is a live DVD by The Cure released in late 2006. It was shot during the band's headlining shows at 9 European music festivals in the summer of 2005...
(2005), DVD - 4:13 Dream (2008)
Fools Dance
→ See Fools Dance discography
Gear
- Simon's favourite bass is his Gibson ThunderbirdGibson ThunderbirdThe Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson.-Background and introduction:The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introduction of the Precision Bass twelve years earlier.The Thunderbird was...
. In 2004 Gibson created a special red Thunderbird bass for Simon Gallup, to celebrate his 25th year as the bassist for The Cure. - He has also played Fender Precision, Fender Jazz, Rickenbacker 4001, MusicMan Stingray, Washburn AB10 acoustic, Kramer Acoustic, custom Dick Knight, Epiphone Jack Casady and Eccleshall 335 basses live.
- Simon uses the following Boss guitar effect pedals: BF-2 Flanger, CE-5 Chorus Ensemble, MT-2 Distortion, DD-3 Digital Delay and NS-2 Noise Suppressor.
- Simon Gallup is a supporter of Reading Football ClubReading F.C.Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
and draped a team flag over his amp while playing in Sydney Australia during the band's 2007 tour. He also draped a Reading F.C flag over his amp at Coachella 2009 and during the set at Bestival 2011, Isle of Wight.