Oliver: Curve - Already Yours [Basement Mix] (1 December 1991)

Another dose of quality shoegaze from Curve with a track which Peel played from the compilation album shown in the clip, but which went on to be the opening track on Curve's debut album, Doppelgänger.

When I was planning this post, I initially thought it would be about how the Curve sound was a clear influence on Butch Vig and Garbage, but a listen to Garbage's debut album today showed me what a flawed comparison that was.  Thank God I'm only a blogger and not a music journalist who would have to follow that theory through due to deadlines and the promise of a fee.
Instead, I'll tell you about my meeting with a former member of Curve, which took place yesterday.  I'd been leading up to it for months though.  I work for a charity and as part of that, I do plenty of outreach work in boroughs across London.  A regular fortnightly booking in East London had seen me working out of a library.  The black lady working there with the shaven head and spikes on the fringe would have attracted second looks regardless but when I realised that it had to be Debbie Smith, former guitarist with Curve and Echobelly, my only thought was how would I get her autograph without looking like too much of a dweeb.  I also needed to let some time pass given that my first interaction with her was to witness her stoicism when I took the chair that she had only temporarily vacated during a lunch break.  Well six months seemed adequate and given that yesterday was potentially our last day working there, it was now or never.
I approached her, told her who I worked for and explained that this was potentially our last day working at that venue.  "I've seen you around here and wanted to have a word with you for ages", at which point my brain screamed at me to get to the point before she got the wrong impression, which could have been disastrous with Debbie Smith.  I continued, "And I wanted to catch you because the On album (which Smith played on with Echobelly) is a big favourite of mine."  She burst out laughing and thanked me.  I'd always meant to take my copy of On, which I have on cassette, for signing, but forgot so had to make do with a compliments slip for the venue.  "That's made my day" she said after signing the slip.  Thanks, Debbie, it made mine too.

Debbie Smith - finally approached after six months of dithering.