The Cure has been confirmed as the first Øyafestivalen 2026 headliner, with a presale for their UK tour beginning today.
The Robert Smith-fronted group confirmed their return to the stage by announcing a series of festival dates, including at Rock en Seine in Paris, France. The Cure has since been confirmed for Øyafestivalen, the Norwegian music festival which was established in 1999. Last year, the festival hosted Chappel Roan, Queens of the Stone Age, and Charli XCX as the headliners. The Cure were announced for the festival along with Amyl and the Sniffers. More announcements for Øyafestivalen are expected in the coming weeks, but it’s a strong start for the festival as they secure the Boys Don’t Cry hitmakers. The Cure will perform at the festival on August 12.
A statement from Øyafestivalen reads: “First release and headlining the Island 2026! This summer, The Cure will once again show why they are one of the world’s best concert attractions, with a full set of good songs.” The band had previously played Øyafestivalen in 2019.
The band were previously announced for a headline slot at Nova Rock festival in Austria. They will perform there on June 12, with a series of UK and Ireland tour dates also scheduled for next summer.
The Cure may also have another album ready ahead of their Øyafestivalen return, with Smith suggesting another release from the band may be ready by summer next year. Speaking to John Kennedy at Radio X, Smith confirmed new material was on the way and that all he needed to do was “mix it”.
He said: “The companion piece to Songs Of A Lost World, which will be out hopefully before next summer, is what I’m currently finishing. I just need to mix it.
“It’s not as dark in some ways, although it actually has probably the saddest song of all of them on it. It has a couple of songs that we were playing live which didn’t make it onto Songs Of A Lost World and it has some completely new stuff that no one’s ever heard. But it’s probably more varied, I think.”
It’s another show in an already busy 2026 for Robert Smith and the band, with the frontman confirmed as the new ambassador for Teenage Cancer Trust. Teenage Cancer Trust founder Roger Daltrey confirmed Smith’s role next year.
He said: “It has not been easy to find the right curator for the week of concerts in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall, but it’s with great excitement that I can announce that Robert Smith has signed up for 2026.
“With The Cure’s long and outstanding support for Teenage Cancer Trust, Robert appreciates the vital work this charity does. The concerts have become an essential fixture in the music calendar, featuring some of the world’s greatest artists. It has been a challenge to find the right person to take them on – but Robert, a true musical great, is the perfect curator for the 2026 concerts.”
