Early years Lol is an English abbreviation of Laurence. Tolhurst was born in
Horley,
Surrey and is the fifth of six children to William and Daphne Tolhurst. He states in his memoir
Cured that his father was an alcoholic with unpredictable moods. The Tolhurst family later moved to nearby
Crawley, where he first met future bandmate
Robert Smith when they were both five years old. Tolhurst's grandmother lived next door to Smith's family, and Tolhurst and Smith attended St. Francis Primary and Junior Schools together. Tolhurst and future bandmate
Pearl Thompson were present at the outbreak of the 1976
Notting Hill Carnival Riot and ran away as the riot began.
The Cure Tolhurst played drums and occasionally keyboards for the Cure on their first four albums. After the tour for the
Pornography album in 1982, Tolhurst decided to abandon the drums and switch to keyboards and synthesisers full time. During this period he also produced two singles and one album for the band
And Also the Trees. By 1985, Tolhurst's contributions to the Cure were diminishing due to his
alcoholism, and during live performances some of his keyboard parts had to be supplemented by guitarist
Pearl Thompson. During the recording of the following album
Disintegration in 1989, Tolhurst's alcoholism became so severe that the other members of the band threatened to quit, and Tolhurst contributed very little to the album even though he was credited as a co-writer on all songs. While it was later revealed that Tolhurst contributed to the song "Homesick", his contributions to the rest of the album were nearly nonexistent, and he was ultimately credited with "other instruments" in the album's liner notes. Tolhurst was fired by Robert Smith shortly before the album's release.
After the Cure Following his departure from the Cure, in 1990 Tolhurst formed the band
Presence with singer Gary Biddles, who had been an early member of the Cure's road crew and was previously a member of
Fools Dance. Presence released the album
Inside in 1993; a second album titled
Closer was recorded during this period but was not released until 2014. Meanwhile, Tolhurst had moved to
Los Angeles in the United States and overcame his alcoholism. His son Gray was born in 1991. Tolhurst lost this lawsuit and was ordered by the court to pay Smith's legal expenses. Smith refunded the money to Tolhurst years later after they reconciled their friendship. This band released the albums
Perfect Life in 2004 and
House by the Sea in 2007. For their third album
Blue Star in 2009 they were joined by another former member of the Cure, bassist
Michael Dempsey. Tolhurst also composed music for the film
9000 Needles, which won the Best Documentary award at several prestigious film festivals. In 2011, Tolhurst contacted Robert Smith to suggest a collaboration to honor the 30th anniversary of the Cure album
Faith. Tolhurst had also discussed the possibility with another former bandmate, Roger O'Donnell. The Cure decided to organize a short tour commemorating three of their early albums. Tolhurst temporarily appeared with the band for several shows, first at the
Sydney Opera House in Australia, playing keyboards and percussion. However, he did not officially rejoin the band.
Recent activities: writing and Los Angeles In 2016, Tolhurst published his memoir
Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys, largely recounting his childhood friendship with Robert Smith and the early years of the Cure. Tolhurst undertook an extensive book tour of the United Kingdom and United States. In 2018, he was featured in an episode of the
BBC Radio 4 series
Soul Music, in which he discussed the history of the Cure song "
Boys Don't Cry". In 2019, he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cure. In 2021, Tolhurst developed the
podcast Curious Creatures with
Budgie, a member of longtime Cure associates
Siouxsie and the Banshees, in which they explore "
post punk's enduring legacy and contemporary relevance" along with invited guests. Tolhurst's second book
Goth: A History was published in 2023.
The Guardian wrote that the book "traces the
genre from its 18th-century literary roots to its flourishing as a music subculture". During this period, Tolhurst took up drumming again and teamed up with Budgie and
Jacknife Lee on the album
Los Angeles, released in November 2023. The album features guest appearances by
James Murphy,
the Edge,
Bobby Gillespie, and
Isaac Brock.
Mojo praised the album as "thrilling", saying that "
Los Angeles lands with a visceral impact, rich texturing and smart distortions adding a destabilising wobble". The album was issued on vinyl, CD, and digital. Tolhurst and Budgie toured in the US in spring 2024. ==Discography==