PINKPOP in my words - Review 2026 (Ralph van Dellen aka John Ross Ewing)

Nach den Alben  "Seventeen Seconds" (1980), "Faith" (1981) und "Pornography" (1982) konnte man konstatieren "it goes dark, it goes darker still".  Depression, das Gefühl, nicht verbunden zu sein, mangelndes Selbstwertgefühl, Verletzlichkeit, den vermeintlichen Anforderungen nicht genügen zu können, das sind Themen, die weniger als früher tabuisiert werden und gesamtgesellschaftlich mittlerweile beherrschend und allgegenwärtig sind. Diese Band ist der Heimathafen für diese Zustände und Gefühlswelten.  Bereits Mitte der Achtzigerjahre aber fing Robert an, die großen Popsongs für eine ganze Generation zu schreiben, parallel hat er  immer weiter Schwermut walten lassen und seine Goth Fans nie enttäuscht. So ist ein spannungsreiches Universum der Popkultur entstanden, das seinesgleichen sucht und The Cure für immer unique macht. Heute ist Robert Smith schlau genug, mit einer Olivia Rodrigo zusammen zu arbeiten und damit auch für andere Musikinteressierte sichtbar zu werden. Eine win win Nummer, auch für das Fan-Girl Olivia.

Die Setlist ist ein wohl abgestimmter Mix aus den schwermütigsten Songs und den umarmenden Welthits. So können sich alle in ihrer persönlichen Cure Mood verlieren und das schwere Herz 🖤 streicheln lassen. Dieses musikalische Medikament verspricht Heilung, zumindest für eine Nacht. Bei einem solchen Festivalauftritt wird klar, wie groß The Cure zwischenzeitlich geworden sind, Stadien sind gefüllt, alle bereit niederzuknien. "Play for today", ein Mini-Indie-Hit von 1980 erfuhr bei den letzten Konzerten eine White Stripes-artige Reinkarnation, heute entfällt der Song. Dafür werden wir mit der Tour-Premiere von "Charlotte Sometimes" belohnt, damit war auch nicht zu rechnen. Manche Songs wirken wie völlig aus der Zeit gefallen, wenn man genauer darüber nachdenkt. Das macht man eigentlich nicht, weil sie Teile von einem sind. "A Forest" beispielsweise, ein Indie-Disco-Monolith, und man geht bereitwillig mit in den Wald. Oder ganz besonders "Lullaby", Eigentlich ein großer Quatsch-Song, unglaublich, wie erfolgreich die Band damit war. Doch auch hier verfolgen wir ganz genau, wie der Spider-Man seine Zunge auf unsere Augäpfel legt. Es wirkt so befreiend, dass Robert Smith sich nie hat brechen lassen, hat sich seine Schrulligkeit im besten Sinne bewahrt und hat dadurch auch auf der Bühne weiterhin große Freiheiten. Seine großen Songs haben eben kein Standardformat. Das lässt ihn live ausbrechen und führt dazu, dass man bei "Lovecats" und "Close to me" ein vergnügtes Ende erlebt oder auch bei "Why Can't I be you?" eine weitere persönliche Note. Simply evident 😉

SETLIST

1. Alone
2. Pictures of You
3. High
4. Lovesong
5. Charlotte Sometimes (Tour debut)
6. Burn
7. Fascination Street
8. A Night Like This
9. Push
10. In Between Days
11. Just Like Heaven
12. The Last Day of Summer
13. A Forest
14. From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
15. Endsong
Encore:
16. Lullaby
17. Wrong Number
18. The Walk
19. The Lovecats
20. Friday I'm in Love
21. Close to Me
22. Why Can't I Be You?
23. Boys Don't Cry
 

Mein persönliches Highlight war die aufeinanderfolgende Präsentation von zwei todtraurigen, super langen Songs: "From the edge of the deep green sea"  vom Album, "Wish" und  "Endsong" vom letzten Album, auf welches wir immerhin 16 Jahre warten mussten. Zum Glück bewahrt sich die Band live solche Eskapaden, so werden sie niemals als Hitlieferanten und Pleaser abgetan. Wenn Robert Smith intoniert: "Nothing left of all I loved, It all went Wrong." Und dann mantraartig wiederholt "It's all gone, it's all gone, it's all gone" beginnen die ersten im Publikum, sich Sorgen zu machen. Ich fühle mich an mein erstes Cure Konzert 1989 auf der Freilichtbühne der Lorelei erinnert. Support waren seinerzeit die Pixies, Björks Sugarcubes und The Mission. Das Konzert ging mit „Plainsong“ los und das reguläre Set endete mit „The same deep water as you“, „Prayers for rain“ und „Disintegration“. Eine ähnliche Stimmung, auch deshalb weil der letzte Encore „Faith“ war. Robert Smith riss sich beim Spielen selbst Haare aus, heutzutage ein zu kostbares Gut.

Mit dem üblichen Schluss "Boys  don't Cry" werden wir in die Nacht entlassen. Und wir wissen, dass die formidablen HAUNTED BY YOUTH dies am gleichen Nachmittag etwas anders ausgedrückt haben: Boys Cry, too. Sie meinen das gleiche. Nach dem Konzert übrigens ein Wetterleuchten, wie es seinesgleichen sucht und ein mitternächtliches Gewitter.

Sometimes I'm dreaming, where all the other people dance...

Dank u wel, PINKPOP,

Ralph van Dellen aka John Ross Ewing

Pinkpop Festival 2026, Landgraaf, Netherlands

After many years, I’m returning to Pinkpop—a festival with a fantastic lineup—in our beautiful neighboring country. It takes just an hour to get from Cologne to Landgraaf, so it’s practically right next door. I have fond memories of so many great concerts there—the Smashing Pumpkins, Björk with her sensational debut album, the Tindersticks, Morphine, and the fantastic Dutch band Claw Boys Claw (I’ve spotted a few Hipcat shirts there, too)—acts that became lifelong musical companions.

I’ll be attending on Saturday, and the lineup is spectacular, so I’m incredibly excited.

JEHNNY BETH

I know her manic stage presence from her band, Savages. Her performances are never merely routine; they are always uncompromising, radical, introspective, and wild. She has a gift for igniting people’s passions and stands firmly for her cause. She is incredibly tactile and affectionate—simply magical. As a performer, she embodies the spirit of both Siouxsie Sioux and Iggy Pop, and—perhaps unintentionally—she and her brilliant band channel the sheer power of Soundgarden. Her message to the queer community and everyone else is: "I do everything men do, but in heels"—all while letting herself be carried by the crowd.

THE HAUNTED YOUTH

The Belgian band led by songwriter Joachim Liebens—a storyteller of psychedelic dream pop—is presenting its second album, *Boys Cry Too*. It is a remarkably elegiac performance. They fit perfectly into a lineup that sets the stage for the evening’s musical highlight: The Cure. With their carefully layered walls of guitar sound, the band transports the audience into an atmosphere of all-encompassing melancholy. They are already far beyond "newcomer" status; I am surprised to see an estimated 20,000 people gathered in and around the Tent Stage, singing along word-for-word to Joachim’s sensitive lyrics. I am certain they are destined to become a phenomenon on the same scale as Cigarettes After Sex.

FRANZ FERDINAND

When it comes to a defining band of the 2000s, one naturally wonders just how relevant they remain today. The same applies to Maximo Park—whom I would place in a similar category—from last year. Like Paul Smith, Alex Kapranos is a fantastic and incredibly charismatic frontman; both possess a unique ability to underscore the urgency and relevance of their respective bands. Whether through classic hits or new material, the music resonates with the times—especially in a live setting—captivating the audience and drawing them in. That said, "Michael," "Take Me Out," and "This Fire" really ignite the crowd; "Darts of Pleasure" isn't played, so—like it or not—we have to do without "Schampus mit Lachsfisch".

IDLES

IDLES are arguably the ultimate cure for the audience. I used to describe them as the most feminist band in the world—despite having no female members. Joe Talbot remains a fiercely positive yet aggressive frontman, holding forth on unity, mental health, and mutual respect. Give the man a professorship—or better yet, a political office. Though that’s unlikely to happen in the UK, given how often he incites crowds to chant "Fuck the King."

The sheer force of IDLES remains undiminished—a blend of catharsis, mosh pits, and a shared communal experience. Aggression, love, rage, and solidarity. Years ago, I wore an IDLES shirt to a festival and was hugged by complete strangers because of it. This band has cultivated an incredible, unparalleled resonance. So, if you haven’t experienced an IDLES concert yet, please do yourself a favor and go see them. Love!

EDITORS

Early on, the Editors couldn't quite shake the perception that they didn't quite measure up to the depth, the coolness, and the "fucked-up New York mindset" of Interpol. That still holds true, by the way. In the meantime, however, they have rightly carved out their own path; they are particularly impressive live, display great versatility, and have significantly boosted their pop appeal. Even the Pinkpop crowd hums along.

THE CURE

"A concert is an event where songs come back to life," says the astute Jarvis Cocker regarding the release of the new live album by his band, Pulp. That is exactly what I can expect—and I’m pretty sure of it beforehand—from this Cure concert.

The concert opens with "Alone," the first track from their latest album, *Songs of a Lost World*. During the lengthy instrumental intro, the band demonstrates perfect synchronization. Robert Smith uses this time to settle into the stage presence and—with visible humility—gaze out at the crowds who have come to see him. He is not one of those pop stars who take such things for granted. The Cure first played the Dutch Pinkpop Festival forty years ago; it is likely the only venue where the dominant color in the audience isn't black, but pink. This is especially true this year, as the clear bestseller at the merchandise stand is the pink bucket hat. It must look quite amusing from the stage.

What The Cure are delivering musically right now arguably captures the true spirit of the times. For forty years, the band has explored the darker themes of the human condition and society through their lyrics and music, ensuring that generations of young people feel understood, heard, and validated. In the eighties, their audience consisted of nerds and outsiders, dreamers and misfits. Today, it is everyone.

After the albums *Seventeen Seconds* (1980), *Faith* (1981), and *Pornography* (1982), one could observe that things were getting dark—and then darker still. Depression, a sense of disconnection, low self-esteem, vulnerability, and the feeling of failing to meet perceived expectations—these are themes that are less taboo than they once were, yet have become dominant and omnipresent across society. The band serves as a sanctuary for these states of mind and emotional landscapes. Yet, as early as the mid-eighties, Robert began writing major pop anthems for an entire generation; at the same time, he continued to embrace melancholy and never disappointed his goth fanbase. The result is a dynamic pop-culture universe that is second to none—one that makes The Cure forever unique. Today, Robert Smith is savvy enough to collaborate with the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, thereby gaining visibility among a broader audience of music lovers. It is a win-win situation—not least for Olivia, the self-confessed fangirl.

The setlist is a finely tuned mix of their most melancholic songs and their all-embracing global hits. It allows everyone to lose themselves in their own personal "Cure mood" and find solace for a heavy heart 🖤. This musical remedy promises healing—at least for one night. A festival performance like this makes it clear just how massive The Cure have become; stadiums are packed, and the crowd is ready to kneel in reverence. "Play for Today"—a minor indie hit from 1980—had undergone a White Stripes-esque reincarnation at recent shows, though it is omitted tonight. In its place, we are treated to the tour premiere of "Charlotte Sometimes"—an unexpected surprise. When you really think about it, some of the songs seem completely out of step with time. Yet, you rarely do that, because they have become a part of who you are. Take "A Forest," for instance—an indie-disco monolith that willingly draws you into the woods. Or, most notably, "Lullaby": essentially a silly, whimsical track—it’s incredible how successful the band was with it. And yet, we watch intently as the "Spider-Man" places his tongue upon our eyeballs. It is incredibly liberating that Robert Smith has never let himself be broken; he has preserved his eccentricity in the best possible sense, granting him continued creative freedom on stage. His greatest songs simply don't follow a standard format. This allows him to break the mold during live shows, leading to a joyful finale with "The Lovecats" and "Close to Me," or adding a personal touch with "Why Can't I Be You?" Simply evident 😉

My personal highlight was the back-to-back performance of two incredibly sad, epic-length songs: "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea" from the album *Wish*, and "Endsong" from their latest album—one we had to wait a full 16 years for. Fortunately, the band sticks to these kinds of indulgences in their live shows, ensuring they are never dismissed as mere hit-makers or crowd-pleasers. When Robert Smith sings, "Nothing left of all I loved, It all went Wrong," and then repeats "It's all gone, it's all gone, it's all gone" like a mantra, the first few people in the audience start to worry. It reminds me of my first Cure concert in 1989 at the Loreley open-air stage. The supporting acts back then were the Pixies, Björk’s Sugarcubes, and The Mission. The concert kicked off with "Plainsong," and the main set concluded with "The Same Deep Water as You," "Prayers for Rain," and "Disintegration." The atmosphere was similar—not least because the final encore was "Faith." Robert Smith used to tear out his own hair while playing—something far too precious a commodity these days.

We were sent off into the night with the usual closer, "Boys Don't Cry." Yet we knew that the formidable HAUNTED BY YOUTH had expressed it a bit differently that same afternoon: Boys Cry, too. They mean the same thing. Incidentally, after the concert, there was a spectacular display of heat lightning and a midnight thunderstorm.

Sometimes I'm dreaming, where all the other people dance...

Thank you, PINKPOP,

Ralph van Dellen aka John Ross Ewing