The Porl Thompson Auction

In late April of this year, it was announced that Omega Auctions in Manchester, England would be hosting an auction of items which were owned by Porl Thompson. A rock star garage sale, essentially.

 I followed the progress of the announcements on Chain of Flowers and decided to register for the auction, just in case. Like many people, I assumed that the items in the catalog would fetch hundreds to thousands of pounds each, but I wanted to be prepared, just in case there was something that was a bit more affordable.

On the emotional level, I was grieving the loss of Porl in the band, and in some sense trying to come to terms with the finality represented by the auction and by what was said in the official statement. It was a very strange mix of feelings, to be on the one hand very sad about it, and on the other, keenly anticipating the sale.

On the day of the auction, I overslept! Upon awakening, though, my mind flashed to the thought to log on to the auction and so I was able to catch it from about just about halfway through. After figuring out how to see the auction items and turn on the audio of the auctioneer, I watched with growing wonder as items went for shockingly small amounts. I had only intended to bid on a couple of items, but I could not pass up the things that were selling for so little. This actually made me even sadder, that such historic things were on the block for what seemed like pennies.


The first thing that I put a bid on was lot #79. This was marked in the catalog as being ""THE CURE" FANZINE & POSTER SLEEVE FOR "THE WALK" - official fanzine, signed by Porl. Some markings to front and back cover. Also included is a poster sleeve for 1983 single "The Walk"."

In reality, the smaller item is the tour book from the 1981 Faith / Carnage Visors tour, and is extremely rare to see for sale. The other item was the insert from the 7" single for The Walk, and is also quite hard to find in any condition.

This item is very interesting for any Cure historian.  Here is an excerpt from the excellent website - Impression of Sounds about this poster: "The Walk was an important step as it marked the birth of Parched Art (Porl & Andy's design company) and the beginning of the work on customised alphabets and type logos for the name "The Cure". That particular one was based on a modified lower case helvetica that had been applied with a paintbrush. The original photograph was then hand-tinted by Porl. "

The second thing I bid on was Lot #81, a 7" picture disc of "The Caterpillar", although this is an easier item to find, it is still somewhat rare to see for sale.


"THE CATERPILLAR" RARE LIMITED EDITION 7" SINGLE PICTURE DISC - rare picture disc for 1984 single "The Caterpillar" in clear sleeve (Cat: FICSP20). Condition: Excellent.



I didn't have a copy of this already, as my vinyl collection is still just in it's infancy, so being able to one one that was previously owned by Porl was a huge draw towards getting it.







Next up was Lot #90, an original photograph of Porl from the Inbetween Days video shoot. Having a soft spot for anything from "Head On The Door", this was a no-brainer.


ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH OF PORL FROM THE SHOOT FOR "IN BETWEEN DAYS" - approx 12" x 10", this photo of Porl is from the shoot for the video for 1985 single "In Between Days". The band were wearing fluorescent makeup and were filmed under black ultraviolet light.

Then some original pieces of Porl's artwork came up for auction, and again I could not resist. I ended up with Lot #96,  this lovely small canvas, which has artwork which is similar to that used on the 2008 album 4:13 Dream and to the paintings that were used as the cover to the singles from the same album.

I was always interested in owning an original Porl artwork, so this auction provided a good way to accomplish that!

ORIGINAL CANVAS ARTWORK - a 20cm x 20cm watercolour canvas by Porl dated Sept 2006. This is an abstract piece which depicts a face and contains text "Girl", with the main colours being black and brown. On the reverse of the canvas it reads "This vast ocean that keeps our hearts apart" Sept. 2006. 

By this time I was getting a little too close to my self-imposed budget, and I was beginning to worry that I would not be able to get the item that I most wanted!! I stopped bidding until finally Lot #106 came under the hammer. I was completely on edge, and when the hammer finally fell for the last time, I had come close to letting it go!!

HAND PRINT WITH CURE LOGO - The symbol within the hand print is an early "Cure" logo. It was designed by Porl following a challenge being set by Robert Smith for him to design a logo whereby "The Cure" could be formed using the reproduction of a single symbol. The design was created by covering his hand in ink, and then pressing it onto the page.  

As many Cure fans know, this hand print was an integral part of the 1992 "Wish" album artworks. The "C" was the basis for the "Wish" logo and the hand print itself was featured on stickers, tee shirts, in the tour book and appeared on many items of this era.

Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled to be able to have this incredible piece of Cure memorabilia.



These are not the most expensive or amazingly rare items from the collection to be sure! However, each one represents a powerful part of the mystique and artistry that surrounds all things Cure. Beyond the fact that he is a talented guitarist, Porl is a unique and sensitive visual artist whose aesthetic has informed the band's image for decades. Regardless of his standing in the band now or in the past, he was a huge part of what made them special, and I feel a bit awed to have these items in my possession. Indeed, I even feel a bit like a museum curator whose mission is to preserve these items for future generations, and eventually, perhaps there will someday be an official Cure museum where fans can enjoy seeing things like this in person.

I am also very glad to know that some of the more expensive and historic items also went to fellow fans who will appreciate and keep them safe!!

Update 8/13/12

All of the pieces have now been framed, and the two final items listed here were professionally framed in order to preserve and enhance them properly. The handprint was attached to acid-free Japanese rice paper in a non-destructive fashion so that it could be re-framed as needed without damaging the item. The canvas was framed with a photograph of the back mounted underneath it and so that the sides could be viewed.