Exhibiting photos of 2026 headliner’s The Cure, the Isle of Wight Festival held an exclusive panel with longtime collaborators and band historians to delve into the world of the band and what makes their appearance at the festival so iconic.
With their signature big hair and dramatic silhouettes, this year’s Isle of Wight Festival headliners The Cure are unmistakably recognisable. It is only right that to celebrate the band, the festival, in collaboration with longtime collaborators and photographers Richard Bellia and Kevin Cummins, has curated an exhibition dedicated to the band at London’s Iconic Images Gallery. Alongside festival organiser John Giddings and author of ‘Curepedia’ Simon Price, the two photographers shared an intimate portrait of their time working with the band at an exclusive Q&A event held at the gallery. Join MITB as we dig deeper into the world of The Cure and learn more about why their appearance on the Isle of Wight this year is due to be nothing short of legendary.
The Iconic Images Gallery doors are guarded by two breathtaking images of David Bowie, who, fittingly, was named as one of Robert Smith’s greatest influences, welcoming the guests into the world of The Cure. The photos on display by both Bellia and Cummins paint both an intimate picture of a musical giant, as well as reinforce the mystifying mythology of the band’s visual identity. All in black and white, the images are a striking journey through the band’s early days through to superstardom. When discussing his favourite pieces, Cummins mentions that one image of Smith was taken at Manchester’s Factory in the late seventies. Murmurs could be heard from the audience at the mention of such a vital venue in British music history; Cummins casually broke through the veil, remarking on the shoddy foam ceiling tiles that frame the image. The photographer remarked that while working, he would try to catch the band playing whenever he could during this period, relaying the familiar excitement of being so enraptured by the band. He remarked that Smith makes a photographer's job very easy, a statement echoed by Bellia: “Robert is so elegant. You only need a couple of minutes [with him] to know you’ll have something good”.
Festival organiser Giddings was quick to announce his excitement and his relief that The Cure were finally playing the festival. He shared that booking the band to headline has been one of his life’s ambitions and that he expects the Atmosphere to be magical. It was wonderful to see the amount of passion Giddings has; he shared that he fell in love with the Isle of Wight Festival, seeing Jimi Hendrix in August of 1970. Interestingly, Price shared that Robert Smith was also at the festival that year, his brother taking him to see his hero Hendrix, whose portrait now sat on the wall overlooking the gallery. Price relayed the tragic tale that Smith was too young to be let in, but he may perhaps gain some closure from Giddings saying that he would have let him in if he were in charge back then. The good news is he is certainly letting him in now!
The panel discussed at length the lasting cultural impact of the band. Price, an expert on the band and their history as well as a life-long fan, spoke of how the band’s instant recognisability goes beyond the band themselves. He spoke of how in film, if we see a Cure poster on a character’s wall, we instantly know who they are. He spoke about how Smith’s look and sound cannot be replicated, no matter how hard people may try - Smith and his band are so singular. When asked why the panel feel as if the band have had such a long career and such widespread intergenerational impact compared to many of their contemporaries, they agree that their creative vision, helped by the photographers present, and their unflinching will to keep reinventing and playing with their own formula, have kept them so fresh in the eyes of the ever-changing musical canon. Price raises the point that The Cure holds a great balance between the light and the dark within their work. Despite lyrics in songs like ‘One Hundred Years’ - “It doesn’t matter if we all die” - the band have always delved into overwhelming joy as well as overwhelming despair. Price poignantly states that “If you have ever felt alienated or misunderstood, The Cure will always be there for you”, he says that “the whole emo movement would not have existed without The Cure”. Bellia chimes in, reminding us that aside from everything else: “the music is also just really good”. They agree that although the word iconic is thrown around a lot these days, The Cure are truly iconic in every sense of the word.
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Joining a roster of incredible past headliners such as Duran Duran, Green Day and the aforementioned Hendrix, Robert Smith made sure that his time in the spotlight also puts eyes on smaller bands, curating a list of artists which he would like to see on the festival’s main stage. Some of the other acts to hit the stage at the Isle of Wight Festival this year were also in attendance; Luvcat, Starsailor and The Kooks, taking their time to take in the splendour of the exhibition.
The Isle of Wight Festival takes place June 18-21 this year, and with The Cure in the headline slot, it promises to be, as its organiser said, absolutely magical. Tickets can be found here.
The exhibition of Bellia and Cummins’ photography is available to view at the Iconic Images Gallery until February 2nd, it is a must for fans of The Cure who happen to be passing through London.
Eylem Boz
Images: Alan West
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