The Cure close Isle Of Wight Festival 2026: full setlist and review

22 June 2026, 12:34 | Updated: 23 June 2026, 16:54

The Cure's Robert Smith at Isle of Wight Festival 2026. Picture: Chloe Hashemi

By Martin O'Gorman

Robert Smith and co offered a majestic end to the veteran festival, which also saw sets from the likes of Wet Leg, The Kooks and The Last Dinner Party.

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The story goes that Robert Smith went with his older brother to the Isle Of Wight Festival back in 1970, with a hope of seeing Jimi Hendrix headline - but was barred from entering the site because he was too young.

Anyone who's followed the Cure frontman's career will know that Smith has claimed a number of things that may not necessarily be true… but who are we to argue with this ironic tale? It gives The Cure's headline appearance at the 2026 Isle Of Wight Festival a pleasant feeling of closure.

The Cure headlined the final day of the Isle Of Wight Festival 2026. Picture: Emma Terracciano/Alamy Live News

For the best part of 40 years, the British band have occupied the sort of space that was once ruled by the likes of The Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd; with a formidable live show and an equally formidable set of dedicated fans, The Cure have headlined pretty much every major rock festival in the world - except for the Isle Of Wight.

When The Cure last headed out on the festival circuit seven summers ago, the group were in a very different place. There was still much speculation about the band's long-awaited new album - at that point, it was eleven years since their previous release, 2008’s 4:13 Dream.

The 2024 release of Songs Of A Lost World changed all that, galvanising The Cure's career and giving them some of the best notices they’ve ever received. When pop superstar Olivia Rodrigo namechecked the band's music and invited Robert Smith onstage at Glastonbury last year, interest in The Cure peaked.

Abigail Morris of The Last Dinner Party and Luke Pritchard of The Kooks wow the crowds on Sunday at Isle Of Wight Festival 2026. Picture: Sara Lincoln/Press

So rounding off one of the biggest festivals in the UK seems like the ideal way to kick off another summer of live shows. With Lewis Capaldi and Calvin Harris topping the bill on the previous two days and everyone from Wet Leg to Rick Astley appearing on the festival stages across the weekend, The Cure topped a Sunday line-up that featured the reassuring indie sounds of The Kooks and David Gray and a confident set from British favourites The Last Dinner Party.

The Isle Of Wight festival enjoyed its last, sold out day as the UK entered another heatwave. The capacity crowd may have been sweltering under parasols - the new fashion accessory of 2026, you know - but the heat didn't affect their enthusiasm.

The Cure's Robert Smith, bassist Simon Gallup and keyboard player Roger O'Donnell at Isle of Wight 2026. Picture: Sarah Louise Bennett/Day Rutherford

The Cure opened their Isle Of Wight set with Alone, the uncompromising opening track from the acclaimed Songs Of A Lost World album. It’s about as far from a “festival” song you could imagine - Smith announces the “end of every song that we sing” - but it’s testament to the sheer variety of the group’s material that by the end of the show, the huge crowd is on its feet and dancing.

Some festival-goers may be intimidated and a little confused by the prospect of a two-and-a-half hour festival set, but they should understand that The Cure don't skimp - you're getting the full experience, here.

The setlist doesn’t dip too deeply into Songs Of A Lost World - only adding the glacial sweep of Endsong to round off the main set - but a number of Cure classics are present and correct, including Pictures Of You, Lovesong, In Between Days and Just Like Heaven. The epic post-punk anthem A Forest hit hard as a beautiful sunset falls over Seaclose Park.

The Cure - Friday I'm In Love at Isle of Wight 2026

For the committed Cure fans, there are a couple of surprises: alt.end from the band’s Ross Robinson-produced self-titled album from 2004 and the jaunty single Mint Car from 1996’s under-appreciated Wild Mood Swings. The current line-up of the band sees Smith accompanied by long-term members Simon Gallup on bass, Roger O'Donnell on keyboards and Jason Cooper on drums, while former Bowie collaborator Reeves Gabrels performs sonic wizardry on guitar. Gallup's son Eden adds extra guitar and keyboards, filling the role held by the late Perry Bamonte, who died at Christmas last year.

The Cure's Isle Of Wight show ends, in traditional style with an extraordinary run of “pop” hits that demonstrate Robert Smith’s songwriting skill, with Let’s Go To Bed and The Lovecats getting a rare outing after a jubilant rendition of Friday I'm In Love. The show closes on an exuberant note with the endearingly daft Why Can’t I Be You? and the timeless Boys Don’t Cry.

The Cure's Robert Smith at Isle Of Wight Festival 2026. Picture: Mark Holloway/Redferns/Getty

It may be the end of the Isle Of Wight Festival for this year - although you can sign up for details of the 2027 event already - but it's only the first UK show for The Cure, who will play Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin this week. The band then taking on European festivals such as Roskilde and Rock Werchter next month, before returning to the UK for further dates and the Paris event Rock en Seine in August.