Concrete Playground

When Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio played Vivid LIVE 2010, half the audience walked out within a half hour. For the Velvet Underground fans in the house, a “Night of Deep Noise" didn’t quite cut it, and with clearly no chance of hearing 'Heroin' or 'I'm Waiting for That Man', it simply wasn't worth hanging around for. It was a harsh reminder, for some, that our favourite artists do change with time, even if our playlists don’t — whether it be a change in musical direction, lifestyle or simply faded talent.

Which is why, when Vivid LIVE announced The Cure on this year’s bill, I was suspicious. Having seen Robert Smith and co. at a festival in Spain in 2005 play only music from a recent and rather obscure new-direction album, I presumed the worst. It wasn’t that they were bad, it’s just that they weren’t my The Cure, the band that seduced me with 'Closer' and '10:15 Saturday Night', The Cure that I, and the thousands of Spanish fans screaming “Curé! Curé!” had anticipated.

Thankfully all fears were obliterated with an announcement that the band will play 'Reflections' — a 180min (yes three hours) programme of music from their first three albums including punk-rock inspired The Imaginary Boys (1979), their second, darker album Seventeen Seconds (1980) and thoroughly gloomy gothic-rock album Faith (1981). Even better, each album will be performed by its original members including Robert Smith, Simon Gallup and Jason Cooper.

Which means you'll hear 'Fire in Cairo', 'Boy’s Don’t Cry', 'A Forest' and 'Faith', all within the walls of the brilliant Concert Hall. There's probably no chance of hearing later upbeat mainstream hit 'Friday I’m in Love' but that wouldn't make for pure early Cure torment and gloom would it? Tickets go on sale on May 12th . One worth setting your alarms for!