The Cure: Classic or Dud?

_Wild Mood Swings_ is more problematic. It's a very erratic album and contains a couple of songs that never should have seen the light of day ("Mint Car", "Return"). However, it also contains the absolutely marvelous "The 13th", "Want", "Gone!" and "Jupiter Crash". Some judicious editing (and swapping some album tracks for b-sides) would make this a much better album.

For me, _Bloodflowers_ compares very well to their 80's output. It seems that the group got back into a good songwriting groove for this album, which is particularly evident on "Out Of This World", "The Loudest Sound", "The Last Day Of Summer", "Bloodflowers", and "Watching Me Fall" (Cure cliches and all). The album has a strong sense of flow and there are no embarrassing attempts to rewrite "Friday I'm In Love". It was a good ending for them, assuming that Robert's latest pronouncements about the band's demise are actually true this time.

There are individual songs I don't like, and _Wild Mood Swings_ is easily my least- favorite of their albums, but I'd be hard-pressed to say that I actively dislike any of the Cure's albums.

They have many good tunes. However, they have many bad ones, viz "Friday I'm In Love".

Still, at their best they show an impressive ability to make both poppy goth jumpathons and total doomfests.

I had a girlfriend once who was into these boys hard and she used to play is it 'Pictures of You' (?) over and over and over (a sort of pining for a lost love I think; not me, incidentally). Anyway, it used to bore the hell out of me, not to mention what felt like a large hole in my brain.

The thing is, with the Cure, it's like the Manic Street FUCKING Preachers syndrome - people who like 'em don't just like 'em, they fucking LOVE 'em, and think they're prophets or something. No, they are miserable, half-goths with absolutely nothing to say and even less charisma.

That said, I am admit that I am hardly familiar know their canon, since I can't bear exposure to it for protracated periods.

Still; DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUD

Hmm, having said that, I do get riled when someone fails to 'get' my favourite bands and indulges in the kind of mindless attack I have already posted against The Cure. Yet, I feel that certain bands are wont to attract a more dependent following, who hang the band's music like metaphorical rosaries. And I'm not sure that even among my most beloved artists, there are those which I could hold in such equally mindless esteem.

What say you?

DUD

Yet I do wonder how much my own nosatlgia plays a role. I still think Wish is great, despite every. review. ever. written. Maybe if I hadn't listened to it for the 1st time as a teenager travelling thru Europe with schoomates I'd think differently.

Also, I really really like the Wolfgang Press song on _Lonely is an Eyesore_, but I've heard their recordings are pretty patchy. Any recommendations there?

the "cure=suburbia" part of Michael Bracewell's England Is Mine is one of the best things ever!

Classic, BTW. Again, my mid-teens coincided with Disintegration and I was full-on obsessed for a couple of years. I bought a shedload of albums at Oxfam last year, and a friend and I drove our GF/wives insane by listening, back to back, to 17 Seconds, Faith, Pornography and the Top. Divorce was on the horizon by the end of that evening.

Thing is, there are SO many B-sides and rarities which have officially surfaced that they'd have to put out a box set. As it is, if the remasters that are surfacing next year are going to include bonus discs for each with room for other oddities, then that will partially settle the problem.

Shake Dog Shake
Fascination Street
A Strange Day
A Night Like This
Lovesong
Push
Sinking
Pictures Of You
Lullaby
Lovecats
Maybe Someday
In Your House
From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
M
Charlotte Sometimes
Inbetween Days
Just Like Heaven
Hey You!!!
Play For Today
A Forest

Fire In Cairo (as a 3 piece)
Grinding Halt (as a 3 piece)
10.15 Saturday Night
Boys Don't Cry
I Dig You (with Porl Thompson and Frank The Postman)
I'm A Cult Hero (with Porl Thompson and Frank The Postman),
Close To Me
Let's Go To Bed
Why Can't I Be You
Friday I'm In Love

Fucking hell, just reading that through sends me into space. I'm still shellshocked.

better link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7_X1P73qtY

xxp the UK tabloids reported an investigation but his widow said he’d had bowel cancer, all clear in 2021 but a recurrence in 2024 at which point he left the band again.

OMG

@ that song/clip

awwww

if he'd been successfully treated for cancer before rejoining the band but then left again to deal with a recurrence that explains pretty much everything

Of course, I was merely wondering why the vibe on stage seemed so distant.

What a treat that Olivia performance is!

I was there (way down the back)! Phenomenal set and yes RS still sounding fresh. "A Night Like This" was my own personal fave. Id forgotten what a great song that is.

crossing my fingers that the rest of their summer 2026 sets also get livestreamed, would be nice to see a new show every two weeks

(that was a surprise 45 *minute* set btw)

Tonight's show in Portugal's North Festival will ALSO be live streamed, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga7tHeD-96I

(starts about 4 hours from now)

Thanks

They played both "Treasure" and "Want," nice

gonna have to look for this one after the fact as well

I've never seen the CURE in concert. I know they came to Milwaukee in the mid 90s, but I was probably in the alley with a 40 and a joint wasting time with Beck and WEEN. This has been a treat. Have they always sounded this good in the 2000s? I love hearing the older material. Songs from 17 Seconds sounded great. Would love to hear "six different ways" or "a few hours after this"

watching that first one it felt like they had a bit of a spring in their step tempo-wise - like the songs were a click or two more sprightly than in recent years - but maybe just a mix thing or some weird subjectivity going on

I will have to look at that 17 seconds set from the 2nd show, play for today always feels like it drags in the modern era (also In Your House a top 5 cure song for me)

I too think they are sounding great but also despite having an opportunity to go and see them in August, I think I'll pass - two songs from the new LP is a little less than I'd like, and while a brilliant festival set the rest of the selections are pretty familiar, I sort of know that I would be a little bored (totally on account of having seen the Cure too many times and no shade at all on their performance or vigour)

it felt like they had a bit of a spring in their step tempo-wise - like the songs were a click or two more sprightly than in recent years

they played High very very fast

xp - it saddens me to say that as much as I love this band, I can't help but zone out when watching them play these days. I guess there is really a finite number one can really *feel * songs. Got more goosebumps from that Olivia Rodrigo duet - loved that.

can't help but zone out when watching them play these days. I guess there is really a finite number one can really *feel * songs

if it helps give perspective:

in 1992 I could have gone on the first night, but having queued for 14 hours, it sold out, and when they added another four (4)* shows, I couldn’t go bcz of exams

*and as you’ll clearly remember, it had taken a campaign of several months’ physical mailed petitions to get the band to tour the continent at all

in 2000 I waited until the first show sold out, and they added two more, and got floor tix, but they were touring Bloodflowers, so

in 2011 I entered the lottery and got tix for one of the two nights (total of 3000 tix, took a paper millionaire friend, fifteen years later am slightly more likely to commit suicide due to poverty than ever see said friend again), went for a piss at intermission and saw ppl who’d gotten off the plane from South America and come directly to venue with backpacks on, asking if they could get in - -
and I was leaning against the door during the third encore, holding for the last chord bcz I’d bought tix to Odd Future’s only tour ever the same night, months before Bob committed

in 2024 I got tickets behind / above the stage day-of bcz of sad dad cancellations

so if you rly feel bad feel free to to buy me.a ticket, I promise to text 2-3x an hour saying shit rips

OR SUCKS

I’ll be honest

soooo jason has inserted a little skip beat a’la Paris Boris into In Your House and it is no good, this was the only uncool thing Boris Williams ever did behind the kit and it is pure madness to copy it

also play for today still sounds a little bit ploddy

BUT this is shithead nerd-only discourse, they are still beautiful and i love them

on BBC 6 Music between now and 7.30pm Robert Smith is being interviewed.

You can catch up later on BBC Sounds.

and at 7.30pm to 8pm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002xtxb

Highlights from The Cure at Primavera Sound 2026.

Chat with Robert Smith at Primavera 2026
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002x7bk
This episode will be available soon

Get ready for New Music

🚨 New Cure album update!

Robert Smith has confirmed in a new BBC Radio 6 interview that the next The Cure album is finished and ready to be delivered. He also hinted that a third album is still part of the plan.

After years of waiting for Songs of a Lost World, it looks like… pic.twitter.com/7QEGodT60C

— The Fanbase files (@dror_nahum) June 8, 2026

Yeah, not gonna fall for that just quite yet…

In Bob we trust.

him saying it's ready for release is a little different than saying it's almost done, no?

I think he was saying the next record was already recorded back when SOALW came outside

'about to be delivered to universal' at least gives me some room for optimism that it might actually be happening

and yeah he'd previously talked about how they'd recorded two albums worth of material during the songs of a lost world sessions

the fact that the last album was received with love instead of indifference might change the equation a bit