After years without a new record and a brief 2021 wobble when Simon Gallup left then returned, The Cure now lean into long, career-spanning nights.

From Crawley to cathedrals of sound

Formed in Crawley in 1978, the band blends post-punk mood with pop hooks, guided by Robert Smith's glassy guitar and tender voice. You can expect openers from Disintegration and Wish, with likely picks like Pictures of You and Just Like Heaven setting the tone. Mid-show often darkens into A Forest, while encores brighten with Friday I'm in Love and a few early singles.

Long sets, quiet reveals

The crowd feels multi-generational: vintage band shirts, dark layers, thrifted coats, and parents quietly pointing out favorite riffs to teens. Smith often plays a Fender Bass VI on older songs, letting low lines sing like a second guitar. The spark for Pictures of You came from a photo recovered after a house fire at his place, which shaped its ache. Set choices and production touches here are informed guesses and may change the night you see them.

The Cure community in black and bloom

Black coats, bright hearts

You will see black layers, Doc boots, vintage shirts, and a trace of red lipstick across ages and genders. Between songs, conversation is soft and kind, more about memories than hot takes. People quietly compare which deep cuts showed up, debating how long A Forest ran and which Disintegration moments surfaced.

Rituals without rules

Singalongs bloom on Just Like Heaven, and friendly handclaps pop on Friday I'm in Love without drowning the band. Merch leans classic, with rose motifs and handwritten fonts, plus nods to Seventeen Seconds and Wish. As the house lights rise, many hang back to swap photos and favorite lines, still humming while they step into the night.

The Cure, up close: how the parts serve the songs

Guitars that shimmer and snarl

Robert Smith now sings with a soft edge that holds steady, and he saves the highest lines for key moments rather than every chorus. Simon Gallup pushes melodic bass lines forward, which lets the drums sit wide and makes the songs feel larger without speeding up. Reeves Gabrels adds sharp, singing leads while Robert Smith handles the glassy patterns; together they leave air for keys to glow. Live, the band favors patient tempos and clear structures, so each hook lands without clutter.

Slow builds, big payoffs

A frequent tweak is a stretched middle in A Forest, where bass and toms build into a hush before the guitars surge back. Openers like Plainsong often arrive with longer synth swells, turning the first minute into a slow curtain rise. A quieter detail: several songs are taken a half-step lower on stage to sit comfortably in the vocal pocket, with the Fender Bass VI filling the midrange. Lighting tends to paint in cold blues and deep reds, accenting the music rather than stealing focus.

Where The Cure fans find kin

Kindred gloom, different glow

Fans of Depeche Mode will hear a kinship in shadowy synths, big choruses, and a show that lets melancholy feel communal with The Cure. If New Order clicks for you, the bittersweet, danceable pulse and deep catalog parallels are obvious. Interpol brings baritone vocals, icy delay guitars, and a focused stage mood that Cure fans tend to appreciate. For guitar heft with a confessional streak, Placebo occupies nearby ground, where tone and texture matter as much as volume. All four acts value pacing and color in the lights more than flash, much like The Cure, so the nights breathe instead of rush. If those names live in your playlists, this bill will feel close without copying.