Curve (band)
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
Key people | Toni Halliday, Dean Garcia, Alan Moulder (producer) |
| Products | Alternative rock and electronic music albums and singles |
Curve was a London-based English duo known for their fusion of alternative rock and electronic music, established in 1990 and disbanded in 2005. The group featured Toni Halliday on vocals and occasional guitar, with Dean Garcia handling bass, guitar, drums, and programming. Halliday was responsible for the lyrics, while both members collaborated on songwriting. Producer Alan Moulder was instrumental in crafting their signature sound, combining powerful rhythms with richly textured guitar layers beneath Halliday's vocal delivery.
The band’s discography includes five studio albums: Doppelgänger (1992), Cuckoo (1993), Come Clean (1998), Gift (2001), and The New Adventures of Curve (2002). Additionally, they issued five compilation records—Pubic Fruit (1992), Radio Sessions (1993), Open Day at the Hate Fest (2001), The Way of Curve (2004), and Rare and Unreleased (2010)—alongside numerous EPs and singles.
History
Dean Garcia, who is of mixed Hawaiian and Irish heritage, had experience playing in smaller bands prior to auditioning for Eurythmics. Toni Halliday, originally from England, connected with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics after he encountered an interview praising his earlier band, The Tourists. Stewart introduced Halliday to Garcia. Garcia contributed bass guitar to Eurythmics' live performances during 1983–84 and participated in two of their studio albums, while Halliday was signed as a solo artist to Stewart's label, Anxious Records. Initially, they formed the group State of Play in the mid-1980s but later pursued solo efforts before reuniting to create Curve.
In 1991, Curve released three well-received EPs—Blindfold, Frozen, and Cherry—on Anxious Records, followed by their debut album Doppelgänger in 1992, which charted in the UK. Their live performances featured additional musicians such as guitarists Debbie Smith and Alex Mitchell, along with drummer Steve Monti. Significant shows included appearances at the 1992 Glastonbury Festival and a North American tour supporting The Jesus and Mary Chain and Spiritualized.
The compilation Pubic Fruit, issued in 1992, assembled their first three EPs plus an extended version of "Faît Accompli". Halliday lent her vocals to two tracks on Recoil’s album Bloodline. In 1993, the compilation Radio Sessions gathered recordings from their BBC Radio 1 Peel sessions.
Their sophomore effort, the more aggressive Cuckoo released in 1993, did not achieve the same UK Top 20 status as its predecessor. The pressures of touring combined with this outcome led to their split in 1994. Halliday cited the demanding nature of touring and lifestyle excesses as contributing factors.
During this break, Halliday formed Scylla; their track "Helen's Face" featured on the soundtrack for Showgirls. Garcia embarked on a solo project under the name Headcase. Halliday also collaborated with acts such as The Future Sound of London, Freaky Chakra, and Leftfield, including a vocal appearance on Leftfield’s UK Top 20 single "Original" from the 1995 album Leftism.
Curve made a comeback in 1996 with the EP Pink Girl With the Blues. That same year they worked with Paul Van Dyk, adding Halliday’s vocals to a reimagined track from his album Seven Ways.
In 1997, they released "Chinese Burn", which preceded their third studio album Come Clean in 1998; this record emphasized electronic elements more prominently. Curve continued to perform intimate shows across Europe during this period.
Their subsequent release was the internet-exclusive compilation Open Day at the Hate Fest in 2001, coinciding with their fourth studio album Gift. Noteworthy contributions included guitar work by Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine. The opening track "Hell Above Water" received attention through its use in trailers for films such as Spider-Man and Iron Man.
In 2002, Curve distributed their fifth studio effort, The New Adventures of Curve, solely via online platforms alongside various tracks available for download. In 2003, Halliday collaborated with Japanese industrial rock group Acid Android on the song "Faults".
A comprehensive two-CD collection titled The Way of Curve was released in 2004, compiling singles, B-sides, rare tracks, and remixes. Early in 2005, Halliday announced her permanent exit from Curve.
By 2010, key releases were made accessible as digital downloads on their Bandcamp page, including a new compilation called Rare and Unreleased.
In 2017, they reissued Doppelgänger as a double CD featuring their initial three EPs; additionally, Cuckoo was re-released supplemented by extra remixes.
Dean Garcia continues to manage the band's official website, providing updates on individual members' projects while indicating that new material from Curve is unlikely.
Toni Halliday
In 2006, Toni Halliday lent her vocal talents to The Killers' festive song "A Great Big Sled", which was subsequently featured on the 2011 compilation (RED) Christmas EP.
On 27 February 2008, Halliday introduced a solo venture named Chatelaine on MySpace, sharing early versions of tracks credited to Halliday/Dowd/Salmon while working on a new album. The first Chatelaine album, Take a Line for a Walk, was officially released on 16 June 2010, containing nine original compositions.
In 2012, Halliday contributed vocals to Orbital's soundtrack for the remake of the film Pusher. Her solo work continued in 2020 with the release of The Roll Call EP, marking her first solo project since Hearts & Handshakes, drawing inspiration from Berlin’s electronic and techno music scene.
Dean Garcia
Since 2007, Dean Garcia has been part of the group SPC ECO, alongside his daughter Rose Berlin and Joey Levenson. Their debut album 3-D was launched in February 2009 through their website and Collide's label Noiseplus Music, followed by subsequent releases You Tell Me (2011) and Dark Notes (2012).
Garcia's collaborations extend to several other projects including The Black Holes (with Jo Neale), The Chronologic, Inkraktare (partnering with Mark Wallbridge aka Vasko The Pig), The Secret Meeting (with kaRIN and Statik from Collide), KGC (teaming up with Sascha Konietzko and Lucia Cifarelli of KMFDM), and Morpheme.
Morpheme represents Garcia’s newest collaboration with Perry Pelonero and Kim Welsh. Their initial single "Infection" debuted in December 2010, followed by "Stratosphere" in May 2011.
On 1 January 2011, Garcia unveiled his solo album How Do You Feel?, featuring contributions from Vasko the Pig, Todd Astromass, and Jeff Beck.
Musical Style and Inspirations
According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic, Curve's sound is characterized as a "towering monolith of guitar noise, dance tracks, dark goth, and airy melodies," merging "shoegazer atmospherics with techno rhythms".[1] Key influences acknowledged by Halliday include Patti Smith, Nico, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.[2][3]
Halliday has commented on comparisons drawn between Curve and Garbage, emphasizing that although there are parallels, Garbage primarily operates within the pop genre, whereas Curve did not.[4]
Core Members
- Toni Halliday – lead vocals, occasional guitar[5]
- Dean Garcia – bass guitar, guitar, drums, programming[6]
Touring members
- Debbie Smith – guitar (1991 to 1994)[6]
- Alex Mitchell – guitar (1991 to 1994)[6]
- Rob Holliday – guitar during the Come Clean period[6]
- Steve Monti – drums[6]
- Stephen Spring – drums[7]
Equipment
- Comprehensive schematics are available illustrating the 2002 touring setups of Dean Garcia and Rob Holliday.[8][9]
- A video captures producer Alan Moulder at work inside Curve's recording studio.[10]
- An interview from 2002 with Dean Garcia and Toni Halliday outlines their live performance equipment and recording techniques used at Todal Studios.[11]
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
US Heat |
AUS |
EUR | ||
| Doppelgänger |
|
11 | 18 | 136 | 35 |
| Cuckoo |
|
23 | 18 | — | 77 |
| Come Clean |
|
103 | 26 | — | — |
| Gift |
|
— | — | — | — |
| The New Adventures of Curve |
|
— | — | — | — |
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| Pubic Fruit |
|
— |
| Radio Sessions |
|
72 |
| Open Day at the Hate Fest |
|
— |
| The Way of Curve |
|
197 |
| Rare and Unreleased |
|
— |
EPs and Singles
| Year | Single/EP | Highest Chart Positions | Associated Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US Alt | |||
| 1991 | "Ten Little Girls"[lower-alpha 1] | 68 | — | — |
| "Coast Is Clear"[lower-alpha 2] | 34 | 12 | ||
| "Clipped"[lower-alpha 3] | 36 | — | ||
| 1992 | "Faît Accompli" | 22 | 17 | Doppelgänger |
| "Horror Head" | 31 | 23 | ||
| 1993 | "Missing Link"[lower-alpha 4] | 39 | — | Cuckoo |
| "Superblaster" | — | — | ||
| 1996 | "Pink Girl With the Blues" | 91 | — | — |
| 1997 | "Chinese Burn" | — | — | Come Clean |
| 1998 | "Coming Up Roses" | 51 | — | |
| "Alligators Getting Up" | — | — | ||
| 2002 | "Perish" | 168 | — | Gift |
| 2003 | "Want More Need Less" | — | — | |
Music Videos
| Song | Director |
|---|---|
| "Ten Little Girls" | Sophie Muller |
| "Blindfold" | (unknown) |
| "Coast Is Clear" | Sophie Muller |
| "Clipped" | Keir Halliday |
| "Faît Accompli" | Sophie Muller |
| "Horror Head" | Barry Maguire |
| "Missing Link" | Richard Heslop |
| "Superblaster" | |
| "Chinese Burn" | Sophie Muller |
One-Off Tracks
| Release Date | Title | Compilation(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Faît Accompli" (live) | 'In a Field of Their Own: Highlights of Glastonbury 1992' |
| November 1992 | "I Feel Love"
|
'RUBY TRAX - The NME's Roaring Forty' 'The Way of Curve' |
| 19 July 1993 | "What a Waste" (featuring Ian Dury) | 'Peace Together' 'The Way of Curve' |
| December 1996 | "Test" | 'Volume 17' |
| 1997 | "Nowhere" | 'Music From the Gregg Araki Movie Nowhere' |
Remixes
- Paul Van Dyk – "Words" (remixed by Curved Headcase)
- Tubeway Army – "Down in the Park" (remixed by Curve)
- The Cure – "Just Say Yes" (Curve remix)
Song usage and guest appearances
- Served as guest producers on Gary Numan's 2003 remix compilation Hybrid.
- Provided the track "Worst Mistake" for the PlayStation 2 rhythm game Frequency; this song was not released on any CD.
- The track "Falling Free," remixed by Aphex Twin, appeared on his 2003 collection 26 Mixes For Cash.
- Produced a remix of The Cure's "Just Say Yes" in 2001, which was officially issued in 2004 within the box set Join the Dots: B-Sides and Rarities, 1978–2001 (The Fiction Years).
- "Hell Above Water" was used in promotional trailers for Spider-Man (2002), Iron Man (2008), the movie Mindhunters (2004), an episode of CSI, and the film Lakeview Terrace (2008). Additionally, it featured in the video games Gran Turismo 4 and MotorStorm.
- An instrumental version of "Want More Need Less" was included in Capcom's title MotoGP 09/10.
- "On The Wheel" was part of the soundtrack for the 1995 movie The Doom Generation.
- "Chinese Burn" was featured in the "Bad Girls" episode of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a Lunatic Calm remix of the song appeared on the soundtrack for the video game FIFA 2001.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedall - ↑ MTV 120 Minutes. YouTube. 1992. Retrieved 2 July 2017
- ↑ Curve "Overground (Siouxsie and the Banshees cover, YouTube. Retrieved 2 July 2017
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- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcuckoosnest - ↑ Cooper, Adam (29 July 2002)."Dean Garcia's 2002 Curve Bass Rig". GuitarGeek.Com.
- ↑ Cooper, Adam (29 July 2002)."Rob Holiday's 2002 Curve Guitar Rig". GuitarGeek.Com.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Cooper, Adam (29 July 2002)."Curve's Recording Methods & Live Gear". Guitargeek.com
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