The Cure ‘Carnage Visors’ soundtrack gets bootlegged together with ‘Faith’-era rarities
The Cure 'Carnage Visors' soundtrack
The Cure will see the instrumental soundtrack “Carnage Visors” paired with “Faith”-period rarities released on two vinyl editions from Karpe Diem in October 2025. The release is not an official The Cure release, but it’s interesting to zoom in on this release since it’s part of of The Cure’s history.
“Carnage Visors” was recorded in 1981 as the score to an experimental short film by Ric (Richard) Gallup (brother of Cure bassist Simon Gallup). The film screened in place of a support act on the band’s 1981 “Faith”/Picture Tour. The band created a single, continuous instrumental score specifically for the film. The soundtrack originally appeared only on the cassette edition of “Faith”, and later on select reissues, such as the 2005 deluxe reissue of “Faith.”.
The animation featured several dolls arranged in changing positions and stances – somber, minimal visuals that matched the brooding “Faith” era. The title is explained as an antonym to “rose-coloured spectacles.”
The film is unreleased and considered lost to the public. Accounts indicate only Robert Smith, Lol Tolhurst, and Simon Gallup retain copies. A brief (~45 s) clip was broadcast during a mid-1980s TV interview and has circulated online in short form as you can see below.
The track list of the release goes like this:
A-side
- A1. “Carnage Visors (Complete Soundtrack)” – approx. 27:30
B-side – “Faith: Rarities & B-sides”
The B-side selections correspond to contemporaneous non-album material from the “Faith” era. Tracks such as “Descent” and “Splintered in Her Head” are documented Cure B-sides from 1981 and appear in later compilations like “Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities 1978–2001 (The Fiction Years)”.
- B1. “Splintered in Her Head”
- B2. “Descent”
- B3. “Primary” (out-take)
- B4. “The Funeral Party” (BBC session)
- B5. “All Cats Are Grey” (BBC session)
- B6. “Faith” (BBC session – alt. version)
(Note on legality: This is not an official band/label release and is not legal in Germany.)
About The Cure
The Cure formed in Crawley, West Sussex (England) in 1978, evolving from earlier school bands Malice and Easy Cure. The original trio comprised Robert Smith (vocals/guitar), Michael Dempsey (bass) and Lol Tolhurst (drums).
After early demos as Easy Cure and a brief Hansa deal, the group signed to Fiction Records (Polydor) and released the debut album “Three Imaginary Boys” in May 1979. Simon Gallup replaced Dempsey later that year, with Matthieu Hartley joining on keyboards for “Seventeen Seconds” (April 1980). The darker-hued “Faith” followed in 1981, and its touring cycle incorporated the “Carnage Visors” film as the pre-show screening.
Subsequent releases included “Pornography” (1982) and an extensive run of albums and singles across Fiction and later labels. The current lineup includes Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Roger O’Donnell, Perry Bamonte, Jason Cooper, and Reeves Gabrels.
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