The Cure will bring fans back into the shadowy glow of London’s Troxy this December, announcing a cinematic release for The Show of a Lost World, the concert film capturing their one-night-only performance of Songs of a Lost World in full. The film screens globally for one night only on 11 December.
On 1 November 2024, after 16 years without a studio album, The Cure released Songs of a Lost World. That same night, the band stepped onto the Troxy stage and performed the record from start to finish – a first and, to date, only occurrence. Just 3,000 lucky fans were there to watch Robert Smith lead the band through the haunting new record, before a sprawling career-spanning set and a 45th anniversary salute to their 1980 breakthrough Seventeen Seconds.
Now, that moment returns in 4K. The Show of a Lost World is directed by long-time Cure collaborator Nick Wickham, whose CV includes concert films for Madonna, Beyoncé, Rihanna and more. Wickham’s previous work with The Cure includes the live film Festival 2005. Robert Smith once again takes the reins sonically, crafting a brand-new surround mix to bring the atmosphere of the Troxy to cinemas.
The setlist runs to 31 songs, opening on the stark isolation of “Alone” and closing on the cathartic rush of “Boys Don’t Cry”. It’s a feast for Cure loyalists – the full Songs of a Lost World, fan favourites “Lovesong”, “A Night Like This”, “Pictures of You” and “Just Like Heaven”, plus deep-cut territory including “At Night”, “M” and “Secrets”. The Seventeen Seconds tribute – “At Night”, “M”, “Secrets”, “Play for Today” and “A Forest” – is a reminder of just how enduringly atmospheric that early period remains.
For a band emerging from Britain’s late-’70s alternative underground, The Cure’s reach has become monumental. Formed in Crawley, Sussex in 1978, they helped shape post-punk, then goth, then alternative rock, placing Robert Smith’s voice and emotional lyricism at the centre of multiple eras of music across more than four decades. They’ve sold over 30 million albums, headlined Glastonbury four times, and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Historically, The Cure have used live performance as punctuation marks between long studio cycles – Disintegration arrived after a three-year gap, Bloodflowers seven years after Wild Mood Swings, and 4:13 Dream another five years after that. Songs of a Lost World extended that pattern further, arriving 16 years after 4:13 Dream but restoring the band’s grand emotional scale and sonic intensity. The follow-up remix album featured contributions from Four Tet, Mogwai, and Deftones frontman Chino Moreno – a reminder that The Cure’s influence stretches far beyond genre lines.
The film’s announcement also follows a cryptic update to the band’s website revealing that in March 2025 The Cure returned to Rockfield Studios to record 13 new tracks – confirmation that the next chapter is already well underway. Smith has previously suggested a second near-finished album existed alongside Songs of a Lost World, hinting a third collection was also in development. True to form, The Cure are not moving quietly.
The band have announced new touring plans for 2026, including Primavera Sound and UK/Irish headline shows, leading many fans to assume new material will surface ahead of the tour.
THE CURE : THE SHOW OF A LOST WORLD
Alone
And Nothing Is Forever
A Fragile Thing
Warsong
Drone:Nodrone
I Can Never Say Goodbye
All I Ever Am
Endsong
Plainsong
Pictures of You
High
Lovesong
Burn
Fascination Street
A Night Like This
Push
In Between Days
Just Like Heaven
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
Disintegration
At Night
M
Secrets
Play for Today
A Forest
Lullaby
The Walk
Friday I’m in Love
Close to Me
Why Can’t I Be You?
Boys Don’t Cry
Tickets go on sale 20 November. Venue details will be released shortly via The Cure’s website.
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