What was the deal with The Cure v the Smiths feud? The original rivalry before Oasis and Blur

• The Cure are set to release their first studio album in 16 years with Songs of a Lost World due out in late October.
• Meanwhile, rumours of The Smiths reuniting were squashed after Johnny Marr responded to claims made by Morrissey.
• While many are still nostalgic for the Oasis vs Blur feud ahead of the Manchester group’s reunion shows in 2025, Benjamin Jackson looks at the original British music feud between Robert Smith and Morrissey

You can feel that nostalgia in the air as 2024 draws to a close; Oasis reforming, a litany of Britpop acts reforming to hit the road and The Cure releasing their first album in 16 years.

With Robert Smith and company set to perform live at BBC Radio 2 later this month on the cusp of Songs of a Lost World being released, it’s a welcome return for the band that brought fans such iconic songs such as Lullaby, Friday I’m In Love and Just Like Heaven.

But on the other side of the nostalgia trip, Morrissey is still contending with his album Bonfire of Teenagers not seeing a release and rumours of a potential The Smiths reunion being halted by Johnny Marr’s abrupt response to Morrissey’s claims there was to be a rumour.

No doubt with Oasis being discussed as much as they have, the subject of the “Battle of Britpop” against Blur has once again been a subject matter people have conversed over once again.

But before Blur vs. Oasis, there was another big British music feud between two bands that, albeit from the similar music scene, had two very different ideologies when it came to their music, their lyrics and their personalities.

This is what happened when Robert Smith of The Cure and Morrissey of The Smiths started their beef, years before the Gallaghers would have theirs with Damon Albarn et al.

How did the feud between The Smiths and The Cure begin?

The tension between Robert Smith and Morrissey dates back to the early 1980s, when both The Cure and The Smiths were at the forefront of the alternative music scene. While the two bands had similar fanbases, their musical and lyrical approaches were quite different:

The Smiths, fronted by Morrissey, often dealt with themes of loneliness, alienation, and social issues in a literate, melancholic style, with Morrissey's vocal delivery being both earnest and poetic.

The Cure, led by Robert Smith, ranged from dark and atmospheric post-punk to more accessible pop sounds. Their themes, while also often gloomy, were more introspective and ambiguous, with Robert Smith using his dreamy, mysterious persona to contrast Morrissey’s more direct, political lyricism.

Morrissey cultivated an image of the sensitive intellectual, openly political, and staunchly opinionated, often wearing his views on his sleeve. He advocated for causes like animal rights and projected a very specific public persona, which attracted both adoration and criticism.

Robert Smith, on the other hand, adopted a more introverted, sometimes self-mocking image. He embraced fantasy, ambiguity, and introspection in his lyrics, often downplaying his own importance in interviews while finding Morrissey’s seriousness to be overbearing and pretentious

What was said between Robert Smith and Morrissey during the feud?

The feud seemed to begin in earnest during interviews when both singers started taking swipes at each other. Morrissey, known for his sharp tongue and biting wit, made disparaging remarks about The Cure’s music, suggesting that listening to them was depressing and that it encouraged despair. Morrissey once quipped: "Robert Smith is a whingebag."

Smith, in return, took digs at Morrissey’s perceived pretentiousness and self-pity. Smith remarked in a 1989 interview that he found Morrissey’s morose public image disingenuous, saying: “If Morrissey says not to eat meat, then I'll eat meat; that's how much I hate Morrissey.”

Smith often criticised Morrissey’s self-serious attitude, while Smith himself embraced a more self-deprecating and absurdist sense of humour.

By the 1990s, The Smiths had already broken up, while The Cure continued to thrive. Despite The Smiths' dissolution, the feud continued. Robert Smith's dislike of Morrissey grew more intense, and his disdain for Morrissey’s public persona became more vocal. Smith mocked Morrissey's advocacy for vegetarianism and animal rights, showing that the animosity was more than just musical differences.

In interviews, Robert Smith seemed to take every opportunity to ridicule Morrissey, often calling his lyrics whiny and stating he had no respect for him as a person. At one point, Smith said he thought Morrissey was “immensely corrupt” and his music “too campy” and self-righteous.

Morrissey, though not as continuously vocal about the feud as Smith, occasionally responded. He called Robert Smith "a fat clown with makeup"during one particularly heated exchange in the late 1980s. Morrissey’s insults often focused on Smith’s appearance and musical style, insinuating that The Cure’s music lacked substance.

When did the feud between the bands die down?

Though the heat of the feud waned by the 2000s, both artists continued to mention each other in interviews, keeping the tension alive. However, the tone was less inflammatory.

In 2019, Robert Smith was asked again about his feud with Morrissey, to which he replied: “I don’t hate him, it’s just that I’ve never liked him. He’s not my kind of person at all.” He also described the whole feud as "hilarious" and indicated that, for him, it was mostly overblown by the media.

Meanwhile, Morrissey has largely remained silent on the subject in more recent years, possibly because his public image has become more controversial due to his political views and outspoken nature on various issues.

Were you alive during the feud between Robert Smith and Morrissey and chose a side? Are you still a fan of The Cure or The Smiths despite the feud that took place? Share your memories by leaving a comment down below.