Last night, The Cure headlined Primavera Sound 2026 at Barcelona’s Parc Del Forum, marking the band’s first live performance since their intimate November 2024 show at London’s Troxy. That earlier event celebrated the release of Songs Of A Lost World, an album that secured the band’s first UK #1 in over three decades and earned them their first Grammy awards. While the band played only two tracks from their latest record on the Estrella Damm Stage, the setlist served as a sprawling retrospective of their nearly five-decade career, unearthing several tracks that had not been performed in years.
The band surprised long-time fans by digging deep into their catalog. They performed the sunny Wild Mood Swings single “Mint Car” for the first time in a decade and brought back “alt.end” from their 2004 self-titled album, which had been absent from their sets since 2018. Additionally, the 1989 “Lovesong” b-side “2 Late” and the 1997 single “Wrong Number” made their first appearances since 2019.
This performance was particularly poignant as it was the band’s first show since the passing of multi-instrumentalist Perry Bamonte in December. The lineup, featuring Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Jason Cooper, Roger O’Donnell, and Reeves Gabrels, was bolstered by the addition of Eden Gallup, who has previously collaborated with the group. During the set, Robert Smith even utilized a double flute for a rendition of “Burn.”
In a lighthearted moment, the frontman addressed the crowd in Spanish, reading from a prepared note: “Por desgracia, todavía no puedo hablar español,” which translates to, “Unfortunately, I still can’t speak Spanish.” When the audience cheered, he quipped, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m here all week,” before launching into the atmospheric classic “Lullaby.”
While the band has a busy summer of European festival appearances ahead, there is currently no word on a North American tour. Fans are also awaiting the follow-up to Songs Of A Lost World, which the band reportedly recorded last year. Meanwhile, the festival continues to stream for free throughout the weekend, with pop star Olivia Rodrigo also slated to perform.
SETLIST:
- “Alone”
- “Pictures Of You”
- “High”
- “A Night Like This”
- “Lovesong”
- “2 Late”
- “The Last Day Of Summer”
- “Burn”
- “Fascination Street”
- “alt.end”
- “The Walk”
- “Mint Car”
- “In Between Days”
- “Just Like Heaven”
- “Trust”
- “Push”
- “Play For Today”
- “A Forest”
- “From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea”
- “Endsong”
- “Lullaby”
- “Hot Hot Hot!!!”
- “Wrong Number”
- “Let’s Go To Bed”
- “The Lovecats”
- “Friday I’m In Love”
- “Close to Me”
- “Why Can’t I Be You?”
- “Boys Don’t Cry”
