Robert Smith’s “Cureator” week fills the Royal Albert Hall
Seven nights chosen by Robert Smith bring Elbow, Mogwai, Manic Street Preachers, My Bloody Valentine, Garbage, Placebo and Wolf Alice together for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Robert Smith’s first full week as guest curator of the Teenage Cancer Trust concerts ended on 29 March after seven nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall. He inherited a formidable tradition from the series’ founding curator Roger Daltrey and answered it with a programme that felt unmistakably his own.
Elbow opened the week, followed by a comedy bill selected by Smith. Mogwai, Manic Street Preachers and My Bloody Valentine took the middle nights; Garbage and Placebo shared Saturday, before Wolf Alice closed the run with Nilüfer Yanya. The choices connected different generations without sanding away their edges.
A milestone inside the week
The Manic Street Preachers date on 26 March became the charity’s 150th Royal Albert Hall show. By that point, the concert series had raised more than £36 million for specialist care and support for young people with cancer. The number gave Smith’s “Cureator” role a weight beyond taste-making, even if the calibre of the bill was what first caught attention.
Saturday supplied the most direct salute to the curator. Garbage covered The Cure’s “Lovesong” during an emotionally charged set, while Placebo delivered a rare stripped-back performance. Smith did not need to put his own band on the bill for The Cure’s presence to be felt; it ran through the friendships, influences and loyalties holding the week together.
The result was neither a disguised Cure festival nor a safe charity gala. It was a coherent week of music and comedy assembled for a cause, with artists trusted to be fully themselves.
Sources and further reading: Teenage Cancer Trust: 2026 line-up · Teenage Cancer Trust: 150-show milestone · NME: Garbage and Placebo report