My family moved into the house next door to Robert Smith in about 1974 when my son, Steven, was 13 and Robert was 15. They obviously knew each other, as neighbours, but did not move in the same circles because Steve went to Hazelwick school and Robert went to St Wilfreds. At that time Robert was already musical and played the piano.

Robert’s father had a studio built in his garden so that Robert and his friends could practice their music. They were trying to form a band and his father gave him a year to succeed. The studio was right under our bedroom window so we were frequently woken by their music well into the night. My husband and I didn’t think much of their taste in music but Steve did, so when Robert and Lol went to play for the pupils at Hazelwick, and were looking for new musicians, Steve auditioned in guitar and drums but was turned down!

He did, however hear strains of what turned out to be their first hit, “Boys Don’t Cry” coming from the studio. Some time after that Robert stopped playing at home. Another neighbour, Mark, who was a great fan, became a roadie for Easy Cure, as they were then called, for a while.                                                                                                         (Wendy Paton)