The Cure: Live @ Cardiff International Arena - Hive Magazine
As one of the most iconic bands to come out of the new wave scene, it is no wonder that seemingly half of Cardiff’s population have turned up on a cold December night to catch them at the International Arena, on their largest European tour since 1989.
Beginning the night’s proceedings are Scottish indie rock band The Twilight Sad. They perform at an ear-splitting volume, with pulsating basslines rumbling throughout the room accompanied by James Graham’s subdued vocals. His voice calls to indie icons of the 80s, sounding like Morrissey at points, then morphing into Robert Smith himself at others. The Twilight Sad manages to bring the new wave sound that is so synonymous with the 80s into the modern day, giving it that contemporary twist it so desperately needs to stay relevant.
The sound of rain accompanied by subtle lighting changes on stage play between sets, further instilling the eccentric nature of The Cure. It crescendos into a thunderstorm just before the band walk on stage nonchalantly, as if they aren’t one of the most legendary British bands to grace the stage at Cardiff International Arena. Beginning the evening with a brand-new unreleased song, Alone, and Pictures Of You, they don’t exactly explode onto stage but instead hold themselves up high as the music royalty they are. Vocalist Robert Smith takes the first few minutes on stage to take in his adoring fans, waving and blowing kisses to each and every member of the audience, but when he starts singing its almost as if we are all listening to The Cure on record. He sounds exactly the same and it is truly remarkable, so much so that goosebumps are sure to have appeared down most of the audience members’ spines at the first listen of his dulcet tones.
It's been 26 years since they last graced the stage at the CIA, yet it feels as though The Cure are in their prime when they begin Lovesong and the crowd erupts as they would have in the late 90s. They take the crowd interaction and engagement to play another new song, And Nothing Is Forever, an incredibly atmospheric song that seems to go down well among the enthusiastic audience. A majority of the set from here on out is comprised of some deeper cuts, until they reach the second of two encores. They have made the audience wait to hear their biggest hits, starting with Lullaby and playing Friday I’m In Love, Close To Me, and Just Like Heaven in quick succession, deciding not to make the more mainstream of their fans wait any longer to hear what they came for. There is a palpable shift in energy at the beginning of this encore, as the audience prepare to give their all and leave all their emotion on the floor tonight. They close out the evening with Boys Don’t Cry, leaving us with an almost melancholic ending to the night. There is no way it can truly be over but they have evidently given a performance that so many members of this audience have waited over 25 years to see.
There is no denying that The Cure are getting old – they have been active since 1978, so that’s a given. They don’t let this fact hinder them or impact their performance in any way though. Instead, they perform with all the youth of newcomers, with Robert Smith leading the group in the same way he always has; with a reserved yet infectious energy that shows us how much he really loves performing their music for adoring fans.
