The Cure, Deftones, the Pixies to headline inaugural Pasadena Daydream Festival

“Do we really need another summertime music festival?”

When the lineup is curated by the Cure and includes the likes of the Pixies, Deftones, and of course the band spearheading the whole thing, then the answer is yes. On Tuesday (May 14), the British band announced the inaugural Pasadena Daydream Festival which will take place later this year.

Mogwai, Throwing Muses, Chelsea Wolfe, the Joy Formidable, former the Cure tour mates the Twilight Sad, and more will round out the festival’s lineup. The one-day event will take place Saturday, Aug. 31, at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in (where else) Pasadena.

Tickets for the new music festival go on sale this Friday, May 17, at noon PT. General admission and VIP tickets will be available for purchase. According to the festival’s website, $1 from every ticket sold will go towards music and arts education organizations and local charities including Mr. Holland’s Opus, Little Kids Rock, Free Arts for Abused Children, Inner-City Arts, and The Painted Turtle.

For more information about tickets, the lineup, or the charities, head on over to Pasadena Daydream’s website.

The Pasadena Daydream Festival announcement comes a year after the Cure frontman Robert Smith was selected as the curator for the 25th anniversary of London’s Meltdown Festival. During an interview after the event, Smith admitted that working on the lineup for the show helped get his creative juices flowing and reignited his passion for writing music.

“I’ve suddenly fallen in love with the idea of writing songs,” Smith told BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Shaun Keaveny.

“Funnily enough, doing this Meltdown thing has actually galvanized me, and I’ve booked studio time for the band.”

No word on when fans should expect the new the Cure album to be out; their last studio record was 2008’s 4:13 Dream.

The Cure, Guns N’ Roses, Cardi B to headline Austin City Limits 2019

The Cure, Guns N’ Roses, and Cardi B are just some of the acts making their way to Austin in the fall for the 18th annual Austin City Limits. On Tuesday (April 30), festival organizers unveiled the massive and diverse lineup for the 2019 edition of the event.

Joining the already stacked lineup are Mumford and Sons, Tame Impala, Childish Gambino, Robyn, Thom Yorke performing Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, Kacey Musgraves, Jenny Lewis, Lizzo, Lil Uzi Vert, Billie Eilish, 21 Savage, Rosalía, the Raconteurs, LANY, and many more.

As noted by the official poster for the event, Cardi B will only perform during the first weekend of the gig while Robyn will take over her slot during the second weekend. It’s also noted that the Kooks will only play during the first weekend of the show while Third Eye Blind will take over during weekend two.

This year marks the debut for many headliners including Guns N’ Roses (it’s also their first show in Austin in 25 years), Cardi B, Eilish, and Robyn. This also marks Childish Gambino’s makeup appearance at the weekend-long festival after having to cancel last year due to a foot injury he sustained during the Dallas stop of his “This is America” tour.

The 18^th annual Austin City Limits will take over Zilker Park during the weekends of Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 11-13.

Tickets for the three-day event are currently available for purchase on their website. There are four different ticket options to pick from for weekend passes as well as single-day passes. ACL is offering fans several packages including general admission, general admission plus, VIP, and platinum. For more information about the lineup, tickets, or general inquiries, head on over to Austin City Limits’ website.

Robert Smith continues to tease new music from The Cure

If word that the Cure were part of the latest inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wasn’t enough to make your gothic little heart flutter then we’ve got even better news. On Friday (Dec. 14), the British band announced plans to release a new album in the new year. In a recent interview on Sirius XM, frontman Robert Smith confirmed that the group is mere weeks from finishing their impending new album.

“We’re going in about six weeks’ time to finish up what will be our first album in more than a decade,” Smith explains.

“It’s very exciting times for us all around.”

In the same interview, Smith reveals that he was inspired to return to the recording studio after playing the role of curator for the 25th anniversary of London’s Meltdown Festival.

“Seeing all these new bands inspired me to do something new,” he admits.

This isn’t the first time Smith has confessed that playing curator and performing at the Meltdown Festival influenced the band’s decision to head into the studio. In April, the musician told BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Shaun Keaveny that curating the festival ignited his passion to write new music.

“I’ve suddenly fallen in love with the idea of writing songs,” Smith told Keaveny at the time.

“Funnily enough, doing this Meltdown thing has actually galvanized me and I’ve booked studio time for the band.”

The still-untitled record will be the band’s first new album in over a decade. The Cure’s last studio album was 2008’s 4:13 Dream.

With talks of a new record, it’s only logical that the band is beginning to announce tour dates. In September, Smith announced via Twitter that the group will embark on a 20-stop music festival tour during the summertime. The band has already been confirmed for Belgium’s Rock Werchter, Portugal’s NOS Alive, Finland’s Flow Festival, and Spain’s Mad Cool Festival though we expect more to be announced throughout the rest of 2018 and well into 2019.

Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks, The Cure to join the Rock and Roll Hall in 2019

Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks, and the Cure are just some of the artists who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame come spring 2019. On Thursday (Dec. 13), the newly added members of the prestigious club were announced.

In a press statement, Nicks shows her gratitude for her second induction into the Hall of Fame.

“I have a lot to say about this, but I will save those words for late,” begins the queen witch’s statement. “For now I will just say, I have been in a band since 1968. To be recognized for my solo work makes me take a deep breath and smile. It’s a glorious feeling.”

Nicks is the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; the first time was with Fleetwood Mac in 1998.

Jackson also released a statement about the honor saying: “Thank you Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I am truly honored and I am happy to be in there with my brothers.”

Like Jackson and Nicks, longtime the Cure keyboardist Roger O’Donnell thanked the fans and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the band’s recognition.

“It’s very nice to be acknowledged by the fans primarily, and the industry and you guys, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

The biggest surprise addition was the inclusion of Radiohead. In the past, several members of the band have shared their opinions of the honor.

“I don’t want to be rude about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because for a lot of people it means something, but culturally I don’t understand it. I think it might be a quintessential American thing,” said guitarist Ed O’Brien in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2017.

Instead of rejecting the recognition, the band released a simple message: “The band thanks the Hall of Fame voting body and extends congratulations to this year’s fellow inductees.”

This year’s other nominees included Kraftwerk, Todd Rundgren, Rage Against the Machine, Rufus & Chaka Khan, MC5, LL Cool J, John Prine and Devo.

In order for an artist to be eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their first recording must have been released at least 25 years ago.

The 34th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on March 26, 2019 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Like past years the ceremony will air on HBO at a later date. Ticket details will be announced in January.

Last year’s inductees included Nina Simone, the Cars, Bon Jovi, the Moody Blues, and Dire Straits.

Robert Smith teases new music from The Cure

Should fans of the Cure expect new music from the band to coincide with their 40th anniversary as a group? If fans are to believe a recent interview with frontman Robert Smith, then the answer to that question is maybe. On Tuesday (April 10), Smith appeared on BBC Radio 6 Music to talk about his role as curator for the 25th anniversary of London’s Meltdown Festival.

During the chat, Smith revealed that helping curate the upcoming event may have reignited his passion for writing music.

“I’ve suddenly fallen in love with the idea of writing songs,” Smith told DJ Shaun Keaveny.

“Funnily enough, doing this Meltdown thing has actually galvanized me and I’ve booked studio time for the band.”

As the interview continued, Keaveny asked Smith if Meltdown attendees should expect the Cure to hit the stage. Smith revealed that usually the final night of the show is reserved for that year’s curator and explained how the group has thrown out ideas on how they should celebrate their major anniversary which will actually take place on July 9.

“What shall we do? Go back to Crawley, where it all started? Play in the pub where we did our first show as the Cure? Or should we go mega, play a show in every capital city in the world?”

Currently, the Cure only have two shows lined up for 2018; Meltdown and a one-off gig at London’s Hyde Park in July. If the band does go into the studio to record new music, then maybe, just maybe that will mean they will hit the road to promote the new tunes and celebrate the milestone.

The Cure’s last official studio recording was their contribution to a Paul McCartney tribute album in 2014. The group covered the Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” for that record. Their last studio album was 2008’s 4:13 Dream.

The Cure Extend Massive 2016 Tour to Europe

After announcing a lengthy North American tour schedule for next summer (and even having to add an additional date to their final stop in Miami), The Cure have unveiled plans to take the extravaganza home to Europe in the fall of 2016. On Monday (Nov. 23), the West Sussex band revealed that once their North American tour wraps up on June 27, 2016, they will take a couple of months off before launching into another lengthy excursion.

The European leg of the upcoming tour is schedule to kick off on Oct. 7, 2016 at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki. The almost two-month trek will then wrap up on Dec. 1 at London’s famed Wembley Arena. Much like their North American counterpart, the tour will feature the Twilight Sad as The Cure’s opening act.

Check out the complete 2016 tour schedule for The Cure below.

The Cure 2016 North American Tour Dates:

05/10 – New Orleans, LA @ U.N.O. Lakefront Arena *
05/11 – New Orleans, LA @ U.N.O. Lakefront Arena *
05/13 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center *
05/14 – Houston, TX @ TBA *
05/15 – Dallas, TX @ TBA *
05/17 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center *
05/19 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan *
05/20 – Chula Vista, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater *
05/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/26 – Mountain View, CA @ Shorline Amphitheatre *
05/31 – Vancouver, BC @ Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park *
06/03 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center *
06/05 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre *
06/08 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre *
06/10 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
06/11 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
06/12 – Toronto, ON @ TBA *
06/13 – Toronto, ON @ TBA *
06/14 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
06/16 – Boston, MA @ TBA *
06/18 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/19 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/20 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/22 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion *
06/24 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheater Lakewood *
06/26 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheater *
06/27 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheater *

The Cure 2016 European Tour Dates:

10/07 – Helsinki, FI @ Hartwall Arena *
10/09 – Stockholm, SE @ Ericsson Globe Arena *
10/11 – Oslo, NO @ Spektrum *
10/12 – Gotenburg, SE @ Scandinavium *
10/14 – Copenhagen, DK @ Forum *
10/17 – Hamburg, DE @ Barclaycard Arena *
10/18 – Berlin, DE @ Mercedes-Benz Arena *
10/20 – Lodz, PL @ Atlas Arena *
10/22 – Prague, CZ @ O2 Arena *
10/24 – Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle *
10/26 – Vienna, AT @ Marxhalle *
10/27 – Budapest, HR @ Papp Lazlo Sports Arena *
10/29 – Bologna, IT @ Unipol Arena *
10/30 – Rome, IT @ Palalottomatica *
11/01 – Milan, IT @ Mediolanum Forum *
11/04 – Basel, CH @ St. Jakobshalle *
11/08 – Leipzig, DE @ Arena *
11/10 – Cologne, DE @ Lanxess Arena *
11/12 – Antwerp, BE @ Sportspaleis *
11/13 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome *
11/15 – Paris, FR @ AccorHotels Arena *
11/17 – Lyon, FR @ Halle Tony Garnier *
11/18 – Montpellier, FR @ Park & Suites Arena *
11/20 – Madrid, ES @ Barclaycard Center *
11/22 – Lisbon, PT @ MEO Arena *
11/24 – Bilbao, ES @ BEC *
11/26 – Barcelona, ES @ Palau St Jordi *
11/29 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Arena *
12/01 – London, UK @ SSE Wembley Arena *

* = w/ The Twilight Sad

The Cure Unveil Complete 2016 North American Tour Itinerary

It’s been a month since The Cure announced they will be hitting the touring circuit in the new year; their first official tour since 2008. Now, the ’80s band has returned to unveil their complete itinerary for 2016. On Tuesday (Nov. 10), The Cure confirmed that their 2016 tour will begin on May 11, 2016 in New Orleans (venue still TBA) and conclude over a month later on June 26, 2016 at Bayfront Park in Miami. On the band’s official website, they also reveal that they will have an as-yet-to-be-announced show in Seattle, WA sparking rumors that they might perform at the Sasquatch! Music Festival (via Consequence of Sound).

The website also teases that the shows will feature “37 years of Cure songs, mixing hits, rarities, favourites and as yet unreleased tracks in a brand new stage production.”

Check out the complete list of tour dates below and keep on the band’s website as they will be posting pre-sale information soon.

THE CURE’S 2016 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

05/11 – New Orleans, LA @ TBA *
05/13 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center *
05/14 – Houston, TX @ TBA *
05/15 – Dallas, TX @ TBA *
05/17 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center *
05/19 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan *
05/20 – Chula Vista, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater *
05/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/26 – Mountain View, CA @ Shorline Amphitheatre *
05/31 – Vancouver, BC @ Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park *
06/03 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center *
06/05 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre *
06/08 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre *
06/10 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
06/11 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
06/12 – Toronto, ON @ TBA *
06/13 – Toronto, ON @ TBA *
06/14 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
06/16 – Boston, MA @ TBA *
06/18 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/19 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/20 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/22 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion *
06/24 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheater Lakewood *
06/26 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheater *

* = w/ The Twilight Sad

The Cure Announce 2016 North American Tour

North American ’80s goths, rejoice because The Cure have announced they will be heading this way for a tour next year. Taking to Twitter, the English band announced that they will have a 25-date tour in 2016. While the complete list of upcoming tour stops has not been revealed, they felt like being a giving mood and unveiled three stops on the tour.

The three stops will include the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on May 22, UIC Pavilion in Chicago on June 10, and Madison Square Gardens in New York on June 18. Though they have played several North American music festival in recent years, this upcoming tour will be their first actual tour since 2008. Heading out on the road alongside them will be Scottish band Twilight Sad.

The newly released dates can be seen below.

THE CURE’S 2016 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

05/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
06/10 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
06/18 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *

* = w/ The Twilight Sad

Pre-sales for the three stops will go on sale beginning Wednesday, Oct. 7 while general sales will begin on Friday, Oct. 9. For more information, go to The Cure’s official website or keep an eye out on both Facebook and Twitter.

Last year, Robert Smith had fans excited when he announced the band were working on a new album. The record was reportedly to be titled 4:14 Scream, the companion to 2008’s 4:13 Dream (the new record was supposed to include leftover material from the 2008 release). Since then, there has been no updates on the record.

Rock Band 4 Track List Unveiled

It’s the return of the music-centric video games!

Hot on the heels of Activision’s announcement that they would be relaunching their once great video game franchise, Guitar Hero with Guitar Hero Live, another musical instrument video game has announced its return; Rock Band.

Though the announcement that the video game would be coming back was actually made a few months back, the people behind Rock Band 4 have now unveiled part of the track list for the upcoming game. Bands like Paramore, the Foo Fighters, Avenged Sevenfold, Aerosmith, and the Cure will be part of the 1,500 tracks that will be available for download at the Rock Band music store when the game is released in the Fall.

“With Rock Band 4, we’re doubling down on the energy and excitement of playing music live with your friends,” says Harmonix (the developers of the game) Chief Executive Officer Steve Janiak.

“Focusing on the core experience that our fans have told us they love allows us to evolve established gameplay in meaningful ways that we can’t wait to share with everyone later this year.”

Check out some of the track list below.

Aerosmith: “Toys In The Attic”
Avenged Sevenfold: “Hail to the King”
Benjamin Booker: “Violent Shiver”
The Cure: “Friday I’m In Love”
Dream Theater: “Metropolis Part 1 – The Miracle And The Sleeper”
Elvis Presley: “Suspicious Minds”
Fleetwood Mac: “You Make Loving Fun”
Foo Fighters: “The Feast And The Famine”
Jack White: “Lazaretto”
Judas Priest: “Halls Of Valhalla”
The Killers: “Somebody Told Me”
Live: “All Over You”
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars: “Uptown Funk”
The Outfield: “Your Love”
Ozzy Osbourne: “Miracle Man”
Paramore: “Still Into You”
Queens of the Stone Age: “My God is the Sun”
Scandal: “The Warrior”
Spin Doctors: “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”
St Vincent: “Birth In Reverse”
Van Morrison: “Brown Eyed Girl”
The Who: “The Seeker”

Earlier this week, Harmonix had revealed that gamers will now be given the opportunity to freestyle guitar solos as they play. The game will now allow players to be more flexible in their playing, so instead of having to hit that note at the right exact place at the right exact time, the game will allow the player to follow some general guidelines. During the freestyle, you will still be scored, but apparently, you can’t fail either.

Check out a video directly from Tech Crunch who got the chance to play int his new mode.

Rock Band 4 is set to be released on Oct. 9.

Artist Come Together to Support ‘Music Without Barriers’

Going to concerts and seeing our favorite artists in the flesh is something that many, if not all, music fans live for. Sadly, not every music fans can make it to a show and completely relish in the moment because some are deaf or handicap. Though there has been many improvements to help include these normally isolated music fans, there is probably other things that can be done to help include them.

Now, some musicians are joining forces for a campaign to help improve gig access for deaf and disabled music fans.

The online campaign, “Music Without Barriers” is led by the charity, Attitude is  Everything which works to improve deaf and disabled people’s access to live music.

Their new mission is to get U.K. venues and festivals to join the 90-plus who already have, to become invested in the charity’s “Charter of Best Practice.”

The “Charter of Best Practice” encourages event producers to go beyond the basic legal requirements to ensure disabled access to gigs. They also yearn to promote four key principles: that improving access to gigs and festivals doesn’t have to be expensive; that there is a strong business case for improving access; that it’s vital deaf and disabled fans have access to information before events; and to lose the assumption that all disabled people are wheelchair users.

This new mission has gotten major support from some of music’s well-known artists such as The Cure’s Robert Smith, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, Alt-J, Frank Turner, Enter Shikari and many more.

Time to step up your game, USA.