The Cure

Inspired by David Bowie's Heathen tour, in which he performed the entire album in order, Robert Smith and the gang conceptualised a two-night, one-city triptych comprised of albums spanning the length of their career. The first night in Berlin begins chronologically with the Pornography album. Expectedly solemn and sober, Smith's style is classically understated and vaguely dramatic. Throughout the sets, themed backdrops match lyrical allusions to spiders or fire or any other standard fare Cure imagery. Pornography starts with a gothed-down charge until the ballads "Siamese Twins," "The Figurehead" and "A Strange Day" revert to a familiarly sad space. The arty effects at the title track closer are by no means revelatory, but serve to reinvigorate interest and allow the song to impact as the night's closer. Upbeat, hopeful and resolved love songs comprise the change-of-pace Disintegration set, an album that generated a leap in commercial success for the band. Save for the occasional vocal slip-up, the sound is polished and precise, almost to a fault. What were once emotive, affected harmonies nearly become straightforward playing out of measured beats and matter-of-fact melodies. That is until the following Bloodflowers set, where the most slick and produced Cure album becomes simplified, with guitar solos taking the spotlight from grandiose orchestration. The playing up or down of individual albums works to connect the three by finding a mean level of performance. "Thank you very much," Smith repeats his only comment to the audience timidly before the tangent direction of the encore songs from Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. A post-film interview provides insight into the Trilogy hypothesis and relates thoughts on the actual performance. Smith describes the show as "this Cure playing those songs," which is exactly how it all comes across. An intriguing premise developed into an interesting enough to watch film — if for nothing else you'll get to see the perpetually angst-y love-sick dog himself crack a charming smile during "Maybe Someday." Extras: interview. (Eagle Vision/EMI)