The Cure review: ‘Everything you could possibly want and more’
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“I can speak, but I just don’t have very much to say. It’s on the songs; that’s why we sing them,” Robert Smith joked in one of his few moments of extended chatter at The Cure’s sold-out Wythenshawe Park show on Friday. However, Smith never has to worry; the power of The Cure’s music meant the message was loud enough.
The Cure’s decision to allow the music to do the talking at Wythenshawe Park was a masterstroke, especially when considering the performance marked the band’s first performance in Manchester since 2016. Remarkably, it was also only The Cure’s fifth UK performance since ‘Songs of a Lost World’ was released in 2024. The list includes the band’s album release show at Troxy in 2024, their set at Isle of Wight Festival in June as well as shows at Cardiff’s Blackweir Fields and Belfast’s Belsonic. It’s a remarkable fact that made their performance in front of 35,000 people – their biggest headlining show in Manchester – all the more special for the band and audience alike.
As the band stepped on stage just after 8pm, there was a sense Smith was in the mood to soak up and immerse himself in the atmosphere, slowly walking his way across the stage to greet the audience as the rest of the band opened the performance with the sonically moving ‘Alone’, which saw The Cure’s elite bassist Simon Gallup shine with a thick, driving bass line, rich yet spacious keyboards from Roger O’Donnell and a deep yet gritty guitar part from Reeves Gabrels.
‘Pictures of You’ was driven by Gallup’s low-end bass line, O’Donnell’s warming keyboard part and a bright guitar from Smith. ‘Lovesong’ was complemented by Jason Cooper's hypnotic yet clinical drumming and Gallup’s moody yet busy bass line. Smith pulled out a soprano recorder on a rendition of ‘Burn’, delivered with thick, overdriven guitars and Cooper’s powerhouse drumming.
From the opening five songs, it was evident that it’s the stage that brings The Cure to life, allowing them to flex their muscles and showcase their versatility, transitioning from the dark and apocalyptic in the aforementioned ‘Burn’ to the dark, disco-funk of ‘Fascination Street’, yet it felt so natural. The Cure have finely crafted a live experience that enables them to execute those stylistic shifts seamlessly, thanks to the band’s masterful musicianship and Smith’s rich, emotive vocals, which remain in impeccable condition – a testament to his vocal maintenance in his five decades as a performer.
Additionally, there’s always an air of unpredictability when watching The Cure, thanks to their fondness for tailoring their sets to give every performance a unique twist. However, that’s the beauty of The Cure. You’ll never get the same performance, and an unexpected rendition of ‘alt.end’, fuelled by Gallup’s thick, driving bass line cutting through the wall of sound and complemented by distorted guitars and powerful drumming, was a welcome addition to the setlist.
As were ‘Treasure’, which Smith introduced as “one we don’t play very often", ‘Want’ and ‘A Night Like This’, but the hits were in plentiful supply, providing the perfect balance. ‘In Between Days’ and ‘Just Like Heaven’, which were driven by a bright acoustic guitar from Smith, sparked big singalongs, so much so that Smith admitted after the latter, “I like hearing people sing the words back. Makes me think I could get away with stopping if I wanted."
Thankfully, there was never any concern that Smith would stop. ‘A Forest’ was delivered with an urgent yet spacious keyboard part from O’Donnell, a hypnotic bass line from Gallup and punchy guitars. ‘Endsong’ was a masterful display in musicianship from the band and flawlessly set the stage for a spellbinding encore.
‘Lullaby’ was complemented by Gallup’s pulsating bass line, O’Donnell’s sweeping synths and a warm acoustic guitar. A spine-tingling rendition of ‘Wrong Number’ left Smith beaming as he screamed “hello,” to the audience, a propulsive bass line and bouncy synths took centre stage on ‘The Walk’ and ‘Mint Car’ was driven by jangly guitars and steady, driving drumming from Cooper. O’Donnell’s expressive, upbeat and playful keyboard part shone on ‘The Lovecats’ as Smith improvised with a slider on his guitar.
The euphoria of ‘Friday I’m In Love’ paved the way for Gallup’s bouncy bass and O’Donnell’s bouncy synths on ‘Close To Me’, which was complemented by Cooper’s intricate drumming before ‘Why Can't I Be You?’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ left the 35,000-strong audience singing their hearts out as the evening reached its conclusion. As Smith walked across the stage to bid farewell and bask in the applause, you couldn’t help but feel you’d witnessed something truly spectacular. The Cure’s performance was a career-spanning set from one of the greatest live bands the United Kingdom has ever produced. It was everything you could possibly want and more.
The Cure will perform in Edinburgh at the Royal Highland Showgrounds with Mogwai as support tomorrow evening. It marks their final UK performance this summer and tickets are available here.