Update: Edinburgh and Manchester are sold out.
From The Cure:
2026 UK & IRELAND SUMMER SHOWS
TICKETS ON SALE AT THECURE.COM/SHOWS
MANCHESTER / EDINBURGH - 9AM
DUBLIN / BELFAST - 12PM
WALES - HOPING FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT SOON!🤞
Friday, October 3, 2025
Thursday, October 2, 2025
NME interview with Roger
From NME:
Roger O’Donnell talks beating cancer, new solo album ‘Projections’, and what’s next for The Cure
"It was just nice to be alive, for one thing! And nice to make music again. During the treatment I was so emotional the whole time that I couldn’t touch an instrument."
Roger O’Donnell has spoken to NME about his new solo album ‘Projections’ – made in the wake of his battle with cancer and returning to record with The Cure.
Arriving on O’Donnell’s 70th birthday on Friday October 29, ‘Projections’ marks the keyboardist and composer’s eighth solo album, in the latest of his life of writing scores and other projects away from the limelight of The Cure. The artist explained how this record leans more into his tastes and influences in minimal electronica.
“I did two electronic records in the early 2000s, and I always felt that it wasn’t a completed episode,” O’Donnell told NME. “Two is no good, you have to have three of something. I always felt that there was always another electronic album in there. The first two I recorded entirely using a Moog Voyager, and for this one I gave myself a little bit more space.
“I introduced quite a few more different instruments, but it’s like finishing that era.”
The album also comes after O’Donnell last year shared with fans that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma. However, he is happy to reveal that he’s now beaten cancer – enabling him to return to the creative life with gusto.
“After having gone through all the health stuff in 2023-2024, I was determined not to make a record that made a meal out of being ill,” he admitted, “but it was a time for reflection, looking back, looking forward and really restating where I am now as a musician and musically.
“I feel it really accomplished that. The album has got tinges of everything in it. I can hear influences from everything that I’ve ever been influenced by. I’m very happy with this record, and people seem to like it as well – which is strange!”
Stripped back but warm, ‘Projections’ comes loaded with the feel of a wintry embrace – something O’Donnell was keen to capture while recording.
“It’s definitely a winter record,” he said. “I never go in the studio in the summer. I just like being outside. The summer is always a non-productive time for me, whereas the winter is very evocative, isn’t it?”
O’Donnell – who has been a part of The Cure since 1987 – said that he was very much looking forward to hitting the road with the band in 2026 on their recently announced run of festivals including Isle Of Wight, Primavera Sound in Spain, Norway’s Øya, Rock En Seine in France, Austria’s Nova Rock, and Open’er in Poland, as well as a run of massive outdoor UK and Ireland shows.
Check out our full interview below, where O’Donnell told us about his battle with lymphoma, his hopes of inspiring others with the disease, the design of his new solo project, returning to touring with Robert Smith and co, and the chances of the follow-up of ‘Songs Of A Lost World‘ emerging in the coming months.
NME: Hello Roger. What can you tell us about the mood of ‘Projections’ when first approaching it?
Roger O’Donnell: “It was very much reflecting on what I’d been through. I’d had lymphoma and it was a pretty devastating period. It was just nice to be alive, for one thing! And nice to make music again. During the treatment I was so emotional the whole time that I couldn’t touch an instrument – I would just burst into tears. It was just a nice feeling to be back in the studio and to be able to take a breath and think, ‘OK, I’ve been there, this is where I am and where I’m going’. This record really summed all of that up and felt very natural.”
How are you now?
“I’m fine, thank you! I’m 100 per cent fighting fit. I’m a year out of treatment, I’ve had a couple of blood tests and everything is normal. My haematologist, who was a real rockstar, he said that normally they don’t use the word ‘cure’ in that sort of world, but then he said: ‘I’m going to say we can cure you’.”
Having been through that, what have you learned that you’d like to share with others?
“First of all, if you’ve got any kind of symptoms then go see a doctor. Don’t put it off. I put it off. I felt something at the start of 2023, then we did a whole American tour. I was trying to suppress what I thought it might be, then at the end of the tour I finally gave in and went to see a doctor who told me I had nothing to worry about! Then I went and got a scan on my own and all hell broke loose. For god’s sake: don’t be embarrassed and don’t be scared. They can fix most things these days. The thing they can’t do is wind back time. They can’t go back to a place where they might have been able to do you some good if you’d gone earlier.
“Also, put your faith in modern medicine. It’s an incredible thing. I had some drugs that were like science fiction. They were these things that latch onto cells, break the cells open, and then fire drugs in at a cellular level. It’s just mind-warping what they can do, and it keeps getting better. I’ve been doing some fundraising for Lymphoma Org and they’re on the cutting edge. They’re very close to a cure. We did a fundraiser last week and I have to thank everyone that called in and pledged money because they raised thousands. It’s nice to know that people care about it.”
Did the idea of returning to music give you strength through recovery?
“The amazing thing for me was that after just over a year of being diagnosed, I was back on stage with the lads playing at The Troxy and a couple of things at the BBC. That was very strange – to be back. It gives other people hope.
“When I was in the midst of it all and I was reading that Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 had the same thing, I thought, ‘Wait a minute, I’m not on my own’. Jeff Bridges had it too. That’s why I decided to go public with it. It’s a very personal thing and it’s a big decision whether or not you want to make your health public. There are always idiots that are going to turn into something negative. The positives outweigh that. I hope that I did some good and made some people feel better about their diagnosis.”
The diagnosis can seem like an overwhelming black cloud, but it doesn’t have to mean the end…
“No. Usually waiting for the diagnosis is the hardest thing. My partner and I were walking through the house like zombies until we finally got the diagnosis, then you feel like you can actually do something. You can get your head down, get on with the treatment and have an end in sight.”
How does a diagnosis like that change your approach to your work? How does it colour the way you make music and look back upon what you’ve done?
“Music has always been an emotional outlet for me. I live a very happy life, I’m a pretty happy person, and the emotion comes out in the music. I was unable to play while I was going through it because my emotions were at number 11. To sit down at the piano, I would just burst into tears. It was a very difficult period for me emotionally and creatively. As soon as I was over it, it was like the floodgates opened.
“People ask if it changed me as a person. I think in some ways it did. It’s like, what’s your biggest fear: cancer or the mad axe murderer knocking at your door? You open the door and the mad axe murder is standing there, what do you do? You try and talk him out of it. It’s the same with cancer, you just plough into the treatment. I was very involved with my haematologist and was doing my own research.”
Did you enjoy those few shows The Cure played last year all the more?
“It was kind of surreal. All of a sudden I was back into The Cure world, playing on stage to a global audience of thousands and thousands, and it was as if nothing had happened. I turned up at rehearsals and everything was normal. You don’t want to be treated specially or like some kind of weirdo, I didn’t want special treatment. Maybe a few more cups of tea made for me, but it was typical Cure world: get back in there and get on with it.
“It was great to play those shows and realise that I could do it again. At the start of it I said, ‘I’m still really suffering from fatigue’ and Robert said, ‘Don’t worry – we’ll only play for two hours’. Then by the end of rehearsals the set had gone up to three hours! I said, ‘I’m not sure if I can do this’ and he was like, ‘You can have a stool if you want. You might get the sympathy vote’. It was fine and the adrenaline got me through it.”
Are you ready for a heady summer 2026?
“Yes, I’m very ready and happy to be doing festivals. We’ve got a few announced. I love playing festivals and it’s always such a cool tour. It’s not the intensity of normal Cure tour and it’s usually much more of an upbeat show. You get to hang out with other bands, it’s a nice vibe, it’s through the summer, and we get to come home during the week so it’s like a part-time job.”
Is it going to be a full-scale festival tour across all continents?
“I don’t know. They’re trickling the dates out one by one and I don’t know what’s coming next. I know as much as you do. It’s more to do with when the festival tickets go on sale and when they want to announce. It’s like a Christmas gift that keeps on giving.”
Robert is acting as curator for Teenage Cancer Trust in 2026. Does that mean we can expect The Cure to be playing Royal Albert Hall?
“I thought that it was likely, but I don’t know. Maybe he thinks it wouldn’t be right for the band to play there the first year [he’s curating it]. We’ve done it a few times, it’s a cool gig and it’s obviously a cause that’s very close to my heart – a bit too close. We do a lot for those kinds of things. It’s nice that Robert’s been asked to curate that.”
Robert also said he wanted the follow-up to ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ to be finished before the tour. Is that still likely to be the case?
“You’d have to ask him about that. I didn’t know that ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ was finished until he sent the songs to us to learn for the Troxy show! I don’t know what’s going on. I know that Jason [Cooper] did a lot of drum tracks in about April, and there was talk of us getting together to play but I haven’t heard much lately. I think Robert is in one of his very deep creative modes, because he’s pretty quiet at the moment.”
Is it the case where you record your parts then leave Robert to tinker forever?
“Yeah, well hopefully not another 18 years!”
Are you hopeful we’ll get in the coming year or so?
“I would think so. We were all very happily surprised by the success of ‘Songs Of A Lost World’. For it to do what it did after we had that much time away is fantastic. There’s a bar that The Cure never drops below, so it’s always going to be fantastic – it’s just about whether it’s going to be mega or not.”
The Cure will be touring throughout 2026.
Roger O’Donnel releases ‘Projections’ on October 29.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Update from Roger
From Roger:
Some Projections news in the middle of all this Cure frenzy. Sadly a further delay to the vinyl which will
now ship on the 12th of November. Pre orders and webstore announcement on October 8th... Digital release will still be on my birthday 10/29 X
Poland as well
From Open'er festival:
The Cure headlines Open'er ’26!
⚡️An absolute icon of British rock & alternative - 14 albums, including last year's phenomenal Songs Of A Lost World. On Friday, July 3, @thecure takes over Orange Main Stage. See you in @MiastoGdynia in 9 months!
🎫 Limited FanTix available only on Oct 7, from noon until the end of the day (or while stocks last) for Open’er or Alter Art newsletter subscribers. You will receive an email with access on Oct 7 morning. → opener.pl → alterart.pl/newsletter
Pre-sales
From The Cure:
PRE-SALE TICKETS FOR UK & IRELAND SUMMER FESTIVALS ON SALE NOW!
DUE TO DEMAND WE HAVE EXTENDED THE REGISTRATION WINDOW FOR PRE-SALE ACCESS. REGISTER NOW AT THECURE.COM
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
UK and Ireland shows
From The Cure:
2026 UK & IRELAND SUMMER SHOWS
DUBLIN / BELFAST / MANCHESTER / EDINBURGH
FANS SIGNED UP TO THE MAILING LIST BY 10PM TONIGHT WILL GET PRE-SALE ACCESS!
REGISTER AT THECURE.COM
GENERAL SALE - FRIDAY 3RD OCT
Sunday, September 28, 2025
Simon at Andover Anarchy
From Love Andover:
The Cure’s Simon Gallup to Inspire Young Musicians at Andover Anarchy
By Ben Tuffin / September 28, 2025
Andover is about to get loud this
autumn as a brand-new youth-led punk festival storms into town – and it’s bringing with it a true music icon.
Andover Anarchy will take over The Lights on Wednesday 29th October 2025 from 4pm–9pm, offering a free night of live music, food, and rebellion for young people aged 11–18.
The festival, created by 15-year-old organisers Ally and Seren in collaboration with the Yellow Brick Road Project, is already shaping up to be a landmark event for Andover’s youth. Now, organisers have confirmed that Simon Gallup – legendary bassist of The Cure – will be making a special appearance.
Gallup, whose distinctive basslines have powered classics such as A Forest and Just Like Heaven, is one of the most influential figures in alternative music. His support for Andover Anarchy is a major boost for the town’s young musicians.
“Simon is passionate about supporting young people in music, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him with us,” said organisers Ally and Seren. “This festival is by young people, for young people – and with Simon joining us, it’s going to be unforgettable.”
The line-up will feature punk, rock, pop and solo acts, with the organisers still seeking two more bands to complete the bill. In true punk spirit, Ally and Seren want the festival to spark a new wave of creativity in Andover, inspiring young people to pick up instruments and make music of their own.
Alongside the music, there will be food trucks offering everything from Jamaican street food to festival favourites, plus affordable merchandise. Soft drinks will be available throughout – the event is strictly non-alcoholic.
Tickets are completely free but limited, and organisers are warning they are expected to go quickly.
Andover Anarchy promises five hours of energy, noise and community – all led by the next generation of rebels. With Simon Gallup in the house, it’s set to be a night that no young music fan in Andover will want to miss.
Event details
📅 Wednesday 29th October 2025
📍 The Lights, 3 West Street, Andover SP10 1AH
🕓 4–9pm
🎟 Free tickets: https://bit.ly/YBRP-Andover
-Anarchy
🔞 Ages 11–18 only
Cure play Isle of Wight 2026
From Cork Live:
The Cure, Lewis Capaldi and Calvin Harris to headline Isle Of Wight Festival.
The festival will run from June 18 to June 21, with Capaldi headlining on the Friday, Harris on the Saturday and The Cure closing the event on the Sunday (June 21st).
Friday, September 26, 2025
Roger on WFUV tonight
Update: If you missed it, listen here (starts at 20: 45)...
Whole Wide World with Delphine Blue
https://wfuv.org/archives
Also on YouTube.
From Roger O'Donnell:
Tonight on WFUV I reveal all the secrets youve ever wanted to know about everything!!! 10pm New York time.... Not really, she tried though hahaha I talk about being sick getting better, raising money for Lymphoma foundation and next years shows..
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Get a 3D postcard from Roger
Update: Roger says presale will start on Oct. 8th.
From Roger:
Who doesn’t love a 3D postcard??? So I made some and the first 100 people to post a photo of themselves with Projections vinyl will get a personalised signed copy…
Cure play Primavera Sound Barcelona 2026
From Primavera:
Register now to access festival ticket Fan Sale. Registration will be available until 28/09 at 23:59 (CEST). Fan Sale starts on 29/09 at 11:00 (CEST) and will last 24H or while stocks last.
💐 Fan Sale: https://bit.ly/3VCiY1Z
ℹ️ Info: https://bit.ly/46Q6v0Z
From The Cure:
THE CURE WILL HEADLINE Primavera Sound BARCELONA IN 2026.
TICKETS ON GENERAL SALE ON TUESDAY 30TH AT 11 CEST AT PRIMAVERASOUND.COM/CA/BARCELONA
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Robert quote.on NewDad's Altar
"Been on in my car for a long time."
Robert Smith quote about NewDad's excellent new album Altar.
Photos from Aaron Law.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Reeves at Guitar Fest this weekend
From Reeves Gabrels:
I'm heading to Ft Wayne, Indiana this coming weekend to do some guitar demos for Reverend Guitars during Guitar Month festivities at Sweetwater. We'll be there Fri Sep 26th and Sat Sep 27th. 🎸
The Synthesist is back!
From Roger O'Donnell:
Back after 13 years the one and only Synthesist t shirt!! Coming soon
Cure play Nova Rock next June
From The Cure:
THE CURE WILL HEADLINE NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL IN AUSTRIA NEXT SUMMER ON FRIDAY 12 JUNE 2026. TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT NOVAROCK.AT
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Best of luck, Perry!
Well, if Roger's comments, the promo photo for Rock en Seine, etc still left some doubt for you, Donna Bamonte confirms on her Facebook that Perry will not be with The Cure next year.
"Sadly not he is a bit poorly but we wish them well xxx ❤️ very blessed to see Perry play a second time and very cherished xxx"
All the best to you Perry! Hope you feel better asap! We all love you!
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Roger on Do You radio
"Thursday morning 10-12 on Do.You radio with Charlie and Ian premiering my new album Projections. Dissecting the tracks playing some love Moog. What more could you ask for?????"
Update: interview is archived here:
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Cure play Rock en Seine next August
Update 2: Tickets go on sale today at 5pm cet.
In the US that's...
11am eastern
10am central
9am mountain
8am pacific
5am Hawaii
Update: Roger says this is just the 1st one announced...
"First of the summer to announce... cant wait X"
And in a reply (on Bluesky) to a question about more shows:
"It's very unlikely we would only play one festival now isnt it!"
From The Cure:
THE CURE WILL RETURN TO FRANCE NEXT SUMMER TO HEADLINE ROCK EN SEINE ON SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2026. TICKETS FOR THE FESTIVAL AT THE DOMAINE NATIONAL DE SAINT-CLOUD GO ON SALE WEDNESDAY AT 5PM CET VIA ROCKENSEINE.COM
Monday, September 15, 2025
Help Roger find a cure for Lymphoma
From Roger:
Today is Lymphoma Giving day and if you can spare anything it will be very gratefully received. I was diagnosed in 2023 and thanks to research and some sci fi drugs I was back on stage a year later! Go to lymphoma.org/roger to donate and thanks X
Friday, September 12, 2025
Cure nominated for Neptune award
The Cure's Songs of a Lost World is 1 of 20 nominees for the Neptune Music Prize from Drowned in Sound.
Voting will close on 15th October 2025. You can vote for up to 3 albums.
(Thanks Adam)
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
2nd color variant for Glastonbury vinyl
So there are at least 2 color variants of this.
The one in Olivia's store is "on exclusive magenta and periwinkle transparent vinyl."
https://store.oliviarodrigo.com/products/live-from-glastonbury-a-bbc-recording-vinyl
From Olivia Rodrigo Daily:
First look at the Live From Glastonbury Light Blue + Cobalt Vinyl!
Coming to record stores on December 5th.
Monday, September 8, 2025
Robert and Olivia Glastonbury cd single
Update: Single is listed as sold out, but a new listing for a CD Wallet available on Dec. 5th is up for pre-order now.
https://polydor.co.uk/products/live-from-glastonbury-cd-wallet
There's also a CD single up for pre-order that's just Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith's performances of Just Like Heaven and Friday I'm In Love from Glastonbury 2025. Out on Dec. 12th.
https://polydor.co.uk/products/live-from-glastonbury-cd-single
Robert & Olivia's Glastonbury duets on vinyl
From The Cure;
Robert's performance with @oliviarodrigo from this summer's Glastonbury Festival is available to pre-order and stream now on
https://store.oliviarodrigo.com/products/live-from-glastonbury-a-bbc-recording-vinyl
Artists’ net proceeds from “Friday I’m in Love” and “Just Like Heaven,” will benefit Doctors Without Borders
Sunday, September 7, 2025
Update on Roger's new album
"its been a while but better to say nothing than whatever.. anyway we have a slight delay in the release of my new album Projections due to this... trying to update the release date as soon we have news from the pressing plant.Could put the atmos mixes on Apple Music now but I think better to wait."
Update: "Projections my new solo record will be slightly delayed but digital release is now set for my birthday 29/10. We have Atmos mixes and the vinyl features completely different mastered mixes by Guy Davie @ electric mastering. Very excited for this release."
Sunday, August 10, 2025
More scams
From The Cure:
We have recently seen an increase in scams, posts, and DMs from fake accounts pretending to be Robert, Simon, or The Cure's management. Please note that they do not use Facebook, and NO-ONE associated with the band would contact fans personally regarding meet-and-greets, gift cards, or personal appearances etc etc. Please report any suspected accounts to Facebook and block them.
Friday, August 1, 2025
Another RS art auction
From Heart Research UK:
Our Robert Smith Art Auction is NOW LIVE! 🎨
Join us from 1-10 August to bid on Robert’s signed artwork, created alongside some of the songs on @thecure’s 2024 album Songs Of A Lost World! All proceeds will fund our life-saving work. ❤️
https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/heartresearchuk_shop
Friday, July 18, 2025
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
More about Robert and Olivia at Glastonbury
From The Times:
When Olivia Rodrigo met David, Lily and Rob — the art of the surprise guest
From the Glastonbury headliner to Sabrina Carpenter and Dua Lipa, why every pop diva needs a throwback cameo in summer 2025
Will Hodgkinson
One surprise appearance really was a big surprise at Glastonbury. While everyone knew about the so-called secret sets by Pulp, Haim and Lewis Capaldi, absolutely nobody suspected that Robert Smith was to join the American pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo during her Sunday night headline slot, for a rendition of the Cure’s Just Like Heaven and Friday I’m in Love.
“Nobody even spotted him driving in,” says Julian Stockton, earthly representative of Robert Smith and the Cure, who found out himself only when he was watching Rodrigo’s set at home on television. “Robert has no manager, so Olivia must have asked him directly. Her dad is a massive Cure fan, so it is a classic case of a parent’s record collection rubbing off on the child.”
It was quite a duet: a super-perky 22-year-old former Disney child star and the raven-haired 66-year-old godfather of the misunderstood. How did it happen? “We did make up a list of potential guest spots for Olivia, but Robert Smith wasn’t on it, so the request must have come from her,” a source close to Rodrigo confirms. “It made for a moment nobody expected but everyone will remember.”
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
More Robert and Olivia at Glastonbury
Another photo of Robert Smith with Olivia Rodrigo and her band at Glastonbury.
Photo from her drummer jordiiimusic
Olivia Rodrigo guitarist Arianna Powell on Robert
From Guitar World:
“Our MD told us, ‘This is very secret – you cannot tell anyone, but Robert Smith is going to be joining us.’ And I swear to God, I started crying”: The moment Olivia Rodrigo guitarist Arianna Powell found out she’d be playing with a Cure legend
By Michael Astley-Brown
Smith had some words of wisdom for Rodrigo’s band ahead of his surprise guest spot at one of the most star-studded music festivals in the world
Olivia Rodrigo made headlines with their headline Glastonbury set – not just because it was a guitar-heavy rock show that won over the sceptics, but because it featured the biggest surprise of the entire festival: a guest performance from Robert Smith.
The Cure icon appeared onstage with Rodrigo and her band to perform Friday I’m In Love and Just Like Heaven. It was one of the highlights of the festival, but it was especially emotional for lead guitarist Arianna Powell.
“We found out in Nashville when we were rehearsing for Bonnaroo, which ended up getting canceled,” she tells Guitar World in a new interview. “Stacy [Jones], our music director, came and told us, and was like, ‘This is very secret – you cannot tell anyone, but he's going to be joining us.’ And I swear to God, I started crying. Like, I started tearing up.
“Because I'm a huge fan, especially those guitar parts. I love, love, love, love, love, love, love the guitar parts, specifically in those songs, specifically Friday I'm in Love. So I was just so stoked to get to actually play that with the artist.”
A veteran session player with everyone from Halsey to Black Eyed Peas, Powell nailed both tracks, calling on a Kemper to make sure her tones were dead-on for the performance.
Although Rodrigo’s band was a well-oiled machine at this point, you’d be forgiven for feeling just a little bit nervous ahead of performing with your hero, but Smith had some reassuring words when he hung out with the group ahead of the show.
“He was so cool. He was leaving his dressing room door open for us to hang out. He wanted to talk and be social. Through conversations with him, he was just saying, ‘It's just another show.’ And he was talking about how much he enjoys performing, and he loves it every time.
That really inspired me and my energy for that night. Like, ‘Yeah, it's just another show – and I love doing this.’ The collective energy of the band that day was really infectious.”
Powell lent on her Gretsch Silver Falcon to handle the Cure classics’ lead lines, but heavier moments in the show saw her turning to Charvel and Jackson shred guitars – the latter of which was inspired by Rodrigo and her band’s love of hardcore darlings Turnstile.
Guitar World’s full interview with Ariana Powell will be published later this month.
Sunday, July 13, 2025
Reeves joins Stick Men for some shows
"Due to an ongoing medical issue, Tony Levin will be unable to perform at the upcoming Stick Men shows-for now. While we remain hopeful that Tony may rejoin the tour at a later date, we're grateful to have some remarkable guest artists stepping in during his absence.
Reeves Gabrels-acclaimed guitarist known for his fearless work with David Bowie, Tin Machine, and The Cure -will be joining Markus Reuter and Pat Mastelotto onstage beginning with our show at The Haggin Museum in Stockton, CA on July 17th.
Reeves is a risk-taker whose approach to the guitar mirrors our own spirit of innovation and improvisation. He brings a bold, expressive voice to the mix-perfectly in tune with the Stick Men vision. These will be unique and unforgettable performances, and we're thrilled to share this rare collaboration with you.
We know nothing can truly replace Tony's presence, but we're honored to have special guests, Janek Gwizdala (The Baked Potato), Tom Griesgraber (San Marcos), and now Reeves Gabrels, step in and help us deliver the kind of bold, genre-defying music you've come to expect. Thank you for your continued support and we'll see you on the road."
-Stick Men
July 13 - Los Angeles, CA (The Baked Potato)
July 15 - San Marcos, CA (The Bornemann Theater)
July 17-Stockton, CA (The Haggin Museum)
July 18 - Fresno, CA (Frank's Place)
July 19 - Santa Cruz, CA (UCSC Music Center Recital Hall)
July 20 - Petaluma, CA (Mystic Theatre)
July 23 - Arcata, CA (Playhouse Arts)
July 25 - Eugene, OR (WOW Hall)
July 26 - Corvallis, OR (Whiteside Theatre)
July 27 - Portland, OR (Star Theater)
July 29 - Vancouver, BC (Rickshaw Theatre)
July 30-Seattle, WA (The Triple Door)
Tickets are available at: www.stickmenband.com
Friday, July 11, 2025
Tim Pope talk at Wavelength on Aug. 2nd
From The Times:
Tim Pope: my golden age of music videos from Bowie to the Cure
Tickets: https://www.fringebythesea.com/tim-pope/
At Wavelength, a new music film festival at Fringe by the Sea, the director will talk about his 50 years at the cultural coalface.
One autumn afternoon in 1982, Tim Pope, a budding film director, had a life-changing meeting on the roof of an office block in Soho in London. A young goth by the name of Robert Smith had enjoyed a music video that Pope had made for the synth duo Soft Cell (for their single Bedsitter) and wanted some of that creative magic for his own band, the Cure.
Was there immediate chemistry? Undeniable sympatico? Not quite. “We were what I’d call shy bastards,” Pope recalls. “We rarely met eyes with each other, and he had a very quiet voice, so it was hard to hear him over the noise coming from the fruit market outside. I had no idea it would be the start of an almost 50-year relationship.”
Beginning with a promo for the Cure’s uncharacteristically upbeat single Let’s Go to Bed, that collaboration spawned more than 35 extraordinary videos (and counting) as part of Pope’s extensive career. He’ll be talking about these experiences, and many more, at Fringe by the Sea, in an event that’s a trail for his forthcoming memoir, which has the working title My Wonky Eye: The Tales of a Maverick Music Director, out next year.
“It follows the arc of my relationship with David Bowie via Iggy Pop,” Pope says about a book that’s going to be devoured by music fans. “That’s the main story, but along the way I work with lots of other bands.”
Those others include Neil Young, whose playful side Pope is good at teasing out, Talk Talk, Queen and The The, and what the films have in common is technical ambition (all done before the days of green screen), a sense of humour and a colourful disregard for authority. As he puts it: “I’ve got quite a rebellious streak and I think that’s what connected with the artists who also had one.”
Another common thread is the glee with which Pope playfully tortures his bands — from hanging them upside down and swinging cameras into their faces to trapping them in tight spaces — all for the perfect shot.
A great example is the claustrophobic masterpiece Close to Me, for which he got the Cure (who’d been “partying” for several hours beforehand) squashed up into a wardrobe, which he then flooded with water. For The Lovecats video he had the band dancing about in a woozy world of threadbare feline taxidermy; while for Lullaby Smith was cocooned by spider webs made from glue, had a micro camera in a medical probe inserted into his mouth, and was eventually swallowed up by a giant spider.
When the book comes out it will include some never-before-seen photos from these shoots, including a selfie of Pope and Smith just as they were finishing the Lullaby video — “Just at the end, when he called me a bastard,” the director says with a laugh.
In many ways it was a golden age of music videos, with — in Pope’s experience at least — the artists given artistic carte blanche, free from the constraints of corporate intervention. As a result boundaries weren’t so much pushed as blown up at times, as evidenced in the gory video for Soft Cell’s outrageous Sex Dwarf, which was, unsurprisingly, banned. (Word to the wise: do not watch this video in the workplace.)
Pope recently found the call sheet with a list of props for that shoot, which included a working chainsaw, raw meat and some maggots. “I can still smell that studio,” he recalls.
One of Pope’s early jobs, shortly after leaving television school, was making films to help train politicians, and he was often in Downing Street in the dying days of the 1970s Labour government. He would “borrow” equipment to film gigs in the evenings, and at one performance by the Specials some skinheads invaded the stage, headbutted him and grabbed the expensive camera.
These kinds of scuffles were a world away from his later success. He developed such a strong relationship with Bowie that the singer asked him to direct his 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden, in New York, requesting that he be his “eyes and ears” on the day.
As well as working on the book, Pope is planning to make a feature film called The Beating of a Moth’s Wing, starring Béatrice Dalle, who graced many a student’s bedroom wall in the 1990s.
Also on the horizon is a 50th-anniversary film for the Cure, hopefully due out in 2028. “Robert’s got 50 boxes of film no one’s ever seen,” he says. “It’ll be amazing for fans.”
This Fringe by the Sea session, hosted by Vic Galloway, will also be a treat for music fans, with Pope more than happy to answer questions and share memories. Start revising those videos now to get the best out of it.
Aug 2, 2.45pm, the Dome, £12/6
Monday, July 7, 2025
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Photos from Olivia
From Olivia Rodrigo on Instagram:
glasto. best weekend there ever was. so happy and grateful
Monday, June 30, 2025
Roger on Lymphoma Voices podcast
"In this podcast Roger O’Donnell, who is the keyboard player of the band The Cure, talks about his diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. He explains about the treatment he received and about coming to terms emotionally with his diagnosis."
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Robert joins Olivia Rodrigo at Glastonbury
Robert joined Olivia Rodrigo at Glastonbury tonight to do Friday I'm in Love and Just Like Heaven.
Friday, June 27, 2025
Gracie Abrams covering Just Like Heaven
Gracie Abrams covering Just Like Heaven at Glastonbury tonight. Video by the BBC, posted by gnationvideo.
Thursday, June 26, 2025
New band name and single for Reeves
BAND NAME CHANGE & RECORDING NEWS
GABRELS, KANE, PARKER WELLS is the NEW BAND NAME for the genre-free improv trio formerly known as "Doom Dogs." We have a single recording (self-titled) upcoming! And we joined the visionary artist platform TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS (TotE). Our single is part of a global relaunch of Tote (via Kickstarter) to include two dozen new experimental-music projects and revival of a fantastic back catalog.
PLEASE SIGN UP NOW for Kickstarter campaign info. You only provide an email at this point, to receive campaign emails including details of all music included. Find the page via the QR code (see image), or by searching Table of the Elements and Kickstarter together.
Deep thanks to all who've come out the past two years to hear us improvise in varied venues in New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. You made our single possible, plus further studio work in progress. Just last week, we played two improvisations for a pro-shot video to come out this fall on the Reverend Guitars channel on YouTube. Going forward, we'll book shows for late summer 2025 thru spring 2026.
First priority, meanwhile, is to share the Kickstarter link for Table of the Elements. Please sign up, and please share with friends!
With appreciation, Reeves, Jonathan and Jair-Rohm
GABRELS, KANE, PARKER WELLS
June 26, 2025
Monday, June 23, 2025
Win a signed MoaLW artcard
From The Cure:
ROBERT SIGNED A FEW “MIXES OF A LOST WORLD” ARTCARDS, AND WE ARE GIVING A HANDFUL AWAY TO 5 LUCKY FANS; ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ENTER YOUR DETAILS VIA THE FORM BELOW BEFORE 17: 00 ON 27TH JUNE 2025 FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ONE!
https://uk-umg.com/um-forms/48976-1234097.html
Saturday, June 21, 2025
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