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Perhaps the most beautiful moment does not take place in, but after the concert: to the Playback sounds of “Sweet Talking Guy”, the 1966 soul hit of the chiffons, the Cure musicians once again dance for their fans, on the balcony of the Roman amphitheater Théâtre Antique d’Orange, where they made two hours as part of their “Beach Party” concert trips. The five are only very small to see in a total. The spectators cheer them, far away, from far below. Then the credits set in.
Here it became clear that The Cure had long been pop, even if some still called them “Gruftis”. The Chiffons Power anticipated the future course with Motown rhythm (“Why Can’t I Be You?”) And Ibiza-Party (“Hot Hot !!!”). The double album “Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me” stood there, it was supposed to be released in May 1987. And also when “The Cure in Orange” celebrated its premiere before, in February of the year-strictly speaking in the “Head on the Door” period-this timing proved to be unhappy. Most countries only enjoyed the concert film from autumn. Of course, “Kiss Me” was out for a long time. And the set presented here is outdated.
At “Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me” the singer displayed his impressive hairstyle as usual, but at the beginning of this appearance of 1986 Robert Smith, before he made it onto the stage from behind, is torn down the bird nest wig: a practical popper cut. And then the title of the concert film! “In Orange”: Nobody read that as if it were French. Everyone read that as if it were English. And not as a place, but as a color. The orange was fruit, was pop. Nobody thought of the French city, and no fan knew outside of France, the name was more of a band image.
In the moshpit
The South French small town has many ancient sites for which it is famous, and around ten years after the memorable Cure-Gig in the amphitheater, Orange would be the first city in France that chooses a front national politician as mayor. But the youth who gathered on August 9, 31 years ago on a small scale in front of the stage and on the stands, looked great, freedom and game. Director Tim Pope avoided close-ups from the fans, but at least the constant little Moshpit (almost not present at Cure concerts today) uses every opportunity to get: “Play for Today”, “Primary”, “Push” …
In general, the recordings: Pope seemed to get along with four to five camera settings, and there are really long settings for the band-which is a good sign, since quick cuts can hide game errors. But Robert Smith and colleagues were just well. That year from April to August, The Cure completed 26 concerts and hardly varied her setlist, which was unusual for her. The Orientalik of “Piggy in the Mirror” fit perfectly into the theater, and luckily the dry drums of “One Hundred Years”, fortunately miles away from the mechanical drum sound from later tours, seemed to bounce off the cold, naked stone of the site.
Cure: And Robert Smith also danced
The Cure, and that was felt at any moment, was about to break through the chart. At that time, of course, no one could know that her sixth album, “The Head on the Door”, almost marked the middle of her record career from today’s perspective. But except for “The Lovecats” all of their (secret hits) were gathered under the 23 pieces, “Inbetween Days”, “Close to Me”, “Boys Don’t Cry”, “The Walk” and and.
The then 27-year-old Smith began to feel more and more comfortable even without a guitar. He danced. Cure were a pop power, and later classics such as “Just Like Heaven”, “Lovesong” or “Friday I’m in Love” may not even exist on paper. This film demonstrated to everyone who could not or did not want to see the British live that their concept was much larger than what many characterize many as “Gothic”.
There is no Blu-ray or DVD, and if you have a VHS of “The Cure in Orange”, you can get annoyed about the lack of agreement of image and sound. But that Robert Smith’s lip movements are also nice. He seemed to whisper for himself, talking to tongues.