The Cure are keeping it in the family. The band have announced that whilst long-serving bassist Simon Gallup is ill, his son Eden will be temporarily taking his place in the band.
Robert Smith and co are currently on tour in Europe and played the first of a three-night run in Berlin last Friday (July 10). However, fans noticed that Gallup was absent, even before Smith dedicated Lullaby to him. After the show, Smith posted on Instagram - all in caps for some reason - about the bassist’s illness.
“Shortly before the first of our three Berlin Wuhlheide concerts yesterday, Simon was taken ill,” Smith wrote. “His son Eden shifted sideways to save the show.
"Unfortunately, Simon is still not well enough to play, so Eden will be filling the bass breach again tonight. Hope you will join us in wishing Simon the speediest of recoveries. And Eden – thanks.”
The nature of Gallup’s illness has not been revealed. The 66-year-old bassist, though, is almost as near to a permanent fixture in The Cure as Smith himself. He first joined the band in 1979 and aside from an eighteen-month period between 1982 and 1984 when he fell out with the frontman has been with them ever since. He’s played on every Cure album since 1985’s The Head On The Door.
Anyway, the band’s tour of Europe’s festivals continues until August 30 when they play Rock En Seine in Paris. Then at some point the band will doubtless release the follow-up to 2024’s Songs Of A Lost World, which Robert Smith confirmed last month is “done”.
