. . . . . what we need is more ‘Andy’!
Wednesday, April 01, 2026
The Cure - A Forest (1980)
The Cure - A Forest - (album version 1980) - TopPop
Robert James Smith (born 21 April 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer, guitarist, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the rock band the Cure, which he co-founded in 1978. He was also the lead guitarist for the band Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1982 to 1984, and was part of the short-lived group the Glove in 1983
This is a very rare recording by Gothic rock/ post punk rock band The Cure in the original line-up with Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Matthieu Hartley, and Lol Tolhurst on the TROS TOP50 TV program on July 3, 1980. Simon and Robert have exchanged their instruments in this video with Simon playing guitar and Robert playing bass.
This tape was recently discovered in the vaults of AVROTROS and we are very happy to present the full version now for the first time since the first broadcast in 1980.
This is the long version of the video that we released some months ago! It was broadcast on the same day as the 'Play For today' video.
TopPop was the first regular dedicated pop music TV show in the Dutch language area. Dutch broadcaster AVRO aired the programme weekly, from 1970 to 1988. Presenter Ad Visser hosted the show for its first fifteen years.
World famous music artists performed on TopPop: ABBA, 10CC, Bee Gees, The Jacksons with Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Earth & Fire, Queen, Golden Earring, Boney M, KC & The Sunshine Band, Chic, Donna Summer and many many more.
Advert Break - EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL @ The Moth Club Jun - Sept 2026
Following 21 instant sell-outs in their long-running London residency, Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn return to the intimate 200-capacity MOTH Club for SIX more shows - three in June, and three in September.
The dates at MOTH are Sun Jun 7, Mon Jun 8 and Tue Jun 9. And Sun Sep 13, Mon Sep 14 and Tue Sep 15.
Tickets (max 2) go on sale at 6pm BST tomorrow, Thu Apr 2 via DICE.
Part acoustic, part electronic, they’ll be playing songs from their years both as a duo and solo, accompanied by Rex Horan (double bass) and Family Stereo’s Blake Watt (guitar, vocals). The events are billed as Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn
The venue is mostly seated with some additional standing. Seats are allocated on first-come-first-served basis. Doors 7pm. No support. Stage time 8pm. Two sets with interval.
What to do next?
(1) You will need the DICE app on your phone AND an account set up to complete your purchase and access your tickets. If you haven’t got the app, download it now and create an account
(2) Get a ticket link for your preferred night either below, or at linktr.ee/ebtg or through the DICE app
(3) Use your ticket link to purchase ticket(s) at 6pm BST this Thu Apr 2
(4) If you are unsuccessful - and remember, many will be trying at the same time - you will be placed immediately on the DICE Wait List and may be offered a return closer to the dates
(5) Please be aware, even if you click on the stroke of 6pm you may be added to wait list seemingly instantly. This is because others connected to the app ahead of you and are completing their purchase. Joining the wait list is recommended. Every show so far has seen returns from ticket-buyers who can't make it.
And lastly ...
We understand the huge popularity of these shows, and we consider DICE the fairest way to provide tickets. No secret pre-sale or priority booking prior to on-sale time. No dynamic pricing. System negates touts. It is simply a question of fastest finger first when the tickets go live.
** Please note the two shows at Union Chapel on May 4 and 5 are already
SOLD OUT **
Picture of the Day - John Cash archive
Marshall Grant, Luther Perkins, and Johnny Cash play music while Vivian Cash and friends listen.
I sometimes forget quite how beautiful Johnny’s first wife was as we concentrate so much on June being from the legendary music family of the Carters. Vivian was the mother of his four daughters Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara. She left him as she could no longer cope with his drug taking
VA - Magic Of The Seventies Vol. 1 [2013] Vol. 2 [2015]| Butterboy
VA - Magic Of The Seventies Vol. 1 [2013] + Magic Of The Seventies Vol. 2 [2015] (8 x CDs)
This is fun! A follow on from the Sixties the other day Butterboy excels again
Magic of The SEVENTIES
Magic Of The Seventies Vol. 1 and Magic Of The Seventies Vol. 2
make the most sense when they sit together on the shelf and play as one long program.
They arrived a couple of years apart, yet the intention feels shared, a patient walk through
the lighter side of seventies radio where melody carried the day and singles were built
the lighter side of seventies radio where melody carried the day and singles were built
to live comfortably beside each other.
The first volume settles in gently.
The first volume settles in gently.
Early tracks lean toward bright pop craftsmanship, the sort of recordings that once drifted
across afternoon airwaves without announcing themselves too loudly.
across afternoon airwaves without announcing themselves too loudly.
Piano led arrangements, clear vocal lines, tidy rhythm
sections, everything arranged with the kind of balance that defined the early
sections, everything arranged with the kind of balance that defined the early
part of the decade.
As the discs move along, the character of the seventies begins to show itself
a little more clearly.
The guitars gain confidence, choruses stretch wider, and the sense of studio polish
The guitars gain confidence, choruses stretch wider, and the sense of studio polish
becomes part of the atmosphere rather than the goal.
By the time the listening reaches the second volume, the decade feels fully in motion.
The songs arrive with slightly bigger gestures, glam leaning rhythms sit comfortably
The songs arrive with slightly bigger gestures, glam leaning rhythms sit comfortably
beside melodic pop, and the sequencing allows those contrasts to breathe.
A track by Slade might bring a burst of stomp and swagger, while something from
Alice Cooper adds theatrical colour, yet the surrounding selections keep the tone
balanced. It never tips into a single style for long.
What gradually appears, almost without noticing, is a portrait of how varied
What gradually appears, almost without noticing, is a portrait of how varied
everyday seventies listening could be.
Pop, light rock, glam touches, singer songwriter warmth, all sharing the same radio space
Pop, light rock, glam touches, singer songwriter warmth, all sharing the same radio space
and often the same chart weeks.
Played straight through, the two volumes form an easy flowing sequence that rewards
Played straight through, the two volumes form an easy flowing sequence that rewards
unhurried listening.
Nothing demands attention, the songs simply take their turns.
Nothing demands attention, the songs simply take their turns.
Leave the discs running long enough and the decade
begins to reveal itself in small ways, one single at a time. (Butterboy)
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