The Cure @ Summer Sessions, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow (16th August 2019)

with: Mogwai, The Twilight Sad and The Joy Formidable
Hosted by: DF Concerts

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Entering its sixth year, Glasgow's Summer Sessions returned with a lineup to wow rock music fans across the city with an awesome three day lineup containing headliners The Cure, Foo Fighters and The 1975 (well... the first two bands are winners for me, anyway...). As soon as the first two bands were announced, I knew I just had to spend two days on the trot in the notoriously awkward Bellahouston Park seeing these legendary bands after such lengthy absences from Glasgow (we'll get to that later).

Looking at The Cure's day on the Friday, it was pretty clear that the headline act (or should I say, Robert Smith) played a fair part in selecting the lineup, with the suitably ethereal and moody choices on offer here of The Joy Formidable, The Twilight Sad and Mogwai. With that in mind, I was prepared to spend all day in a field with the threat of rain overhead to see such a killer lineup. Unfortunately, it took longer than expected to traverse what seems like the entire city to get to Bellahouston Park, so I ended up missing most of The Joy Formidable. It would be unfair to give a review of the small section I caught of them, so I'll just go on to the second band of the afternoon instead here. 

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Refreshingly local post-punk influenced indie rockers The Twilight Sad took to the stage with '[10 Good Reasons for Modern Drugs]', a track from this year's IT WON/T BE LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME album (apologies for the band's enthusiasm for all-caps here). The pulsing opening synths lingering briefly before bursting into utterly soaring euphoric, soaring Cure-esque chords, providing the first hints of what was to come during the rest of the day. Thankfully the synths really resonated for the band in the huge live environment here, as their sonic power really plays a massive role in giving their tracks such scale and emotional depth. 

This is only complimented by vocalist James Graham's wonderfully authentic broad accent that sounds a bit like a Glaswegian version of Idlewild. Pushing his voice to the limit, Graham would contort his face so much that you would think he would hurt himself, but it was all so that the intense mournful emotions of the song could be as obvious as possible. The rest of the band appeared positively sedate in comparison, but the layers of noise created by the guitars, bass and synth drowned out any possible sign of disinterest from me and much of the crowd around me. 

And this was something that very much continued throughout the set. Following up this track with another four songs from the latest album ('VTr', 'Let/s Get Lost', 'I/m Not Here [Missing Face]' and 'Videograms'), it was very much clear that I'm very much needing to revisit the album throughout the year as the simple but effective choruses were ones that were so easy for the crowd to hold onto. There was a also a sheer humbleness that this local band was playing with one of their musical inspirations in front of so many people, and this stunned realisation was mentioned several times by their frontman. All of this combined with the musicianship of the band made this a joy of a set to watch. 

By the time The Twilight got to 'There's a Girl on the Corner', the audience had warmed to the band and things were going well. Until they started playing. It's not a particularly major gripe here as the volume of the previous, super layered tracks ensured that it wasn't so noticeable beforehand but the gentler nature of this track showcased the tinny, clipped drums to no end here. I think this was more a case of the sound not being quite right (something that would rear its head a couple more times throughout the weekend) than anything else though so I can't be too harsh on the band for this here. Especially with what was to follow. 

Already overcome with emotion before starting the song, Graham introduced the track 'Keep Yourself Warm' by Frightened Rabbit as a tribute to the late singer and close friend, Scott Hutchison. The song went from gentle organ keys to subdued guitars that allowed Graham to sing distinctively in a way which was packed to the rafters with emotion. The fair amount of people who knew the song within the crowd sang along with the chorus that comes along in the noisier second third with arms raised in unison. Graham held himself well together through this section, gesturing in his naturally stiff-bodied, grimacing manner to the crowd who was very much sharing this moment with him. As the song dropped off in the last third of the song, it seemed that everything got too much for him though as he looked out to the crowd singing along. 

From what I've been able to see, the band's been covering this song a fair bit since Hutchison's passing, but it seemed that the size of the crowd here and the response it got was was the thing that made this such an emotional one for the singer. Poignant but wonderful stuff and I can only applaud the band for performing such a fitting tribute to the man. As the crowd cheered on supportively, Graham took a moment to recompose himself before the band went on to play the 2014 track 'And She Would Darken The Memory'. This suitably more sedate song had a bittersweet sense of melancholic euphoria that ended this set without feeling like it was too much of a sonic departure for the sincerity of the previous song, and setting things up perfectly for the band that were to follow. 

I really need to go in on this band in more depth after seeing them that day, as the songs (on the whole) worked really well in this environment, and carried a lot more emotional depth than I thought could be possible on such a large stage. If, like me, you haven't went in on this band much but like the sound of Scottish, melancholic indie music which is sprinkled with darker 80s post-punk influences, then you really need to check The Twilight Sad out. Awesome first band to see on this appropriately glum and moody sort of day.  

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WORDS: Ray Mondo

The next band on were fellow Scottish post-rockers Mogwai, who were a similarly perfect fit for the lineup, albeit performing a different style of expansive music. With no beating around the bush, they launched into the instrumental 'Crossing the Road Material', acting as a perfect opener to their set with its placate vibes and mellow sound. Mogwai’s very own mastermind guitarist Stuart Braithwaite sent his thanks to the masses, as the band then got the ball rolling some more with 'Party in the Dark', which featured Braithwaite's trippy but fitting reverb-drenched vocals. Of course this all acted as a fine example of the melancholic melodies that Mogwai have become famously known for. 

Right as everyone started getting into it, dark clouds roll in above and a shower of rain began pelting the crowd, who were fortunately not for moving any time soon, especially when things were already off to an excellent start for the band. Instead people put up their hoods and put on their ponchos and watched on. The short and sweet instrumental 'Ithica 27/9' made an appearance, acting as a sign of things to come as Braithwaite and the rest of the band began unleashing some of the most furious and atmospheric riffs you'll find out there. This no doubt caught some of the more casual attendees off-guard but hopefully at the same time enlightening them to what makes this band so special. 

Up above Bellahouston Park, the skies, after opening up in that brief but intense downpour had given give way to a rainbow arching almost perfectly over the surrounding high-rise flats, creating what may be the most juxtaposed but still cheerfully Scottish sight out there. All the while, the set began to mellow out again with the sombre but surreal keyboard-led mood piece 'I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead', which was accompanied by the band's signature wailing guitars and hard-hitting drums. 

This was preceded by the more-than menacing-sounding 'Old Poisons', which certainly got heads bopping and bodies moving all throughout the crowd without so much as a second thought. The electronic chiptune-esque 'Remurdered' from 2013's appropriately-titled Rave Tapes also got a look in, and definitely went its own way to showcase the musical flexibility and experimental exploration of new ideas and sounds that have always made Mogwai stand out from their contemporaries in their own unique way. 

Wrapping up the set was the ethereal and evocative 'Hunted by a Freak' which was then followed immediately by 'Mogwai Fear Satan', a brutal number going from atmospheric and tribal-sounding strumming to dramatic face-melting riffs. The band had done more than impress the crowd by the end of their set here and they had definitely set the standard for the rest of the evening. The performance here was also proof that they were more than worth persevering the wet weather as they kept spirits from being dampened with their natural ability for mind-blowing guitar wizardry and mood-provoking melodies.

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WORDS: Joanne Gray

After what felt like a lengthy half an hour break following on from the intensely atmospheric act that proceeded them, it was onto the main event of the day. A very tangible air of anticipation floated around in the air as we waited, original goths from the 80s and second generation goffs alike. And that was only slightly because of the ominious skies which were threatening rain above once more... 

Having largely been keeping themselves to London shows and any festival that seems to exist outside of Scotland, this show marked the first Glasgow (and Scotland) show from The Cure in 27 years! Mad to think that when this band set foot onto the Barrowlands' infamous dance floor back in 1992, grunge would have been at its peak and it would be another 4 years before I would even be sharing the same planet as this band. My god, it's been a long damn time coming. 

And thankfully we didn't have to wait much longer as you could just make out slight traces of angelic wind chimes sounding on the backing track. Building up the anticipation, this lasted for a few more seconds before the band came onstage rather uneventfully. This lack of a show here didn't matter to the crowd at all, as they went wild. Then on came the face and centre of this iconic band: Robert Smith. Sporting a sheepish and bizarrely confused sort of smile and dressed in his conventionally drab black clothing, Smith wandered onto the stage in the most utterly typically Robert Smith way possible, looking like he had just woken up and floated onto the stage. I could hear more than a few good natured chuckles as Smith's niave sort of bewildered look flooded the big screens in front of us. 

Allowing the chimes to continue for a few more moments as Smith swayed across the stage, the colossal, gorgeously lush synths of 'Plainsong' erupted to huge cheers. I can't quite describe the sheer joy that I had when that sound kicked in, and that feeling continued through the rest of the song as that iconic ethereal guitar cut through the euphoric soundscape so wonderfully. I've expected as much after seeing the footage of The Cure at Glastonbury earlier this year, but Robert Smith's first notes sounded just like how they did back in 1989, but somehow managing to make even more powerful the emotional power of the lyrics. You can can give this a look in the video I took of the song below if you want! One song in, and I was in musical bliss. Over the course of the next 2 hours and 15 minutes, I would go on to feel like I'd really witnessed something truly unforgettable. 

Spanning nearly all of their 43 year and 13 album career, the band really delivered a setlist that showcased their true legacy as a band to what is almost certainly the largest crowd they've ever played to in Glasgow. 'Plainsong' swept into the similarly atmospheric but instantly more recognisable mournful ballad 'Pictures Of You' which got the crowd swaying along to that mid-tempo floaty feel. Sure, most of the songs from Disintegration (which made up an awesome 7 songs of the setlist here) didn't often prompt massive singalongs, but it's not often you get a band that can clearly enthral people, regardless of whether they know the lyrics or not, by constructing a mood so effectively in a slow-building 7-minute single. This was something which was very in display throughout the rest of the show which mixed up all the big hitters with more subtle B-sides.

The (slightly) more upbeat 'A Night Like This' from 1985's The Head On The Door led into the earlier, more abrasive and disorientating 1983 post-punk track 'Just One Kiss' before the band returned to Disintegration with the album's poppiest track 'Lovesong'. Cue the largest singalongs so far, and an utterly pitch perfect performance from the band which highlighted the bittersweet charm of the song so wonderfully. 

Almost as if to deliberately counterbalance this sweetness, the next song was another darker offering in the form of 'Last Dance', a song where innocent synths and that chorus-y guitar build to swirling discordant guitars that never let up throughout the song. These would leave behind only an unsettling feeling that was perfectly punctuated with Smith's emotionally desperate vocal delivery; something that was given even more of an extra punch in the live environment. This slightly sinister and creepy sort of vibe never let up for the next few songs as the band performed 'Burn', a more obscure track which was featuring on the soundtrack for The Crow. This was still a nice little addition to the set, and would probably have made some diehard fans insanely happy during this performance. 

The next song would have a significantly stronger emotional pull for me personally as the song that really got me into The Cure: 'Fascination Street'. It also happens to be my favourite song of theirs, so it's safe to say, I was insanely excited to be actually seeing this live. That prominent low end bass bounced seductively away before the layers of shoegazing noise built around it on the guitars and synths. Sadly, this was where I noticed that the sound didn't seem quite right to me. As the extended instrumental section progressed, I realised that the mix was slightly off. Normally this wouldn't have been noticeable but as the song is perhaps one of their most intensely layered in their back catalogue, the lack of volume within one of the guitar lines had the unfortunate effect of making things seem a bit unbalanced in favour of the bass, meaning that some of the intricacies didn't come through quite as well as I anticipated. 

This wasn't helped by the small group of people standing next to me who were starting to get restless and conduct loud conversations with one another during the songs that they didn't recognise (this was clearly one of them). In saying that though, it was still utterly awesome to see this song live, and I have an even greater appreciation of how much of a feat this must be to play every time they perform it. I only hope I ever get the chance to hear this song once more, because I love it so bloody much and want to hear it when the mix is 100% right. Thankfully this would be the only time I would have issue with the sound for the rest of the night. Other than the loudness of the people next to me of course... However!

Just on cue after so many dirgy songs, The Cure then mixed (pun intended, I'm sorry) things up with the 1990 original single 'Never Enough' from the remix album of that year. This put a spring into the step of some of the crowd who were needing a shot of energy after being on their feet and trudging through the mud all day (it also managed to drown out the people hollering to each other next to me for a little while too, so extra points there). 'Push' kept the joyful vibes going with another sugary offering from the band. Those trebly guitars, compressed drum sounds and pointed bass all built to one of the most innocently happy moments of the whole set when the "No, no, no" part comes in during the second third of the song. It's particularly in the live environment that the sheer scale of songs like this are completely brought to light, and the sheer joy that could be seen both on and off the stage was so completely infectious as a result. 

This continued into the acoustic and very sweet 80s synth driven 'Inbetween Days', which saw the band revelling in a small section of the set where everyone sounded blissfully loved up and wonderful. The enthusiasm was returned by the audience tenfold when the opening drum beat of 'Just Like Heaven' kicked into that iconic high string guitar line and carefree synth line that seems to fill up in your chest. Being one of the more simple songs in their catalogue, the crowd sang along with every word like it was the last thing they would ever do. For most bands, a song of this scale would be used to close a show, but for The Cure this was only halfway through their set and the mood was completely soaring. Perhaps one of the most unashamedly happy songs I've ever had the joy of experiencing live.

After four joyful songs in a row however, it was about time for The Cure to moody things up again, and that they did with the alt-rock tune 'From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea', which jangled along but still contained some tense high pitched squealing guitars and a dreary bassline. The band would then jump further back in time for a couple of Joy Divison-esque post-punk tunes in the form of 'Play For Today' and 'A Forest' from 1980's Seventeen Sounds. The infectious bouncy bass line and synthy compressed drums in the former song were sprinkled by the jaunty natural harmonic lines and subtle synth lines that got the crowd moving about and largely enjoying the sound of the song rather than singing along to the more restrained vocal lines. 

'A Forest' faded in with the dreary synth noise and slow clean guitars before picking up the pace with that chunky bass sound which would keep people bopping about and certainly keeping the older people in the crowd interested as they could no doubt remember seeing the song performed back in the day. Keeping on the older tracks, the band then pulled out 'Primary' from 1981's Faith. This was one that I've got to say that I hadn't heard before they played it, and it seemed that the group beside me felt the same. Instead of watching it quietly though, they were positively screaming to each other. Annoyingly, the quieter nature of the song meant I was finding it harder and harder to tune out so I didn't get the full effect of a really good song *eye roll*. 

Thankfully for my sake then, The Cure went on to play another loud one to drown them out in the form of 'Shake Dog Shake', one of the better tracks from the controversial album The Top. There was a glimmer of cheekiness in the eyes of Smith as he played this one- appropriate considering how unusually danceable and groovy the song is with its low end feel being punctuated with awesome hard hitting drums. The simplicity and pointedness of the song's chorus meant that the crowd sang along loudly, swaying along to the beat as they did. Switching things up again, the next song was the Bloodlowers track '39' which saw the fuzzed up, noisy guitars hit the crowd like a ton of bricks. Making a rare moment of flashy guitar wizardry, Reeves Gabrels briefly widdled away in wah-infused fashion towards the middle of the track to amazing effect. As a song that hasn't really been played since the early 2000's, I can imagine its inclusion here send die-hard fans of the band utterly wild. And for good reason. 

On a different strand, the next 8-minute track of 'Distintegration' saw Smith appear to physically embody the sheer desperate melancholy of the album as a whole, all the while providing an apt song to close such a wild setlist. It's testament to the patience and engagement of the fans that the level of attention never once felt like it dipped as the crowd (as a whole, anyway) looked on in awe at the mastery of the band to climb such musical ambition during the song. As Smith wailed away, the choppy synth lines, clattering noise and guitars built to that final crescendo and the band quickly walked off stage for a minute or two. 

Needless to say it was a quick moment, as the familiar Glasgow chants brought the band onstage to do their encore. It was here that Smith spoke to the audience for perhaps the first proper time in the night. Beaming out to the audience, he pondered why it had taken him so long to come back to Glasgow when he's been in the city a few times since that last show 27 years ago. After loud cheers from the crowd, he promised it wouldn't be that long before they came back again. That's a hell yes from me as long as it's under the decade mark, please! 

In his conventionally awkward way, he went on to say that he thought his rendition of 'Disintegration' earlier was a good one ("some nights I feel like my 'Disintegration' is 'AHHHH!' and tonight was one of those nights"), and that we were about to hear him be completely someone else for the next little bit. And that brings us to the last half an hour of absolute tunes in the set which saw things off in fist pumping fashion. Thankfully, I had also taken the chance during the short break to move back a bit in the crowd away for the shouting drunkards so things got even better for this as well.  

Mellowing things out a bit, the band started things back off again with the sweet-but-slightly-creepy 'Lullaby' where Robert Smith's gentle, almost whispered vocals successfully carried forth the odd feel of the song so well on a stage so large. It was then into 'The Caterpillar' which saw Roger O'Donnell rattling along the keys like a cat running across a piano before jumping into full pop territory with the chirpy acoustic guitar line and high pitched "ooo" section which had the whole crowd crooning along. It was then onto the techno-sounding 'The Walk' which saw that super fuzzed up bass line giving all of the funk vibes underneath that irresistibly catchy and somewhat tacky main synth hook. The sense of fun from the band was very much clear during this one, and the crowd was more than happy to follow this up in a moment of uptempo danceability from the band. 

This reaction would pale in comparison to the next two songs 'Friday I'm In Love' and 'Close To Me', which allowed for the audience to indulge in two of The Cure's biggest and poppiest tunes in a row. I would say the largest singalong of the night had to go to the first song there (as you can see in my video below) but the second was damn close. As would be the case during the following night in Bellahouston Park, I would wager that the people in the high rise flats in the near-distance would have no problem hearing the insanely upbeat songs if they wanted to. And why wouldn't you want to with songs and performances like these? This euphoric vibe was carried over onto 'Why Can't I Be You?', a less huge song but nevertheless the closest The Cure seem to get to hip-swinging jazzy rock'n'roll with all the fun that suggests. 

All the energy built up here would then lead up to the final song of the evening, after an epic and eye-watering 27 song setlist. The jangly bittersweet post-punk tune 'Boys Don't Cry' provided one last moment for the crowd to really sing as loud as they could during the desperately love-lorn chorus before the end of the show. As the song ended on that quick note, the band receiving their applause graciously and Robert Smith alongside the current lineup of the band beamed out to the crowd before leaving the stage one last time. 

What a perfect encore and a perfect end to an unforgettable set which has really resonated with me since seeing them. Having gotten into The Cure fairly recently and falling head over heels for the gothy indulgence of Disintegration and the undeniable pop songs that they've crafted over the years more than anything else, I've came away from this gig enthralled by the band and I haven't been able to stop listening to them since. I know that I'll be immersing myself fully into their back catalogue over the next few weeks and months after seeing them, and this was as close to perfection in a Cure live set that I could expect. From the reaction of the audience around me, this seemed to be the case for the vast majority of people here as well. 

What a band who have been able to craft such odd songs that have resonated with so many, all the while never compromising on their creativity in the process. This was a special gig as it was my first time seeing The Cure and it was made all the more special by that insanely lengthy absence since their last show which got people of all ages buzzing with anticipation. As Smith suggested, I hope it will not be the last time we see them in a show over the border in the near future. 

What a completely unreal experience that was, for lack of a better phrase: total magic.  

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Thanks to Ray for helping out with review and thanks to you for reading! The coverage for the Saturday at Summer Sessions will be uploaded here soon and you will see a link to that here. In  the meantime, you can leave a comment below, give us a follow/like on the socials or get in touch to collaborate or send submissions in order to support RWEI (if you want, of course). 

Cheers!