David Maclennan, Robert Smith and Nigel Elder from Neoteric Tribesmen. Standing is The Cure’s Simon Gallup and, at right, Stephen Norris and Kate Walker from Naked Spots Dance. Photo / Charles Jameson
Opinion
David Maclennan instigated a jam session with The Cure at a Wellington practice room on 3 August 1981.
Heard the one about The Cure jamming with local Wellington musicians one night during an early '80s tour? That story has been floating around for years in various forms, but I'm here to tell you that it did happen.
It was 3 August 1981, and The Cure were in
New Zealand on their second tour, promoting their recently-released third album Faith. Some of us in the Wellington punk/underground scene had befriended the band during their visit the year before, and I'd already interviewed Robert Smith twice for local music mag In Touch, and we'd also kept in touch by mail. Mad keen as we were, a bunch of us decided to go up and see the Palmerston North gig on the Sunday, and backstage a plan was hatched to throw a bit of a party at my flat in Hay St, Oriental Bay the following evening, as the two Wellington shows weren't until the Tuesday night.
It wasn't a huge party - basically just members of various local bands, including Beat Rhythm Fashion, Naked Spots Dance, Neoteric Tribesmen and my own band, Domestic Blitz, plus some of the In Touch crew and a few other hangers-on. The Cure brought a couple of their road crew with them (including former Dude Peter Urlich), as well as plenty of beer and, er, other substances, and a ripper time was had.
By 1 am we were all flying, and one of the Neoterics suggested heading down to their practice room for a jam session, so off we went, either on foot or in The Cure's van. The practice room was in the basement of Clyde Quay School, a short distance away in Mt Victoria.
