Robert Smith reveals The Cure were set to break-up in 2018
The Cure frontman Robert Smith has revealed that he believed the band would part ways after their performance at Hyde Park in 2018.
Their headline show at Hyde Park in London is one of the most significant moments in the group’s storied history. The concert was attended by 65,000 fans, and other acts on the bill included Interpol, Editors, Slowdive, Ride, Goldfrapp, Pale Waves, and The Twilight Sad.
For Smith, this would have marked the perfect way for The Cure to end their career and leave on a high-point. However, much to his surprise, the success of the Hyde Park show only fuelled interest in the band, and they were then asked to headline Glastonbury Festival in 2019, which was an irresistible opportunity that re-affirmed his belief The Cure should continue.
In a new interview with Uncut, Smith admitted: “I thought that the Hyde Park show would be it, I thought that was the end of The Cure. I didn’t plan it, but I had a sneaky feeling that this was going to be it. But it was such a great day and such a great response, I enjoyed it so much and we got a flood of offers to headline every major European festival. ‘Do you want to play Glastonbury?’ So I thought maybe it’s not the right time to stop.”
Furthermore, The Cure’s iconic frontman also shared that he’s had a change in his psyche in recent years, and is making sure he appreciates every moment of their current run, stating, “I wasn’t stopping because I didn’t want to do it any more, I just thought it would allow me a few years when I’d still be able to do something else. I wasn’t that bothered, funnily enough. I’d arranged everything to end in 2018, so when we got to 2019, I felt relieved. ‘We did it!’ I’ve had a different outlook to everything since.”
On a personal level, Smith solemnly added, “Pretty much everyone that died that meant something to me died prior to 2019, so I felt like I’ve got to make the most of it.”
The Cure’s new album, Songs of a Lost World, is set for release on November 1st and marks their first full-length studio release in 16 years. Despite the lack of material shared during that period, Smith has enjoyed it more than any other chapter of their career, remarking, “We’ll probably be playing quite regularly through until the 2028 anniversary… The last 10 years of playing shows have been the best 10 years of being in the band. It pisses all over the other 30-odd years!”
The Cure’s new album ‘Songs of a Lost World’
So far, The Cure have shared two singles from Songs of a Lost World, ‘Alone‘ and ‘A Fragile Thing’. Rather than adopting a traditional marketing strategy for the new record, The Cure undertook a gorilla approach to promoting the release. They began the album roll-out by delivering black postcards emblazoned with the title Songs of a Lost World to their most loyal fans. The release date, November 1st, 2024, was also listed in Roman numerals.
Furthermore, before making an official announcment, The Cure hung a poster outside of The Railway Inn in Crawley. The pub played an important part in their history, as it was the venue of the very first concert.
The Cure will be playing Songs of a Lost World in its entirety at The Troxy in London on November 1st. To access tickets, fans must pre-order the album by 11:59pm on October 16th. It will also be live-streamed on YouTube for free.
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