OVERVIEW

Porl Thompson (born Paul Stephen Thompson, November 8, 1957, in Wimbledon, England) is an English musician best known for his work with The Cure. Porl is the oldest of four children born to Tom and Dot Thompson; he has two brothers (Andrew and Robert) and one sister named Carol, who used to be married to Simon Gallup. Meanwhile, Porl is married to Janet Smith, the younger sister of Robert Smith, and together they have three sons (Todd, Bodhi and Darcie) and a daughter (Noosha).

LIFE AND WORK

Thompson was part of the original line-up which also included Robert Smith, Michael Dempsey, and Lol Tolhurst when the band was first formed in 1976. However, he was dropped by the time they released their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys, in 1979 because his guitar style was at odds with Smith's growing preference for minimalist songwriting. He rejoined the band in 1983 on saxophone, and helped record the album, The Top. During the Top Tour, Porl played guitar as well as the saxophone, and occasionally, he played keyboard with the band. He also performed with The Glove when they appeared on television.

Thompson performed on four studio albums The Head on the Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, Disintegration, and Wish and four live albums Concert, Entreat, Paris, and Show as well as the videos The Cure in Orange, Picture Show, and Festival 2005. He also appears on the remix album Mixed Up and the deluxe issue of Three Imaginary Boys.

Thompson and designer Andy Vella are the co-founders of Parched Art, which has produced many of the record sleeves found on The Cure albums, many of which Thompson drew or painted.

Thompson left the Cure in 1993 to play with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin during the Page and Plant tour. He also played with Babacar, the band formed by Boris Williams following his departure from The Cure.

Thompson still paints and has a collection entitled "100% Sky" posted at his website. He officially rejoined the band for a third time in June 2005.

SIGNATURE GUITAR

Porl has his own signature guitar by shecterguitars.com

TRIVIA