The wait is over. As part of their 40th anniversary, The Cure will return to Ireland to play their first headline show in seven years here with a performance at Dublin's Malahide Castle on Saturday 8 June 2019, it was just confirmed this morning.

Tickets for The Cure are priced €69.50, including booking fee, and will go on sale this Wednesday, 10 October at 9am from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide. "Tickets are strictly limited to four per person. Please note that the lead bookers name will be assigned to all tickets," said a spokesperson.

The Cure celebrated their 40th anniversary in July with a very special sold out concert in London’s Hyde Park, almost 40 years to the day since their first ever show. Performing to 65,000 strong fans, the set list was packed with 29 hit songs including Pictures Of You, Lovesong, Inbetween Days, Just Like Heaven, A Forest, Lullaby, Boys Don’t Cry, and more.

The last time The Cure performed in these neck of the woods was when they were headliners on the Saturday night at Electric Picnic, back in 2014. That was after a significant hiatus, during which the band were relatively inactive.

The Cure had been regular visitors to Ireland over the years, playing here nine times overall during their career to date. Lead singer and songwriter Robert Smith lived in Ireland for a period. His own background is Irish, and there is no doubt that he has a particular affinity with the place.

It's hard to believe that it's actually 40 years since The Cure formed in Crawley, Sussex, England and played their first show in 1978, going on to perform around 1,500 concerts to date. They've released 13 studio albums and more than 40 singles.

The Cure’s most recent album 4:13 Dream was released in 2008 and peaked at No.33 in the UK charts. The biggest selling albums of their career were Disintegration (1989), which reached No.2 in Germany, No.3 in the UK and No. 12 in the US; and Wish, which gave them their first UK No.1. The latter topped the charts also in Australia and went to No.2 in the Billboard charts in the US. It went gold in the UK, Canada and Switzerland and was a platinum best-seller in the US and Australia.

The Cure’s biggest hit single in the US was with Loving which reached No.2; in the UK, ‘Lullaby’ (No.5) barely outstripped the magnificent Friday I’m In Love (No.6). The band’s only No.1 hit singles have been in Spain, where The Only One, Freakshow and Sleep When I’m Dead all topped the charts in 2008.

Emerging in the post-punk era, The Cure released their first album Three Imaginary Boys in 1979. They have sold approximately 30 million albums during their career to date. They were voted Best British Band at the Brit Awards in 1991 and they won the Q Inspiration Award in 2003.

In an unusual coincidence, Metallica will also be in Ireland for their gig at Slane Castle on 8 June too.

While the audiences for Metallica and The Cure are very different, in terms of musical category, there is no doubt that some level of crossover exists at the centre – where fans of great music tend to congregate.

“I think there is an audience for both,” one music business insider told Hot Press. “The clash isn’t ideal, that's for sure. The Gardaí, amongst others, won’t exactly be thrilled. But Metallica and The Cure are playing to a very different demographic at this stage of the game. Sure, there’s enthusiasts who recognise the important contribution that both bands have made to rock ’n’ roll history. But you won’t find too many boys in heavy make-up at the Metallica gig!"

Tickets priced €69.50 including booking fee go on sale Wednesday 10th October at 9am. From Ticketmaster: In person: From Ticketmaster Outlets Nationwide
By Telephone (24 Hour): ROI: 0818 719 300, Northern Ireland: 0844 277 4455. Book On Line: www.ticketmaster.ie