WITH their roots in the Seventies, The Cure are the post-punk band that came to define the term “goth” and last night in a sold out show at the First Direct Arena in Leeds proved that in 2022 they are still as relevant, majestic and downright thrilling as they have ever been.

Welcomed on stage to the sound of a rainstorm, the band eased into the long instrumental intro of Alone, a new song from their much anticipated upcoming release Songs Of ALost World, which will be their first album of new music since 2008.

With his smeared red lipstick, kohled eyes and greying tangle of hair, black-clad singer Robert Smith remains as iconic as ever as he cut an instantly recognisable silhouette through the smoke and lights. He slowly paced along the edge of the stage sizing up the audience murmuring greetings and thanks to them before eventually walking to the mic to deliver his first vocal of the evening. It could not have been more Cure-like: “This is the end / Of every song we sing / The fire burned out to ash / And the stars grown dim with tears".

The band’s set spanned their lengthy career and was split broadly into three sections, the first and longest mixing new, intriguing songs And Nothing Is Forever and Endsong, with deeper cuts such as Burn (from The Crow soundtrack) and The Last Day of Summer from the Bloodflowers album.

Across the two and three quarter hour set they visited classic albums from the past including Pornography (a suitably harsh Cold and A Strange Day), Disintegration (Pictures

Of You, Plainsong, Lovesong as well as the title track) and Head On The Door (Push and A Night Like This).

Smith’s vocals were as ethereal as ever helped by an excellent sound mix that enabled the delicacies of the band’s music to be heard clearly. Simon Gallup’s melodic bass playing

shone but did not overpower the guitars and synths of Reeves Gabrels, Roger O’Donnell and Perry Bamonte, the latter back in the band after an absence of more than 17 years.

The first encore began with Smith’s moving tribute to his late brother I Can Never Say Goodbye but the second encore was breath-taking to witness with the band delivering a string of seven wonderful pop songs. Beginning with Lullaby, followed by The Walk, Friday I’m In Love, Close To Me, In Between Days, Just Like Heaven and ending with Boys Don’t Cry, it was quite possibly the most exhilarating half hour of live music I’ve ever witnessed.

While a long show in length it never flagged. The quality of the songs helped of course with many sounding as fresh as when we first heard them, but other factors contributed too including wonderful lighting and visuals to accompany the aforementioned sound clarity, as well as the obvious love and respect between band and audience.

After the final song, the band members quietly slipped off stage leaving Smith alone in front of the adoring crowd. Reprising the start of the show, he walked the length of

the stage looking genuinely humbled at the reaction, smiling and clutching his hands to his heart in gratitude. With a final farewell wave he took his leave and the house lights came on signalling the end of what had been a transcendent evening.