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From the early 80s it took them no time to hollow out the energy of punk into something bleak and beautiful – and like all great bands they quickly created their own universe. Once the listener-in-waiting gets past this set’s awful bootleg-like cover – it might be a charity release, benefitting the Isle of Wight Youth Trust, but nothing can excuse this lazy effort – the sound quality is wonderful, immediately putting aside any fears of bootleg quality presentation in that department.
Punk allowed anyone to be a frontman, and Smith lets his singing do the talking here. It is the Gothfather and company’s fifth live album, their first since 1993, and captures their current vitality as a live band. Their two-and-a-half hour sets are frequently described as ambitious, which implies they might struggle to meet the demands of such a duration. But few can forget the number of hits they’ve had – easily enough to fill a lengthy performance. Close to Me, The Lovecats and Boys Don’t Cry all feature on what might seem a marathon listen to the casual fan; but to the hardcore crowd, this stirs memories without anyone losing the way back to their tent.
The opener, Plainsong, confirms rumoured changes in The Cure’s line-up, with the return of Roger O’Donnell on keyboards. These are presented to the fore of the mix, offering a very different sound following six years of the band operating as a trio. The brooding magnificence of A Forest threatens to overshadow the first half of the set, but it’s neatly pruned, as tight and otherworldly as its studio version. And the song’s in good company as the band casts a luxuriously hypnotic spell on the senses, getting through more material on two discs than most bands do across a career. From the scratchy dark funk of Play for Today to the half-awake sensuality of The Only One from their last album, 2008’s 4:13 Dream, it’s effortless.
Observant fans will acknowledge the first airing of The Caterpillar since 1991, but this is primarily a celebratory set of greatest hits to appeal to casual and obsessive fans alike. It confirms The Cure as an ongoing, still-vibrant concern.
--Tom Hocknell
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I would love to see a dvd/bray of this concert.
It must have been a great gig.
Drummer Jason Cooper uses backing click tracks, unlike the great Boris Williams. Oddly, the backing track on 'One hundred years' is a loop of the AceTone Rhythm Ace drum machine from the song's original demo. There are various ambient noises on backing tape also, such as the glass smashes on 'Disintegration'. Roger O'Donnell, who swore he'd never return, is back on keyboards, with some of the most hideous choral synth pads known to man - someone please hire this band a proper programmer! But even this can't damage what are in most cases fantastic songs, excellently performed.
The set draws on every Cure album except 'Wild mood swings' (1996) and 'Bloodflowers' (2000) - personally, I'd rather have lost a couple of the overfamiliar 'Disintegration' pieces to make room for one from each of those. Highlights include 'A night like this', with the saxophone solo played on synth instead; the best-ever rendition of 'The lovecats' with unbidden audience participation, lopsided metallic bass from Simon Gallup, barrelhouse piano, and Smith going all-out with his wah-wah pedal and plainly having a laugh on vocals; a rare outing for 'The caterpillar', with menacing intro; 'Let's go to bed', which is also heavy on wah-wah and echo. I was wondering how they'd solve the problem of playing the fadeout ending to 'Jumping someone else's train' - I won't spoil it for you, but it's great. The album is mixed by Robert Smith. Great performance, great songs, good recording - the current price (£6.99) makes this an absolute steal.
Trainspotter's guide to number of tracks per album:
1978-79 non-album singles (Boys don't cry is a compilation, not an album): 3
Three imaginary boys: 2
Seventeen seconds: 2
Faith: 1
Pornography: 1
1982-83 non-album singles (Japanese whispers is also a compilation): 3
The top: 2
The head on the door: 4
Kiss me kiss me kiss me: 3
Disintegration: 5
Wish: 3
Wild mood swings: 0
Bloodflowers: 0
The Cure: 1
4:13 dream: 2
This is as good if not better! Smaller line up means slightly more stripped down versions of the classics but done... Read more
I'm no drummer but the first thing I noticed was the snare drum seemed... Read more
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