For over four decades, Robert Smith has been the gloomy, enigmatic voice soundtracking the pain and melancholy of legions of devoted Cure fans. But now, the curtain is set to fall on one of alternative music’s most iconic acts.
In a candid new interview with The Times of London, Smith revealed that he plans to retire from The Cure in just five years when the band celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2028 – the year Smith turns 70.
“If I make it that far, that’s it,” the frontman stated. “I am a different person to the last record, and I wanted to convey that. It can be trite. People could say, ‘Oh, we’re all going to die — surprise me!’ But I try to find some emotional connection to that idea.”
The news will undoubtedly be met with a collective gasp from devoted Cure fans, who have followed Smith’s moody musings for generations. After all, this is the man who once sang, “I never wanted to go/There was nothing for me here/Nothing to keep me from going/But I don’t want to die.”
But alas, even the gloomiest of goth icons must face their mortality. And for Smith, that reckoning is on the horizon.
“My mind doesn’t function with the same acuity it once had,” the 65-year-old admitted. “I’m much more relaxed and easier to get on with […] People smile at me more than they used to.”
Still, Smith’s advancing age hasn’t dampened his passion for creating music – in fact, he says he’s got at least two more albums planned before he hangs up his iconic black eyeliner for good.
“We’ll start up again next year,” Smith revealed. “Seriously, I have to finish the second album. We were going to play festivals next year, but then I decided we wouldn’t play anything next summer. The next time we go out on stage will be autumn next year.”
And when The Cure does return to the stage, Smith promises it will be with a renewed vigor, tapping into the band’s vast catalog of beloved hits. “Not having a new album for all that period, we’ve played 130 or 150 different songs because we’ve turned into a live band that draws on the catalog,” he said. “There’s a freedom to that.”
But what was the real surprise in Smith’s interview? His stance on ticket prices. The Cure frontman is bucking the trend of sky-high concert costs, actively fighting against the industry’s “dynamic pricing” tactics that have fans shelling out exorbitant sums to see their favorite acts.
“The only reason you’d charge more for a gig is if you were worried that it was the last time you would be able to sell a T-shirt,” Smith scoffed. “If you had the self-belief that you’ll still be here in a year, you’d want the show to be great, so people come back. You don’t want to charge as much as the market will let you.”
It’s a refreshingly artist-first mentality in an era where many big-name acts have embraced the cash grab of dynamic pricing. But for Smith, it’s all about preserving the connection with fans, not lining his pockets.
“If people save on the tickets, they buy beer or merch,” he reasoned. “There is goodwill; they will come back next time. It is a self-fulfilling good vibe, and I don’t understand why more people don’t do it.”
It’s a shame Smith won’t be around to continue that fight much longer. But for the devoted Cure faithful, the next five years will be a bittersweet countdown to the end of an era.
In the meantime, Smith promises one final victory lap for the band, including the long-awaited release of a definitive documentary directed by longtime collaborator Tim Pope. And, of course, there’s the small matter of that new album or two that Smith has up his sleeve.
“If I do make it to the 50th anniversary, that will be the summing up of essentially what I’ve done with my life: things I don’t normally talk about, footage, recordings, and things that wouldn’t normally see the light of day,” Smith teased.
So soak up those final Cure shows, and savor those new records – because, in five short years, the lights will go dark on one of alternative music’s most enduring and influential acts. It may be the end, but it’s a farewell worth celebrating for Robert Smith and The Cure.