Editing Robert Smith (musician) (section)

====Smith, Severin, and Siouxsie on tour: 1979====
{{Main|Siouxsie and the Banshees}}
Robert Smith met [[Steven Severin]] of Siouxsie and the Banshees at a [[Throbbing Gristle]] and [[Cabaret Voltaire (band)|Cabaret Voltaire]] gig at the London [[YMCA]] on 3 August 1979.<ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 15">Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure – A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 15; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref><ref name="Sutherland 1">Sutherland, Steve, "History of the Cure – Part 1", ''[[Melody Maker]]'', 1990</ref> Both the Banshees and the Cure had been signed to Polydor and its imprint Fiction, respectively, by [[Chris Parry (producer)|Chris Parry]], and Smith was already a fan of the Banshees.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/> The pair hit it off, and Severin invited Smith to accompany the Banshees on a UK tour in support of their second album ''[[Join Hands]]''.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 15"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/> The two bands embarked on the tour later in August, and meanwhile in September Banshees singer [[Siouxsie Sioux]] contributed backing vocals to "I'm Cold", the B-side to the Cure's next single "[[Jumping Someone Else's Train]]" (released in November),<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/><ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 16">Thompson, Dave & Jo-Ann Greene. ''The Cure – A Visual Documentary'', (1988), Omnibus Press, p. 16; {{ISBN|0-7119-1387-0}}</ref> A few dates into the ''Join Hands'' tour, however, Banshees' guitarist [[John McKay (guitarist)|John McKay]] and drummer [[Kenny Morris (musician)|Kenny Morris]] quit the band hours before they were due to go on stage in [[Aberdeen]], placing the tour in limbo.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/> Determined not to let the tour end, Smith volunteered to replace McKay temporarily on condition that the Cure remained the opening act,<ref name="Sutherland 1"/> while ex-[[Slits]] drummer [[Budgie (musician)|Budgie]] joined on drums.<ref>Bowler, Dave, and Bryan Dray, ''The Cure – Faith'', (1995), Sidgwick & Jackson, p. 53; {{ISBN|0-283-06229-0}}</ref> The tour resumed on 18 September, with Smith playing in both bands each night.<ref name="Bowler & Dray, 1995, p. 52"/><ref name="Sutherland 1"/><ref name="Thompson & Greene, p. 16"/> At the tour's end, Smith returned full-time to the Cure.

Severin has attributed Smith's transition from a reticent figure to a more enigmatic front person to Smith's early experiences playing with Siouxsie and the Banshees: {{Blockquote|I think he learnt how to be a front person, just by standing next to Siouxsie for a couple of months every night. I think he completely changed his persona on stage because of that; he came out of his shell. I think that he learnt how to be a bit more flamboyant, and how it was okay, and I think he saw how, y'know... how should I put it... Siouxsie's more "diva" moments were kind of acceptable because they were the front person, and I think he learnt how to get away with stuff. And just a bit about stagecraft, and how to use the audience a bit more. Because if you look at early clips of their performances you can see he's sort of much more shy and retiring than he becomes a bit later on, and of course, his whole look changes as well.<ref>''The Cure – Out of the Woods'' (DVD Documentary), Chrome Dreams Studio, 2004.</ref>}}