The Cure Are Just Like Heaven At Glastonbury

by | Jul 11, 2019

The Cure played their first gig on 9th July 1978. So Robert Smith, the group’s sole constant member, knows a thing or two about compiling a set list. But, during the first few songs of the band’s Glastonbury performance, he thought he’d got it all horribly wrong. “For the first 20 minutes I was very, very unsure,” he told NME a few days later. “In some respects for the first half hour we didn’t really offer much concession to the ‘casual’ listener.”

The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

He wasn’t wrong. Unlike The Killers, who headlined The Pyramid Stage 24 hours earlier with one euphoric hit after another, The Cure begin their show with something altogether darker, moodier, and perhaps less suited to the average festival goer.

The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

They open with the funereal Plainsong (all swirling keyboards and loping six-string bass) and eternally melancholy Pictures Of You, the first two songs of their brooding masterpiece, Disintegration. A frothy High briefly lifts the mood, but isn’t exactly instantly recognisable, and a gloriously desperate A Night Like This is by no means the biggest hit from 1985’s excellent The Head On The Door. “I never get nervous, but for about 20 minutes I was like: ‘Ooh, maybe I haven’t read this one right’,” Smith admitted.

The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

He needn’t have worried. By doing things his own way – no guests, no lasers, no fireworks, (barely) no chat – with head-down determination, impeccable musicianship, and the occasional cheeky grin, The Cure gradually win over the crowd with their varied back catalogue. There’s the ethereal Last Dance balanced out by the all-out rock guitar onslaught of the rumbling Burn (complete with a Smith flute intro), sleazy Fascination Street, and thunderous Never Enough.

The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

Robert Smith
Robert Smith

There are the insatiable pop confections (a soaring Lovesong, jangly In Between Days, dizzying Just Like Heaven) paired with scream-at-the-sky epics From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea (about love lost) and Disintegration (about life lost).

The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

There’s the ferocious fan favourite Shake Dog Shake, which shows just what a tight band Smith, bassist Simon Gallup, guitarist Reeves Gabrels, keyboard player Roger O’Donnell, and drummer Jason Cooper are. And there are the live staples that are so effortless they cause Cure fans to sing along to the melodies: the driving Push, swaying Play For Today, and breathless A Forest.

The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

As the set proceeds, Smith visibly relaxes. He frequently chats with Gallup during the typically long instrumental intros, shares goofy grins with O’Donnell, looks on in admiration at one of the shredding solos by David Bowie’s long-term guitarist, and even jokes that he’s in the running to win the prize for this year’s least conversational performer. By the time the encore rolls around, he’s positively chatty. “What we do on stage is difficult to translate into this,” he explains, gesturing to indicate the festival, before declaring: “The next half an hour is Glastonbury.”

What follows is 30 uninterrupted minutes of bonafide radio hits. Twisted bedtime story Lullaby even has a swaying Smith flailing his arms about. The Caterpillar floats like a psychedelic butterfly before The Walk runs as energetically as O’Donnell’s ‘80s synth line.

The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

Fittingly introduced as “Sunday I’m In Love”, the ever effervescent Friday I’m In Love has 60-year-old Smith-lookalikes bouncing alongside teenagers with glittered faces. Close To Me, with its unmistakable bassline, and bounding Why Can’t I Be You both have the singer trade his guitar and microphone stand for a wireless mic, some stage roaming, and gloriously unchoreographed dancing. “That was good fun,” he beams afterwards. “I never thought I’d be doing that.”  

The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

All that’s left is to say goodnight with a triumphant Boys Don’t Cry, by which point the crowd are bounding around even more enthusiastically than Smith just has. And as the singer bids his final farewell, he’s clearly overcome with emotion. Perhaps it’s relief that his single-minded approach to headlining The Pyramid Stage worked, but more likely it’s the same pure joy that tens of thousands of people have just shared with him.

The Cure @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

Photography by Kalpesh Patel at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday 30th June 2019. Review by Boris Bamonte.

 

Fantastic Photography From Friday At Glastonbury Festival 2019

Noah Kahan @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Northern Attitude In London: Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams & Friends Light Up BST Hyde Park 2025

It was, as the name requires, the perfect summer's day for British Summer Time Hyde Park on Friday. The sun was...
The Raven Age @ London Stadium (Kalpesh Patel)

Heirs To The Throne? The Raven Age Blaze Their Own Trail Supporting Iron Maiden At The London Stadium

On a scorching June evening that would culminate with the almighty Iron Maiden setting London Stadium ablaze, the...
Olivia Rodrigo @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Sophia Carey)

Olivia Rodrigo Proves That London Is Her Favourite City At BST Hyde Park 2025

British Summer Time is officially underway in Hyde Park, and the unbearable heatwave will continue to remind us all of...
ROSIN (Talia Zanger)

ROSIN Unveils Tender New Video Honouring Long-Distance Love

Berlin-born, London-based singer-songwriter ROSIN has shared the beautifully intimate video for her latest single just...
EMMMA (João Viega)

EMMMA Leans Into Reinvention With Cathartic New Single ‘Burning Bridges’

Rising alt-pop voice EMMMA continues her steady ascent with the release of Burning Bridges, a bold and emotionally complex single that marks a pivotal step towards her second EP. Following in the footsteps of breakthrough names like Chappell Roan, Holly Humberstone, and Phoebe Bridgers, the Westport, Connecticut native is carving out a sound all her own—one that fuses introspective lyricism with shimmering, synth-laced production.

The Churnups (Foo Fighters) @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)

Foo Fighters Launch New Era With ‘Today’s Song’ As Debut Album Turns 30

As Foo Fighters celebrate three decades since the release of their groundbreaking 1995 debut, the rock titans have dropped a powerful new track that looks to the future while honouring the past. Today’s Song, released across digital platforms today, is the band’s first new material since 2023’s critically acclaimed But Here We Are, and it serves as both a love letter to resilience and a bridge to the next chapter in their storied career.

James Morrison (Tom Oxley)

James Morrison Shares Stirring New Single ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Loved’ Ahead Of Sixth Album ‘Fight Another Day’

Fresh off the success of his comeback single Fight Another Day, James Morrison continues his triumphant return with a second taste of his upcoming album—The Man Who Can’t Be Loved—a soaring, soul-stirring piano ballad that’s classic Morrison through and through.

Jessie Murph (Press)

Jessie Murph Unveils New Single ‘Heroin’ And Details Sophomore Album ‘Sex Hysteria’

Breakout star Jessie Murph continues her meteoric rise with the release of Heroin, a vulnerable and emotionally...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing