The Cure (Band)

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iFest: Top 5 Argentine-American Musicians

The Houston International Festival enters its second weekend tomorrow, with featured musical acts WAR, Joe Louis Walker, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Texas Tornados, Del Castillo, Steel Pulse and lots more. Although iFest's performers come from all over the world, all around the main stages will be the sig ... More >>

Do You Remember Rock N Roll Comics?

Ilko Davidov's documentary film Unauthorized: The Story of Rock N Roll Comics is finally available on DVD today after having been originally released in 2005. Hopefully you remember Rock N Roll Comics, the series of illustrated unauthorized biographies that Todd Loren put out to the rage of many unt ... More >>

Last Night: Delta Spirit At Fitzgerald's

Delta Spirit Fitzgerald's April 12, 2012 I am concerned that younger bands these days are not learning the proper value of restraint. It's not even a generational thing, really. I had very little appreciation for or understanding of restraint myself until fairly recently, but a heart attack at age ... More >>

MTV Unplugged's 10 Strangest Moments

Those of you fond of criticizing the lack of music on MTV, take note: The network's venerable Unplugged series returns on Sunday with a performance by British indie-poppers Florence and the Machine. It'll be the first of eight shows planned for this year, with The Civil Wars and Dierks Bentley alrea ... More >>

Gothic Council Sings Your Kids to Sleep

We hate you, Peter Murphy. Well, OK. Not really. Murphy is a good guy who is a joy to interview and who still puts out amazing music. That being said, we are getting thoroughly sick of his trademark voice. Our two-year-old daughter requests his song "The Line Between the Devil's Teeth (And That Wh ... More >>

Top 5 Bands We'd Like To See At The Ballet

Tonight, Houston Ballet performs Rooster, Associate Choreographer Christopher Bruce's dance interpretations of eight Rolling Stones songs including "Little Red Rooster," "Paint It Black" and "Sympathy for the Devil." If that sounds a little lowbrow for the ballet, the program also includes two works ... More >>

Dear Obama: You'd Make A Great Goth Musician

Dear President Barack H. Obama, I want you to know that I am very impressed by your recent musical endeavors. While it's clear that you could use some practice and professional vocal coaching, it's equally clear that you possess more than enough raw talent to excel as a musician. I know right now, ... More >>

Gothic Council: I See A Symphony And I Want To Paint it Black

VNV Nation is coming, and even though we'll have to endure endless bitching about how VNV Nation isn't goth every single goth we know will be there. Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson put on fantastic shows, release brilliant albums, and just all-around enlighten and amaze audiences wherever they go. K ... More >>

Gothic Council Praises Lyrics, Bowie's Penis

Really there are two kinds of music fans. Those who are there for the music as a whole and those who are there to hear the words. Make no mistake, we're not saying that one side is better than the other, but we are definitely in the latter category. Being a melodramatic lot, most goths are. So we t ... More >>

Tori, Tool, TLC And The Other Musical Debuts Of 1992

1992 was a pretty heady year for music in general, with the masses gobbling up all the gangsta rap, grunge, and pop-country they could. That year would see the release of not only R.E.M.'s Automatic For The People, Peter Gabriel's Us, Pantera's Vulgar Display Of Power, but also what is arguably The ... More >>

Gothic Council Debates Great Gothic Album Cover Art

​Gothtopia would like to firmly bitch-slap an old adage, that being the warning about judging a book by its cover. The lesson we are supposed to draw from that is that we should look deeper inside than just the surface in order to better appreciate the true character of whatever the subject is ... More >>

Your Biggest Fan: When Rockers Get Stalkers

cinemafestival/shutterstock.com​This past week a statement by pop institution Madonna helped put away one of her newest stalkers, Polish citizen Grzegorz Matlok, who broke into Madge's London home and the residence of her ex-hubby Guy Ritchie. Madonna submitted the statement to Southwark Crown ... More >>

Gimme Some Truth: What Happens When Rabid Fans & Bands Meet

​We have all been there. You may have had a few drinks, you are at your favorite band's show, and you come to find yourself in the vicinity of one of your heroes. Word vomit. Torrential word vomit. But you mean well. "I really think youse guys is great and your albums really means a lots to ... More >>

The End is Nigh: 2012 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Edition

Mason Lankford said, "There will come a day when we forget the Rapture ever even happened," but Rocks Off is keeping an eye out for signs of our impending Armageddon. We were wrong last time, but we're totally right this time! Once again the time has come to select the most excellent musicians in o ... More >>

G N' R, The Cure & Chili Peppers Could Be Hall Of Famers Next Year

Oh, this will be a fun induction ceremony...​This morning, The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland announced the list of nominees for its Class of 2012: The Small Faces & The Faces, Freddie King, The Cure, Guns 'N Roses, Heart, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Spinners, War, Joan Jett and the Bl ... More >>

The Carpettes: Unsung UK Punks Back For The First Time

​Punk bands like The Clash have been lauded by critics and fans spanning across the globe, while other superb acts like The Carpettes have remained stuck between the cracks of history. This is almost tragic, since their blend of fine-etched, unblemished pop-tinged punk was just as riveting as ... More >>

Remember Le$'s The Beautiful Struggle?

Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​Le$ The Beautiful Struggle (Self-released, 2010) Le$, the least burly, most modern Boss Hogg ... More >>

The Eagle Flies Away With "Houston's Alternative Hits"

All that's left of The Zone's Web site.​Cox Communications has shuttered its fledgling "alternative hits" concept, 106.9 The Zone, and begun simulcasting The Eagle, The Zone's "classic hits" next-door neighbor, on that frequency as of 5:30 a.m. this morning. "The Eagle's Classic Hits forma ... More >>

Pop Rocks: For This Comic Book Summer, Five Superheroes Who Won't Be Getting Their Own Movies

Dream on, fish boy.​We're well into summer blockbuster season, and even if you couldn't tell by the sweltering temperatures outside, you'd only need to look at the number of superhero movies -- both in theaters and about to be released -- to realize it. Thor started us off in May, and X-Men: ... More >>

Internet Radio Gives Goth A Sanctuary

​Due to a boo-boo during the installation of XM radio in Rocks Off's car, we know longer have a terrestrial radio antenna in our Matrix. Due to the fact that XM became about as empty and mindless as terrestrial radio shortly after the merger with Sirius, we no longer have satellite radio eithe ... More >>

Happy Birthday Siouxsie Sioux: Eight Of Her Best Songs

Siouxsie on Facebook​Today Siouxsie Sioux, born Susan Janet Ballion, turns 54 years old. Sioux is one of the undisputed originators of the post-punk and goth genres. Whether you're talking about her work with the Banshees or the strange, dark world music that defined the Creatures, you can be ... More >>

Top 5: Better with Ranch Dressing

​Salad is better with ranch dressing, to be sure, and so is pizza, although Italians and Brooklyn guys may not realize that dipping pizza in ranch is protected by the Constitution. Here are five other foods that are better with ranch dressing: 5. Chicken Tenders The acme of this All-American ... More >>

Gothic Council Debates Most Definitive Goth Album... Ever

​Gothtopia has a new, longer drive to the sheet-music mines every day, the upside of which is that we get to listen to a lot more music in the car. Since much of our dedicated listening time is taken up with official assignments, drive time is one of the few opportunities we have to really sit ... More >>

The Gothic Council is Taking "Friday" Back

​Gothtopia moved this week, and even though we've been reduced to shelling out cash for professional movers rather than proving our manhood by hauling furniture by ourselves until 3 a.m., there was still a fair amount of backing and forthing to do between the old place and the new place. With ... More >>

Deliciously Macabre Desserts at the Gothic Beauty Pageant

​It became apparent as soon as I took my place in the line outside the venue that - in jeans, a green sweater, and ankle boots - I was not properly outfitted for the occasion. In line ahead of me: a woman costumed in top hat and braids a la Boy George (oh, the irony), two guys in spike-laden ... More >>

The Seven Ages Of Goth

​This is not meant as a complete history of goth, as that would be a huge book. Instead, we're aiming to give a simple overview of the musicians, songs and albums that have most defined the genre. Many deserving artists have been left out, and some that we're sure some people feel are not wor ... More >>

No Fools

Mingling Cat Power and the Cure, Warpaint brings glee to even their darkest songs.

106.9 FM Gets In The Zone, Misses The Point?

​Another Houston radio station has changed formats, or "flipped," although early reaction from some listeners is that the change is so slight it's hardly a change at all. Cox Communications has rechristened its property at 106.9 FM from "The Point" to "The Zone." It's not a sports station, al ... More >>

Live From The Austin City Limits Festival, Day 3

Marco TorresTrombone Shorty​Craig Hlavaty: News coming out of the media tent: Don Henley of the Eagles had a stent put in his heart this past week. He will be singing and possibly playing guitar, but not exerting himself on drums. This could very well be the last Eagles show for a while - if e ... More >>

Passion Pit Moves Bodies, Emotions at Warehouse Live

Photos by Groovehouse/Check out a slideshowPassion Pit played to a sold out crowd at Warehouse Live​Aftermath remembers the first book that ever made us cry. It was Katherine Paterson's controversial but also much-loved young adult novel Bridge to Terebithia. In all likelihood it was also the ... More >>

Aftermath: Peaches, Stripping the Onion (and Herself) at House of Blues

Photos by Jody Perry/ Click here for a slideshow​ It's been a long time since Aftermath has been to the kind of high-energy, high-theatrics rock and roll show that makes us totally forget ourselves, even if just for an hour. Monday night at House of Blues, Peaches gave us exactly that kind of show ... More >>

ACL 2009 Day One: The Knux Rock Our Sox

Craig Hlavaty​Waking us up out of our Sixth Street-induced coma were The Knux from Los Angeles, by way of Nawlins on the Xbox 360 stage. The hip-hop trio were decked out in leather and spat out grimy Wu-Tang style rhymes with intermittent old-school Cure riffs thrown in for sick measure. Our favor ... More >>

Ten Cover Songs So Bad They'll Shrivel Your Soul

Two nights ago, while carelessly patrolling the back alleys of the internet, Rocks Off stumbled across Hilary Duff's execrable cover of The Who's "My Generation". Well, what did you think, YouTube commenters? ​ You sure you're not being too harsh? ​ Yeah... ours too. Someday, when we ... More >>

ACL Fest Preview: Ben Sollee and !!!

With eight stages rumbling with musical noises for nearly 12 hours a day, it's hard to fully grab a hold of the Austin City Limits Music Festival without having one or two bands slipping through your hands. With the festival getting such ridiculously amazing talent each year on each stage, one must ... More >>

Aftermath: Blue October and Its Mystifying Cult at Verizon Wireless Theater

Chris Gray​ Friday's sold-out Blue October show at Verizon left Aftermath wondering one of the most vexing, troublesome things any reviewer can: "What is it about this band," the voice in our head kept asking over and over again like a car alarm, sometimes even threatening to drown out the band it ... More >>

Slide Show: Albums That Went Darker

​ For most rock acts, the traditional way to deal with success is to rework their lyrics, image and sound to become palatable to a larger audience. Usually this means brightening the subject matter, cleaning up the bad words, softening the sharp edges on those power chords and getting haircuts tha ... More >>

MP3 of the Day: Flowers to Hide

Here's a nice little Friday-afternoon rocker for all you clockwatchers out there. It's "503," a snappy account of touring life by Houston's Flowers to Hide, the opener of the quartet's 2008 EP Down the Stairs. The lickety-split pacing and brazen guitars reminds Rocks Off of beloved '80s nightwatchme ... More >>

Aftermath: Michael Jackson Tribute at Numbers

Chris Gray Well, Numbers' Michael Jackson tribute turned out to be three songs and a few arch comments from the DJ, before a typical Classic Numbers crowd that was more interested in the Cure than the King of Pop. The real action was across the street at Mango's, where the Tontons enhanced their rep ... More >>

Selecting The Proper Valentine's Day Soundtrack

A Fine Romance

Numbers' 30th Anniversary

A Fine Romance

The 2008 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase Is Filled with Talent and Absurdity

Some of the best rock and roll in town right now is en español

Peeking Inside the Shadowy Crypt of Houston's Goth Community

Some of the best rock and roll in town right now is en español

A compendium of Cure-related information

The Only One

Tiger Army

Psychobilly punks are nearing radio-friendly territory

Night & Day

October 1 - 7, 1998

Press Picks

October 1 - 7, 1998

Long Lasting Treatment

The ingredients may change, but the Cure endures

State-of-the-Art Ghouls

White Zombie holds its own with the metal-heads and the punks alike

Hendrix: Dead, Live and Unearthed

A spate of tributes and reissues that hit and miss