The Cure
- jamesgeraghty
- Aug 23
- 5 min read
Wythenshawe Park, Manchester: Friday 21 August 2026
I have been lucky to see many gigs over the years, inside and outdoors, that have, with very few exceptions, never disappointed. But then, almost exactly one year ago, three out of four of my family stood in a different field (in Colchester) watching a band who left us awestruck, and me feeling like the best of those previous live experiences had at least been matched.
I want to stress that James, who we were watching that time, were absolutely incredible and conjured up a perfect musical summer night I thought might not easily be beaten. There is something special about a band who can fill an outdoor space without either getting lost or overwhelming it - it needs that perfect (and hard to achieve) balance of power and restraint.
Then, along came The Cure; one of the biggest and best British bands of the last five decades, bringing with them an almost unparalleled reputation for live shows.
But, how did the reputation and expectation match the reality?
In Support:
Well, first it would be remiss of me not to mention the support acts. I am going to say that Slow Readers Club were excellent, but that is only guesswork - we arrived into the large field that is Wythenshawe Park, just as their final chords were echoing into the late afternoon. Then along came Slowdive, the Reading shoegaze veterans, with a name I had known for many years, but little more than that.
As you might expect from one of the most respected shoegaze bands of the 1990s, Slowdive filled their hour, and the field, full of ethereal keyboards, echo-laden clean guitars and big Hooky-esque bass lines (Nick Chaplin even wears it low slung below the waist like Peter Hook). By the time of the second song, the more recent (2017) Star Roving, we are feeling the bass reverberating through us from the driving rhythm that they create, with Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell’s soothing voices combining well together. The songs soar and lift, a perfect accompaniment as we head towards sunset. They hit their peak, perhaps because it is one song that is recognisable, with penultimate track When The Sun Hits; a proper shoegaze epic, providing big waves of dreamy sound, backed with powerful drums.
The Cure:
They should be responsible for running our national public transport networks, arriving on stage five minutes ahead of their scheduled time! Robert Smith ambles on, grinning with bemused delight, as he looks out on thirty thousand people who are very pleased to see him and his bandmates.
At this point, I will let you know that there won’t be as much of the usual song by song breakdown, because well, I didn’t make many notes. I was too busy being gobsmacked by it all, so most of what I will give you now is the overall flavour.
The first thing to note is about the composition. When you can take songs that were already beautifully put together on record, but then orchestrate them in such a beautiful way on stage, that it surpasses even that - this is special. Like any seasoned band comfortable with itself, the six piece ensemble make all of this look effortless - from thirty year plus band veterans Jason Cooper behind the transparent drum kit and Roger O’Donnell on keys, to former Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels, to near original Simon Gallup on bass and of course, founding main-man Robert Smith (not to forget touring guitarist / keyboardist Eden Gallup).
Somehow, the way they re-orchestrate those recorded sounds turns them into something bigger, and possibly better. How do you take six instruments and make them sound like this? Well obviously a synth can do some of the heavy lifting here, but more than that, they allow every instrument to be its own feature. The drums and the bass are not relegated to the background rhythm; the bass is playing melody lines and filling out the spaces, while Cooper’s drumming has so much power, yet feels restrained at the same time. Meanwhile, the three guitars play in layers, like a proper string section, filling the field with a wash of reverb and echo. And to top it all off, Robert Smith at 67 years young, sounds as good as he ever has, still providing his songs with the plaintive, emotional power they deserve.
As sunset came around - it was a perfect place to be.
By Just Like Heaven, the sky is darkening and the crowd is getting lighter - as the sound of everyone singing “Just Like A Dream” echoes around the site, the place feels it has reached a state of euphoria. Later, as the stage is bathed in eerie green, we get treated to one of their earliest songs, an everpresent live essential; A Forest is a favourite of mine, so it is wonderful to hear it drift across the fields.
Just as we started, the main set concludes with one from the most recent album, Songs Of A Lost World. Like the show opener Alone, Endsong deals with themes of aging, loss and time fading away. “It’s all gone. Nothing left of all I loved” sends powerful tingles down our spines, a gothic prog-rock epic for the older generation and proof (if that were needed) that Smith and co can still put together incredible music.
It’s great how Robert Smith has built this reputation over the decades of being some sort of King of Mopiness, yet has always been able to intersperse some of the darker themes with genuine moments of pop brilliance. And who else could manage a five song ending like - The Lovecats, Friday I’m In Love, Close To Me, Why Can’t I Be You? and Boys Don’t Cry - pure wonder and delirium!
There is one small side note that I wanted to make (and I know I am not the only person noticing this); why would people spend a decent amount of money on a concert ticket and then spend the entire two and half hours the main band are on stage, chatting? There were times, during the more subtle songs, that the sound of talking around me matched the band's levels. Or maybe it’s a grumpy, getting older thing?
Anyway, to sum it all up. Somehow it has taken me until well into my fifty-fourth year to get to see this band deliver a masterclass in live music. Music has some serious and magical power, and as I stood with my family in a slightly damp field in south Manchester, I have to admit that I shed a tear or two. While that musical power is well known, the addition of sharing moments as special as this with family is priceless.
And to answer my original question - 'do they meet the hype and praise poured on them over the years?' Of course not... they are way better than that!
Slowdive:
Shanty
Star Roving
Catch The Breeze
Crazy For You
Souvlaki Space Station
Sugar For The Pill
Kisses
Alison
When The Sun Hits
40 Days
The Cure:
Alone
Pictures Of You
High
Lovesong
Burn
Fascination Street
Alt. end
Push
In Between Days
Just Like Heaven
Treasure
Want
A Night Like This
Secrets
Play For Today
A Forest
From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
Endsong
Lullaby
Wrong Number
The Walk
Mint Car
The Lovecats
Friday I’m In Love
Close To Me
Why Can’t I Be You?
Boys Don’t Cry
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