Pearl Thompson
Thompson performing with The Cure in Sweden in 2007
Thompson performing with The Cure in Sweden in 2007
Background information
Also known asPorl Thompson
Born (1957-11-08) 8 November 1957
Surrey, England
OriginWimbledon, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Guitarist
Instrument(s)
Years active1976–present
Formerly of

Pearl Thompson (born 8 November 1957 as Paul Stephen Thompson[1]) is an English musician and artist. Thompson is best known as a member of the English alternative rock band The Cure 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 and Lol Tolhurst) of the Easy Cure, which was a precursor to The Cure.[2] Thompson left Easy Cure to go to art college;[3] his style did not mesh well with Smith's approach to songwriting.[2] Thompson went on to become a member of The Exotic Pandas and occasionally played with The Glove, a collaboration between Smith and Steven Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees.[2] Thompson rejoined his bandmates in The Cure in 1983, initially playing saxophone on several tracks that would appear on the group's 1984 album, The Top. During the Top tour, he expanded his instrumental contributions to include keyboard as well as guitar, also continuing to perform with The Glove when they appeared on television. 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.[1]

In 1994, Thompson left The Cure to play with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin during the Page and Plant tour of 1995. He also played with Babacar, a band formed by long-time Cure drummer Boris Williams. 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,[4] 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.[5]

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.[6]

Thompson is featured on the album Callus by Gonjasufi, released in August 2016.[7]

In 2019, he was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[8]

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.[9][10]

In 2002, Thompson also had an exhibition of paintings in Cornwall, UK, and Canada titled "100% SKY".[11]

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.[2] Also in 2015, Thompson announced that he would focus his endeavors on his artwork.[12]

In 2020, as a student, he created the pictural book, Ways of Dying illustrating types of deaths recorded in London in 1632, for which he graduated from the University of Brighton with a BA (Hons) degree in Illustration.[13]

Personal life

Close friends had long used "Pearl" as a nickname. Thompson's first name was legally changed to "Pearl" in 2011.[12][14]

Pearl is noted for being reclusive and private.[15] From his early time in The Cure Thompson dated Janet Smith,[16] the younger sister of Robert Smith, whom he eventually married and had four children with.[1] Thompson and Smith divorced in 2000. Thompson married his second wife, Dali'esque Thompson, in 2014.[17]

Discography

The Cure
Gonjasufi
Page and Plant
Robert Plant
Shelleyan Orphan
  • Humroot (1992)
Babacar

References

  1. 1 2 3 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
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Cure Guitarist Pearl Thompson's Art Goes on Display". The Hollywood Reporter. 5 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Ten Imaginary Years - ISBN 0-946391-87-4
  4. ↑ "Triviahead: Can anyone rival the Fall for lineup changes?". The Guardian. 9 February 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "Porl Thompson | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "The Cure 2007". picturesofyou.us. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  7. ↑ Patrin, Nate (18 August 2016). Gonjasufi - Callus (review), Pitchfork
  8. ↑ "Pearl Thompson of The Cure on the 2019 Induction Ceremony Red Carpet Show". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Youtube. 29 March 2019.
  9. ↑ lorenashleigh (2 May 2013). "Parched Art". LorenAshleigh. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  10. ↑ "Andy Vella design interview". Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  11. ↑ Henri Neuendorf (3 March 2015). "Former Cure Guitarist Pearl Thompson To Exhibit Paintings in LA". Artnet News.
  12. 1 2 (8 March 2015). The Cure Star Legally Changes His Name As He Leaves The Music World For Art, Contact Music
  13. ↑ "University of Brighton Graduate Show 2020 - Pearl Thompson / Illustration BA(Hons)". University of Brighton. 2020.
  14. ↑ (23 September 2014). Ex-Cure star to exhibit art for the first time, Express
  15. ↑ Davroy, Gabrielle (10 April 2016). Let's Talk About Sex : Porl Thompson The Cure, RTBF
  16. ↑ Apter, Jeff. Never Enough: The Story of The Cure, (2009), Omnibus Press, pg. 34; ISBN 978-1-84772-739-8
  17. ↑ Porl Thompson entry on IMDb
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