The Cure, Leeds Arena. 6th December 2022

I’m travelling again tonight. This time to Leeds Arena. I’ve not been here before, it’s oddly small and intimate, which should be interesting as I’m here for The Cure. The slow lamenting new song ‘Alone’ starts us off. “This is the end of every song we sing” Smith coos. He sounds as magnificent as he looks. This song already feels familiar, maybe not as much as ‘Pictures of You’ that follows, with the crowd instantly swept up singing along, but it’s a good sign. The Cure get pegged as goth, nothing wrong with that, but really they’re a darkly melodious pop band. Okay that organ underpinning ‘Lovesong’ does have a menacing tone, but it’s still cut through with that warmth. “Whenever I’m alone with you, I am young again”, that’s how The Cure make me feel. Another new one ‘And Nothing is Forever’ sounds a bit like Hans Zimmer doing Disney at the start. It’s nice, but lacks a bit of edge and even Smith looks a bit tired of shaking his tambourine throughout. Maybe it’s a grower, I’ve not heard it before and it’s not helped by the blokes behind me who get bored and start to chat. ‘The Last Days of Summer’ is a deepcut too and doesn’t sedate them. Thankfully there’s enough space in here to move easily and there’s a big tree projected on the stage width video screen, gently rustling in the breeze and I swear this is exactly the sort of zen moment I need after the day I’ve had. It’s a cleanser before the monstrous ‘Burn’. I’ve never heard this live before and to say it’s awesome is an understatement. I’m 17 again, swirling around in a long black leather trench coat to that incredible drumming and Smiths taunting vocal. With a set this long there’s really no room for complaints, but there are clearly songs that drift by a little. Not ‘Shake Dog Shake’ though. It’s time to dance. I couldn’t name a favourite Cure song, but this is a contender. ‘The Fragile Thing’ is the next new one to be introduced. These songs are a reminder that this isn’t another cash in nostalgia act. The Cure are very much active and on the strength of what I hear tonight, I’m looking forward to the new album(s). The green spotlights probe as the echoing bass of ‘The Forest’ resonates. That controlled maelstrom sounding as wonderful as ever. For any great band this would be a set highlight. The Cure though are beyond that, so as the claps that accompany the coda still ring out and the feedback fades away, they slide into ‘From The Edge of the Deep Green Sea’. Wish was my gateway album and I’m in utter heaven. I swear it transports me just as it did blasting it out on my Walkman headphones years ago, “Miles and miles away from home again”. Pure magic. “I don’t belong here” Smith sings as the guitars wail around him, bringing the set to a close. They’ve been on stage coming up to two hours. Most bands would call it there, but again this is The Cure, famous for giving you a lot of bang for your buck. They’re only just getting going. Leeds Arena isn’t an arena really, more like a theatre built in the no frills style of an arena. The sound though is decent. As the swell of ‘Plainsong’ fills the room, it makes your heart bulge with joy. That thick guitar riff and twinkle of percussion. Smith untethered by his guitar, slowly stalks the stage to the adulation of the crowd. You could grab a stranger and slow dance into oblivion. What makes them so good? The songs is obvious. Smiths magnetism another easy call, but it’s the confidence. After doing this this long, pretty much every band I can think of has an element of cynicism. They still make this look easy though, effortless and masterful. You believe every word from Smiths mouth, every lunge from Simon’s  bass. As they take a dignified bow from encore one, its chance to regroup. Usually this stuff confuses large crowds that only come to occasional gigs, but everyone knows what coming. It’s the hits! ‘Lullaby’, and ‘The Walk’ (to which the girl next to me blows out my left eardrum shrieking “YES!”) are followed by ‘Friday I’m in Love’ or “Tuesday’s Grey” as Smith quips. There are not many if any bands touring now that can do this. ‘Close To Me’, ‘In Between Days’, ‘Just Like Heaven’, they’ve no mercy. The crowd are rapturous and now everyone’s dancing, singing, arms aloft, up on shoulders. Even those in the seats are up and bouncing around. After nearly three hours, they tidy up with ‘Boys Don’t Cry’. I’m a puddle of bliss. Leeds is a bit of a sod to get to on a Tuesday night, but fuck me this was worth it!