Out of The Forest

There's life for Robert Smith beyond the planet Cure. And it's far richer and more surprising than one might imagine. The role Smith has played in shaping so many artists makes his collaborations all the more fascinating: creative encounters not only with contemporaries, but also with musicians who emerged in the decades that followed. From his most celebrated partnership in the dark scene with kindred spirit Siouxsie Sioux to the duet with his lifelong idol David Bowie, from guest appearances on projects by Crystal Castles, Billy Corgan, Gorillaz and Chvrches to the most unexpected pairings, such as those with Blink-182 and the recent surprise encounter with Olivia Rodrigo, we retrace – with one song for each – the most significant milestones of the Cure frontman's work outside the mother band, as he prepares to embark on a new tour in 2026, following the successful comeback album “Songs Of A Lost World”.

Siouxsie and The Banshees feat. Robert Smith – Dear Prudence (1983)

Robert Smith met Steven Severin, bassist of the Banshees, on 3 August 1979, at a Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire concert at the Ymca in London. At the time the two bands were signed to the same label – Siouxsie and The Banshees to Polydor, the Cure to its subsidiary Fiction – and Smith, already an admirer of Susan Ballion and co., quickly struck up a friendship with Severin. The latter invited him to join the Banshees on their British tour in support of “Join Hands”, which kicked off in August of that same year. Meanwhile, in September, Siouxsie returned the favour by lending her voice to the backing vocals on “I’m Cold”, the B-side of the Cure single “Jumping Someone Else’s Train”, released that November. However, after just a handful of dates, guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris quit the Banshees. Smith offered to temporarily step in for McKay, while still playing with the Cure, who remained the support act. Budgie, formerly of the Slits, took over on drums, and the tour resumed on 18 September, with Smith splitting his nights between the Cure and the Banshees. Once the tour wrapped up, Robert went back to his own band full-time, but was called upon again by Severin three years later, this time to replace guitarist John McGeoch, who was struggling with alcohol problems and a nervous breakdown. Smith agreed, joining the Banshees in November 1982 and insisting they release together a cover of the Beatles, “Dear Prudence”, in September 1983: it became the biggest hit of the London goth muse outfit's career, reaching No. 3 on the UK Chart. Smith also recorded two London shows with the Banshees in September 1983 for the live album and video “Nocturne”. At the start of 1984 Smith wrote and composed a studio album with them, “Hyæna”, released in June of that year. He then departed for good at the end of 1984. Siouxsie didn't take it well, and the relationship between the two would remain complicated. But Smith would later reveal: “Playing with the Banshees completely changed my attitude towards what I wanted to do”.

Glove (Robert Smith-Steven Severin) – Mr. Alphabet Says (1983)

In the early 80s both the Cure and the Banshees were going through a period of crisis: the former drained after the tormented “Pornography“, the latter shaken by the departure of John McGeoch, who was recovering from a nervous breakdown during the “A Kiss In The Dreamhouse” tour. Against this backdrop, the paths of friends Robert Smith and Steven Severin inevitably crossed again, united by the need to rediscover lightness and fresh energy. In 1982 Severin took part in a first collaboration with the Cure on “Lament” (in a chaotic flexidisc version later rearranged for “Japanese Whispers”), while Smith returned to the Banshees to fill the gap left by the guitarist. But their bond went further than that: the idea of a side project also took shape, free from record-label constraints and the pressures of their respective bands. Out of this need to escape came “Blue Sunshine” by Glove, an album conceived as a free space for experimentation, poised between new wave and psychedelic rock. The two split the workload: Severin pens almost all the lyrics, sketching out a dreamlike world where madness, desire and crime coexist, while Smith handles the music, singing on only two tracks, including this disorienting “Mr. Alphabet Says”, a masterpiece of corrosive irony aimed at anyone trying to curb his freedom. The track, built on mechanical pianos and descending strings (with a contribution from Anne Stephenson of the Venomettes), weaves together psychedelic touches with lyrics that evoke the “treacle well” of Disney's Alice, an obsession also shared by the Banshees, as shown by the TV special “Play At Home”.

Robert Smith & David Bowie – Quicksand (live, 1997)

While in most cases Smith has collaborated with artists who professed themselves fans of his, at least once it was he who got to live out the dream of performing alongside one of his idols. On 9 January 1997, at Madison Square Garden in New York, David Bowie threw a star-studded party to celebrate his 50th birthday. For the occasion, as well as previewing several tracks from “Earthling”, due out the following month, the English artist, backed by his band featuring Reeves Gabrels and Mike Garson, welcomed onto the stage friends and colleagues such as Lou Reed, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Frank Black (Pixies), Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and, indeed, Robert Smith of the Cure, with whom he delivered a poignant rendition of “Quicksand”. For the Cure frontman it was a lifelong dream come true: “I was struck like lightning by Bowie's appearance on Top of the Pops on 5 July 1972 – he would recall – The moment he sang ‘I had to phone someone so I picked on you’, he pointed at the camera, and we knew he was singing that line for us and for all the kids who were glued to the TV at that very moment. It was a real call to arms that set us on the path we would soon follow”. The duet finds him moved and joyful alongside an ever-impeccable Thin White Duke.

COGASM – “A Sign From God” (1998)

It was alongside that same era's trusted Bowie guitarist, Reeves Gabrels (formerly of Tin Machine), and British drummer Jason Cooper, that Robert Smith also ventured into film music, recording a track for the soundtrack of the movie “Orgazmo”. A brief foray into industrial and alternative rock that, in truth, had no follow-up, but which remains a precious rarity for fans.

Reeves Gabrels feat. Robert Smith – “Yesterday’s Gone” (2000)

Still working alongside the energetic Reeves Gabrels, at the dawn of the new millennium Smith created this other rock track, suspended between dark, melancholic atmospheres and duly scarred by the former Tin Machine guitarist's thunderous, noisy playing. Essentially an outtake from the Cure's contemporaneous “Bloodflowers”.

Junkie XL feat. Robert Smith – “Perfect Blue Sky” (2003)

Another surprising collaboration from the turn of the millennium finds the Cure frontman working with Dutch producer Junkie XL, aka Tom Holkenborg, long active in the electronic music world across techno, house and breakbeat. On this velvety, visionary “Perfect Blue Sky”, Smith sings with his trademark intensity over a synthetic electronic backdrop that feels both futuristic and retro at once.

Junior Jack feat. Robert Smith – “Da Hype” (2003)

Still in electronic territory, Robert Smith scores another intriguing collaboration the same year, lending his tormented vocals to this track co-written with Junior Jack, aka Vito Lucente, the Italian DJ and producer best known for the hit “Make Luv” released under the Room 5 project. The result is an unpredictable dance-floor take on Smith, a four-to-the-floor house cut with electro-funk shadings, though not without the trademark melancholy of Cure HQ. The dark pioneer's boldest raid on the glittering dancefloors.

Blink-182 feat. Robert Smith – “All Of This” (2003)

No less surprising is Robert Smith's incursion into the colourful pop-punk universe of Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge, the men behind Blink-182. Known for their sun-drenched pop-punk anthems and the goofy tone of their songs, woven from guitar riffs and catchy melodies, the Californians are about as far removed as you can imagine from the sonic world of the Cure. And yet Smith's voice, grafted onto an arrangement darker and more introspective than usual for Blink, brings a touch of Cure-like shade even under the San Diego sun, recalling the spirit of “The Lovecats”. It's a collaboration that was hardly accidental for Mark Hoppus, who would later reveal to Alternative Press: “'Just Like Heaven' by the Cure was the beginning of everything for me. It was the summer after junior high, a friend lent me a cassette of 'Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me'. The first song she played me was 'Just Like Heaven'. That song and that album instantly became my favourites... their music became the soundtrack of my life... I even started dressing like Robert Smith”. Tom DeLonge, meanwhile, confessed to Billboard that the band feared Smith might turn them down, given the stark difference in musical backgrounds. But the Cure frontman surprised everyone by proving free of any prejudice: “No one knows what songs you'll write in the future, no one knows a band's true potential. I really like the music you sent me”. The song came together in two stages. DeLonge sang the first two lines of the chorus, then the track was sent to Smith in England, who recorded his vocals and shipped it back to the band, who added drum tracks and Mellotron. “The song was recorded in four different studios on two continents and it's one of the best on the record”, Blink-182 proudly commented.

Tweaker feat. Robert Smith – “Truth Is” (2004)

More electronics, laced with industrial scraps and glitch pulses, on this magnetic track where Smith puts his unmistakable voice at the service of the project led by Chris Vrenna, drummer for Nine Inch Nails until 1997. Another gem showing how at home the Cure frontman is in these more strictly industrial and alternative atmospheres — territory he arguably wouldn't have minded exploring further in the Cure's own output during the 2000s.

Billy Corgan feat. Robert Smith – “To Love Somebody” (2005)

That Billy Corgan was a diehard Cure fan had long been obvious – just listening to the dark alternative masterpiece “Adore” by Smashing Pumpkins would be enough to confirm it. Less predictable was the possibility that the long-awaited duet with his teenage idol would take place on the ground of a syrupy pop ballad penned by the Bee Gees: about as far from Cure and Pumpkins territory as one could imagine. And yet the two rock icons trade vocals with total ease, on a chilly dream-pop rendition of the Gibb brothers' classic, tinting the original with dark gloom and flashes of glam. Corgan told the story like this: “Me and Robert talked about doing something together. I called him and said: 'Okay, I think I've got the right song for you'. 'Is it one of yours?' 'No, it's a Bee Gees song'. And there was this long, wonderful pause on the line. Then, in that English accent: 'The Bee Gees?'. He'd recently watched a documentary about them and said: 'Okay, I'm open to that possibility'”. Yet another reminder of the English musician's open-mindedness, far removed from the stereotypical image so often painted of him.

Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith – “Not In Love” (2010)

The meeting between Smith and the Canadian electronic duo made up of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass came about almost by chance. Crystal Castles had sampled his voice without permission from a live recording of the Cure's “Killing An Arab”. When the band reached out to him, rather than simply granting clearance, Smith offered to re-record the vocal parts himself, taking “Not In Love” to a whole new level. The song was actually a cover of fellow Canadians Platinum Blonde, which Crystal Castles included on their second, self-titled album from 2010. The original synth-pop version of “Not In Love” is softer than Smith's take, which leans into gothic rock with sharper rhythms and more intense synths, resulting in a truly magnetic track. The cover was widely praised, especially for the vocal performance, so much so that several outlets ranked it among the best songs of 2010.

CHVRCHES feat. Robert Smith – “How Not To Drown” (2021)

The Scottish band have said the collaboration with Smith came about through a curious misunderstanding: their manager, chatting with an acquaintance, had mentioned the possibility of getting in touch with the Cure frontman. Shortly after, an email arrived from Smith himself: “I heard you were looking for me.” After listening to a CHVRCHES track that clearly echoed the Cure's guitar sound, Smith joked: “Do you want me to play on it, so you can go straight to the source instead of imitating me?” Shortly after, on Halloween night, he sent the band his vocal tracks: and so “How Not To Drown” was born. Martin Doherty recalled the emotion of that moment: “I don't want to admit that I got tears in my eyes, but it was truly special.”

Gorillaz feat. Robert Smith – “Strange Timez” (2020)

In “Song Machine” by Gorillaz (2020), every track featured at least one guest. “Strange Timez”, recorded in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, came together entirely by email. Damon Albarn explained: “We did everything remotely.” And Smith commented enthusiastically: “I thought it was an excellent piece of work. I felt a disturbance in the force and said: ‘I'd better do this right away.’” The result is a track that oscillates between electronica and psychedelia, with Robert Smith's voice—hypnotic and dazed as only his can be—sounding as if it's coming straight from another galaxy.

Olivia Rodrigo & Robert Smith – Just Like Heaven (live, 2025)

The odd couple born on the Glastonbury 2025 stage. Seeing Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith together intrigued fans from decidedly distant generations and genres. But during her set at the British festival, the American pop star introduced Smith as her “personal hero”: “I can't contain my excitement for the next guest, he's maybe the best songwriter to ever come out of England,” she said, before singing “Friday I'm In Love” and “Just Like Heaven” with him. The former Disney star, now the reigning pop queen of Generation Z, has since released the two Cure songs performed with the English frontman on her “Live In Glastonbury”, due out in December 2025.

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