The Cure – Marlay Park – Live Review – 26/06/26
by Killian Laher

A return visit for The Cure after three and a half years, to play a big outdoor show in most un-Cure-like weather, the blistering sunshine of late June.  This put extra pressure on those dedicated to the Cure-inspired aesthetic (heavy make-up, black clothes, etc.).  You could still spot the odd, resplendent Curehead, a phrase which apparently only exists in Ireland.  First up was Stella and the Dreaming, with a singer who seemed to be channelling the spirit of Björk, resplendent in Victorian-style white dress.  Joined by a pair of cellos, her ballads came across well on the likes of In Another Life.

Just Mustard’s set was sadly plagued by sound issues throughout, as their gauzy mix got interrupted by jarring dropouts from the sound desk.  Led by singer Katie Ball, it was evident that the band were doing their best to overcome this by playing flawless versions of the likes of Endless Deathless and Pollyanna.  It was frustrating for them as it was a great opportunity to play in front of a large crowd, but the band never lost their cool, even when a promising version of We Were Just Here was again marred by tech issues.  A shame.

The Twilight Sad, regular guests of the Cure, were next up.  Singer James Graham seems to have bulked up (which suits him), and they opened with a belting Dead Flowers.  Though the wind blew their sound about a bit, Graham struck messianic poses on VTr, dedicated to his Irish granny.  New band members Simone Butler on bass and a Thin Lizzy T-shirt sporting drummer Cat Myers provided a strong rhythm section on the Joy Division-evoking Last January.  After a euphoric And She Would Darken The Memory they finished with an almost menacing rendition of Waiting For The Phone Call.  James Graham said before they finished, “dreams can come true”, and for a band that has undergone changes and seen adversity, it was good to see them get some well-deserved appreciation.

Billowing windchimes ushered in the headliners’ set, as The Cure opened with Plainsong and Pictures of You, on what turned out to be a set heavily drawn from their Disintegration album.  Robert Smith played a nice bit of jangly guitar on A Night Like This before Lovesong kicked off the first of many sing-alongs on the night.  Smith whipped out a pair of flutes for Burn, and he was ably supported by a really tight band, featuring Reeves Gabrels and an incongruously bearded Eden Gallup supporting on guitar.  Many of their songs feature long instrumental build-ups before any lyrics emerge. Fascination Street allowed Simon Gallup to take centre stage with some towering basswork.

Although Smith mentioned that “he hates daylight”, the blazing sunshine influenced the set to the point that the emphasis seemed to shift towards the poppier tunes, such as In Between Days and Just Like Heaven.  These provided an opportunity for the crowd to dance before A Forest switched the atmosphere back to moody, and they finished their set with an epic rendition of Prayers for Rain and the title track off of Disintegration.  After a brief pause, the band returned with a hit-heavy second set, unleashing Lullaby, Hot Hot Hot (featuring the ghost of Chic, according to Robert Smith).  Lovecats and Close To Me saw Smith himself do a dance or two, and those looking for pop thrills weren’t disappointed as they played Friday I’m In Love before they finished with Boys Don’t Cry, Smith lingering after the set concluded to take the acclaim.

While their set didn’t fully embrace their gloomy side, avoiding dipping into their Faith, Pornography or even their most recent album Songs of a Lost World, and there was little room for improvisation, the band played really tight versions of their songs with a long and varied setlist.  And as for Robert Smith? His prayers for rain remained unanswered.

Set List – 

Plainsong
Pictures of You
High
A Night Like This
Lovesong
Trust
Burn
Fascination Street
alt.end
Push
In Between Days
Just Like Heaven
Treasure
Want
Play for Today
A Forest
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
Prayers for Rain
Disintegration

Encore:
Lullaby
Hot Hot Hot!!!
Wrong Number
The Walk
The Lovecats
Friday I’m in Love
Close to Me
Why Can’t I Be You?
Boys Don’t Cry