Curve (band) - History

History

Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia were introduced to each other by fellow musician Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. Garcia had played bass guitar as part of Eurythmics' live band in 1983–84 and on two of their studio albums, while Halliday was signed to Stewart's Anxious Records label as a solo artist. The pair formed an ill-fated group named State of Play in the mid-1980s before parting ways, embarking on a no less ill-fated solo career (Halliday) and further stints as a backing musician (Garcia), and then reuniting for a more long-term partnership in Curve.

As Curve, Halliday and Garcia released three acclaimed and increasingly successful EPs (Blindfold, Frozen and Cherry) throughout 1991 on Anxious Records. They also made an impact on the UK album charts in 1992 with their debut studio album Doppelgänger. The group toured extensively during this period, with Halliday and Garcia being supported on stage by two additional guitarists (Debbie Smith, later of Echobelly, and Alex Mitchell) and a drummer (Steve Monti, formerly of Ian Dury and the Blockheads). Highlights of Curve's live career included a performance at the 1992 Glastonbury Festival, and a package tour of the United States with The Jesus and Mary Chain and Spiritualized.

In 1992, the band released the compilation album Pubic Fruit, containing their first three EPs and an extended mix of the single "Faît Accompli". In 1993, they issued Radio Sessions, a compilation album of recordings made during their two sessions for John Peel's show on the UK broadcasting station BBC Radio 1.

Curve's second studio album, the harder-edged Cuckoo (1993), did not repeat the UK Top 20 success of the band's debut. That coupled with the stressfulness of the tour in support of the record, may have contributed to Halliday and Garcia's decision to disband the group in 1994. During their hiatus, Halliday formed the band Scylla. Their track "Helen's Face" was featured on the Showgirls soundtrack. Garcia began a solo project under the name Headcase.

Curve returned to the music business in 1996 with the EP Pink Girl With the Blues. The following year, they released "Chinese Burn", the first single to be taken from their third studio album Come Clean (1998). That LP, a set of songs displaying a more pronounced influence of electronic music than earlier releases, was met with a certain amount of acclaim and commercial success, which encouraged the group to continue their recording career. They continued to do small-scale live shows in and around Europe.

The follow-up to Come Clean was an Internet-only compilation titled Open Day at the Hate Fest which was released in 2001. Also in the same year, Curve issued their fourth studio album, Gift. During this period, Curve were almost as prolific as during their first three years, releasing the web-only fifth studio album The New Adventures of Curve in 2002, and various download-only tracks via their official website.

A two-CD retrospective compilation entitled The Way of Curve summarized the group's output in 2004. The first disc included the band' singles. The second disc contained a selection of B-sides, rarities and remixes.

In early 2005, Halliday announced that she had left Curve for good.