The Cure: “Glastonbury won’t be the only time I’ll burst into tears on stage this summer”
Following a triumphant return to Glastonbury, The Cure’s iconic frontman Robert Smith breaks his silence for a rare and exclusive chat with NME’s Andrew Trendell. Topics for discussion include the action on Worthy Farm, their mind-blowing new live film marking four decades together, how the darkness of recent years has inspired their “merciless” new album, and the importance of being outsiders
SUNDAY, WE’RE IN LOVE – THE CURE TAKE GLASTONBURY
It’s been two days since The Cure closed one of the finest Glastonbury weekends in living memory with an historic and banger-filled headline set. Between the shattering crystal sounds of opener ‘Plainsong’ and the pogo frenzy of a closing ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, it was one of those unifying and timeless Pyramid performances. As I tremble like a shitting chihuahua waiting for a rare interview with Robert Smith, the memory of The Cure rattling through ‘Shake Dog Shake’ seems like the ideal soundtrack to the endless mire of this Glastonbury hangover. Does frontman Robert Smith suffer with a touch of the post-Glasto blues, just like the rest of us mere mortals?
Well,” he says with a chuckle. “I feel considerably better than I felt yesterday!”
It sounds like the band had the afterparty they deserved. Having not performed at Worthy Farm since 1995, they returned with a two-hour masterclass of lush, pop-noir, alt-rock brilliance. And having headlined three times already (first in 1986, the year after sixth album ‘The Head on the Door’ came out), they now match Coldplay’s record for topping the bill on the Pyramid Stage more times than anyone else. They sure made it feel like home as they played classic after classic after classic.
“I didn’t actually go into the festival grounds until the Sunday,” Smith says. “But I saw some of the coverage on a couple of different televisions in a couple of really excellent pubs in the area, so I felt like I was definitely getting Glastonbury vibes.”
