Electric shock of voluminously frazzled hair, baggily dressed in what else but black, the Cure’s singer, songwriter and guitarist Robert Smith is one of those rare rock stars whom you can recognise even in silhouette. His band’s shadowy yet anthemic music – comfortably the creepiest thing to crawl out of Crawley, West Sussex circa 1978 – remains every bit as unmistakable. Pop from the dark side, gloomy post-punk that reaches for the light – call it what you like. The Cure are still top of the goths.
What was originally planned as a tour in support of their long-awaited 14th album Songs of a Lost World – still apparently unfinished, despite its title being publicly announced – proves a sprawling mix of greatest hits set, assorted root through lesser-visited corners of their discography, and a road-test for new material. At two-and-a-half hours in length, there’s plenty of time for all three.
