The Cure: Celebs Rumors

The Cure have broken records with their latest tour, despite frontman Robert Smith’s fight to lower the price of tickets.The records were broken with the band’s latest Shows Of A Lost World live shows in the US and Canada earlier this spring, which soon became their highest-grossing tour, and their best attendance in the region.As reported by Billboard, the tour – which consisted of 35 dates and kicked off in May – grossed $37.5million (£29million) and sold over 547,000 tickets. The final date took place in Miami, Florida earlier this month.It also reported that the most attended and highest-earning shows on the North American leg was the band’s three-night residency at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Interpol have spoken to NME about 20 years of their classic second album ‘Antics’, and their plans to celebrate the anniversary on a UK tour this winter.This week saw the NYC indie veterans announce plans to play their second LP in full at dates across the UK in November. The album, following on from their seminal debut ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’, contained the singles and indie disco staples ‘Slow Hands’, ‘Evil’, alongside fan favourites ‘C’mere’ and ‘Narc’.

The Cure have today (February 9) announced a 30th anniversary reissue of their classic live album, ‘Paris’.The re-release will feature two previously unreleased, recently discovered tracks and a two LP set will be available on black vinyl for the first time in 30 years. The project was remastered by Robert Smith and Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios.The album will be released on March 22 and you can pre-order here.

Dinosaur Jr. were joined on stage in London by My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields on Tuesday (November 14).During the show at The Garage, Shields and Dinosaur Jr. played three songs together, including one from each of their back catalogues, as well as a cover of The Cure’s 1987 classic single ‘Just Like Heaven’.In addition, Shields jumped on a rendition of ‘Tarpit’, originally released on Dinosaur Jr.’s second album, 1987’s ‘You’re Living All Over Me’, before they went on to perform a version of My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Thorn’, from their 1988 EP ‘You Made Me Realise’.Watch live footage of the performances below:Dinosaur Jr.

The Cure‘s keyboardist Roger O’Donnell will sit out the band’s upcoming shows in Latin America, it has been announced.The Robert Smith-fronted group are due to begin a final run of concerts for 2023 later this week, having wrapped up their North American ‘Shows of A Lost World’ tour back in July.They’ll perform in Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Paraguay and Colombia, with the latter date set to take place on December 10.Ahead of the tour kicking off, The Cure took to social media to confirm that O’Donnell will be absent from the forthcoming gigs due to unspecified “health reasons”. The message added: “We are sure you will join with us in wishing him the speediest of recoveries.”The band went on to reveal that Mike Lord will be stepping in to play keyboards on the impacted dates.

Primavera Sound has announced that it will debut in Peru this year, marking the festival’s latest expansion.The festival, which also hosts editions in Barcelona, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Bogotá and more, will debut in its newest South America territory in November.Primavera Sound in Lima will take place on November 22 and December 2, 7 and 8, where The Cure, Bad Gyal, Pet Shop Boys and Bad Religion will headline.

Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst, ex-Siouxsie and the Banshees drummer Budgie and producer Jacknife Lee have teamed up to form a new supergroup and share their debut single ‘Los Angeles’ featuring LCD Soundsytem‘s James Murphy. Check it out below along our interview with the legendary sticksmen.Announced today (Monday July 24), the trio have shared details of their debut album’ Los Angeles’ – released in November via Play It Again Sam.

Olivia Rodrigo has spoken about going to watch Depeche Mode and The Cure with her father.During a new interview with Vogue, the 20-year-old singer opened up about how her dad was “introducing [her] to all the bands he went to see when he was my age”.The publication was speaking to Rodrigo as she browsed the shelves of A-1 Records in New York’s East Village. After pulling out an album by The Cure, she said: “I’m going to see them in two weeks with my dad.”It was then noted that Rodrigo and her father had been to watch Depeche Mode together a few weeks prior.The synth-pop duo – comprising Dave Gahan and Martin Gore – are currently out on their ‘Memento Mori’ world tour in support of their 15th album of the same name.

Robert Smith serenaded his wife Mary Poole with ‘Plainsong’ while performing with The Cure recently.The tender moment, which took place during the band’s May 24 concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, was filmed and shared on Twitter by concertgoer Frank. In the video, Smith can be seen turning his back to the crowd in order to sing to Poole, who was standing offstage.Frank wrote on Twitter: “I happen to be at probably the best if not the only angle you could have seen this.

Noel Gallagher has spoken to NME about his love of The Cure, and how Robert Smith came to remix his recent single ‘Pretty Boy’.Back in March, Gallagher shared Smith’s “spacey remix” of the Johnny Marr-featuring single, taken from his acclaimed new album with The High Flying Birds, ‘Council Skies‘. Now in a new interview with NME’s In Conversation series, the former Oasis guitarist and songwriter has discussed how they came to collaborate.Gallagher explained: “Because the song [‘Pretty Boy’] sounds like The Cure I was like, ‘Does Robert Smith do remixes?’ I got hold of his email, the first line was, ‘Hi Robert, it’s Noel Gallagher’.

The Cure debuted a new song called ‘Another Happy Birthday’ during their first show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles yesterday (May 23).The band are performing three nights at the venue as part of their North American tour, which kicked off earlier this month, with the next two shows scheduled for today (May 24) and tomorrow (May 25).The plaintive new track opens with an extended instrumental section and mournful piano before frontman Robert Smith sings: “It’s harder to hold on / With every passing year / As the memories fade / You slowly disappear.”“And your birthday is the worst day / I’m singing to a ghost / Happy birthday / I forget how it goes,” he goes on. Watch the performance below.It’s possible the new song dates all the way back to 1997, with Smith having mentioned the track name in an interview with MTV at the time, which he described as “unlike anything the Cure have done before.

Foo Fighters, The Cure, The Postal Service and more have been announced to headline Riot Fest 2023 – see the full line-up below and buy tickets here.The festival will return to Chicago’s Douglas Park across the weekend of September 15-17 and also welcome the likes of The Mars Volta, Turnstile, Queens Of The Stone Age, Death Cab For Cutie and more.Rounding out a stacked line-up are the likes of The Breeders, Death Grips, The Gaslight Anthem, 100 gecs, Warpaint, PUP, Jehnny Beth, Code Orange, Tegan and Sara, Kim Gordon and many more.See the full line-up for Riot Fest 2023 below.Tickets are on sale now here.ICYMI: The Riot Fest 2023 lineup is here! We'll see you September 15-17, 2023 at Douglass Park in Chicago. Tickets are ON SALE NOW: https://t.co/NE1pfAnPKa pic.twitter.com/e1vHlNpwlo— Riot Fest (@RiotFest) May 19, 2023This week, Foo Fighters shared ‘Under You’ — the latest single to be released from their forthcoming album ‘But Here We Are’ — and announced a free global streaming event.Set for release on June 2 via Roswell Records/Columbia Records, the LP will mark their first new material since the passing of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022.

The Cure have finally begun their tour of North America – their first in seven years – with a career-spanning setlist that features several rarities, new tunes and fan favourites.The first show of the tour, which took place on Wednesday (May 10) in New Orleans, saw Robert Smith and co. perform a whopping 29 songs, complete with not one but two encore sets.The Cure’s expansive setlist featured two rarities – ‘A Thousand Hours’ and ‘Six Different Ways’, both of which were last performed in 1987.

The Cure’s Robert Smith has shared a cartoon on social media, poking fun at the Coronation of King Charles III.Created by artist First Dog On The Moon, the cartoon depicts “royal things” preparing for the Coronation, which takes place today (May 6). It also includes a parody pledge that features the line: ​​“All hail the nature arbitrary, of privilege that’s hereditary.”“The huge cost of this ceremony could buy each British child a pony, yet distracting profligacy must calm the masses, lest we [unleash] the fury of the poor,” it continues.

The Cure‘s upcoming North American tour.Wishing to keep costs down for fans, the band opted out of Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing scheme, which Robert Smith described as “a bit of a scam”, and restricted ticket transfers in states where they were legally allowed to do so. However, some fans attempting to buy tickets reported that Ticketmaster fees, including service fee, facility charge and order processing fee, exceeded the price of actual tickets, which Smith said he was “sickened” by.Smith was later able to convince the ticketing giant to issue small reimbursements to verified ticket buyers to compensate for “unduly high” fees.

The Cure have added a handful of new dates to their upcoming tour of North America, bringing their two-month itinerary up to a total of 34 shows.The four new gigs comes as those previously announced in San Diego, Montreal and Atlanta sold out with unprecedented speed; they’ll play second shows in those respective cities on Sunday May 21, Saturday June 17 and Wednesday June 28. The band have also added a night in Portland – where they’ll play at the Moda Centre on Wednesday May 31 – with frontman Robert Smith describing that gig as “an ‘experiment’ to see whether non-transferable tickets are enough protection”. Unlike other dates on the tour, that show will not require a ‘Verified Fan’ code from Ticketmaster to access the public sale. FOURTH EXTRA SHOW WILL BE 31ST MAY PORTLAND MODA CENTER – AS AN ‘EXPERIMENT’ TO SEE WHETHER NON-TRANSFERABLE TICKETS ARE ENOUGH PROTECTION, TICKET PURCHASE WILL NOT REQUIRE TM VF #ShowsOfALostWorld2023 4/5— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) April 5, 2023In other tweets announcing the shows, Smith – who recently expressed his frustration at Ticketmaster’s methods of operating – noted that fans who’d been issued ‘Verified Fan’ codes, but were unsuccessful in purchasing tickets, would have the “first option” to grab seats at these upcoming shows.

The Cure‘s Robert Smith has confirmed the band have cancelled 7,000 tickets found on secondary resale websites in a bid to tackle touts.As part of the on-sale process for their forthcoming North American tour, the frontman opted out of Ticketmaster’s “platinum” and “dynamically priced” ticket options, and restricted ticket transfers in markets where he was legally allowed to do so in places like New York, Illinois, and Colorado, which have all enacted legislation protecting resellers.Following the band’s move to do this, Smith tonight (March 31) announced: “Approx 7k tickets across approx 2200 orders have been cancelled. These are tickets acquired with fake accounts / listed on secondary resale sites.”‘IHBT’ #? “Approx 7k tickets across approx 2200 orders have been cancelled.

Robert Smith has asked Ticketmaster to explain why tickets in its promised face value ticket exchange are “weird” and “over priced”.The Cure singer and guitarist has taken the ticketing platform to task in recent weeks over its “unduly high” service fees for tickets to his band’s upcoming North American tour. Some fans claimed that Ticketmaster fees, including service fee, facility charge and order processing fee, exceeded the price of the actual tickets.Earlier this month Smith said that he was “sickened” by high Ticketmaster fees after the platform had vowed to the band to keep prices affordable for their fans.Now, some fans have claimed that tickets marked as face value are selling beyond the price of a standard ticket, and Smith has responded to what’s been alleged.

Neil Young has weighed in on the current state of touring following Ticketmaster’s latest controversy with The Cure.Last week, tickets to The Cure’s North American tour went on sale but was soon mired in controversy after it was brought to light that the ticketing platform had added “unduly high” add-ons and fees to tickets against the band’s wishes.Now, Neil Young has offered his thoughts on touring and Ticketmaster, writing on his website: “It’s over. The old days are gone.

The Cure‘s Robert Smith has revealed that after speaking to Ticketmaster regarding the “unduly high” prices for the band’s upcoming US tour, the ticketing system will be issuing small refunds to verified ticket buyers.Smith announced the news on Thursday night (March 16) through Twitter following the launch of The Cure’s US tour tickets. “After further conversation, Ticketmaster have agreed with us that many of the fees being charged are unduly high, and as a gesture of goodwill have offered a $10 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for Lowest Ticket Price (‘LTP’) transactions,” the frontman wrote.1 OF 2: AFTER FURTHER CONVERSATION, TICKETMASTER HAVE AGREED WITH US THAT MANY OF THE FEES BEING CHARGED ARE UNDULY HIGH, AND AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL HAVE OFFERED A $10 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR LOWEST TICKET PRICE ('LTP’) TRANSACTIONS…— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 16, 2023He continued, saying that all other ticket price transactions through verified fan accounts will receive a $5 per ticket refund for all Cure shows at all venues.

Robert Smith, frontman of the U.K. rock legends The Cure, is the latest artist to take aim at Ticketmaster for its business model.

The Cure‘s Robert Smith has said he is “sickened” by high Ticketmaster fees for the band’s upcoming North American tour after they vowed to keep prices affordable for fans.Last week the band announced a 30-date tour across the US, which is set to kick off at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on May 10 before closing out at the Miami-Dade Arena in Florida on July 1.In an email to fans, Smith said they would keep ticket prices reasonable, writing: “The Cure have agreed all ticket prices, and apart from a few Hollywood Bowl charity seats, there will be no ‘platinum’ or ‘dynamically priced’ tickets on this tour.”The band also said that tickets would not be “transferable” to minimise “resale and keep prices at face value”. Smith has since elaborated on the ticketing strategy, acknowledging “real problems” with the system and that it wasn’t “perfect”, but did clarify that the band had a “final say” over pricing.However, after the Verified Fan sale went live yesterday (March 15), some fans reported that Ticketmaster fees, including service fee, facility charge and order processing fee, exceeded the price of actual tickets.Smith has now responded, tweeting that he was “sickened” by the “ticketmaster ‘fees’ debacle”.He continued: “To be very clear: the artist has no way to limit them.

The Cure‘s Robert Smith has elaborated on the band’s decision to partner with Ticketmaster for the “non-transferable” ticketing strategy for their upcoming North American tour.On March 10, The Cure announced that tickets to their North American tour would not be transferable in order to minimise “resale and keep prices at face value”. Smith has since taken to Twitter to shed light on the ticketing strategy for the tour, first announcing on Wednesday (March 15) that Ticketmaster had informed the band that “ALL tickets for The Cure Shows Of A Lost World Tour will be made available during tomorrow’s Verified Fan Sale”.Smith then thanked fans for their support before going on to acknowledge “real problems” with the ticketing system.

The Cure have said that tickets for their North American tour will not be “transferable”.The band announced their North American tour yesterday (March 9), with a run that kicks off at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on May 10.With ticket registration for the tour opening today (March 10), the band made the announcement about tickets not being transferable, with a view to minimise “resale and keep prices at face value”.Sharing a statement on their social media, the band wrote: “If something comes up that prevents a fan from being able to use a ticket they have purchased, they will be able [to] resell it on a face value ticket exchange.”The statement continued: “Unfortunately, despite our desire to protect our low ticket prices for fans, the states of NY, IL and CO make this very difficult – they actually have laws in place that protect scalpers! For shows in these states we urge fans to buy or sell tickets to one another on face value exchanges like twickets.live and cashortrade.org.”TICKET REGISTRATION OPEN NOW AT https://t.co/PkDGUv9w7c #ShowsOfALostWorld23 #TheCure #NorthAmerica pic.twitter.com/KgYQNu3S4F— The Cure (@thecure) March 10, 2023The Cure’s tour includes stops in Austin, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Tampa and many more, before closing out at the Miami-Dade Arena in Florida on July 1.The band also have three consecutive dates at both LA’s Hollywood Bowl (May 23, 24, 25) and New York’s Madison Square Garden (June 20, 21, 22) with support across all dates from The Twilight Sad.Verified fan registration is open now until Monday, March 13 at 10am EST and can be accessed here.

The Cure have announced a 2023 tour across North America – find all the details below and purchase tickets here.The band will kick off the 30-date tour at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on May 10, with stops planned in Austin, San Diego, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago, Tampa and many more, before closing out at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami on July 1.The run also includes three dates at both LA’s Hollywood Bowl and New York’s Madison Square Garden, with support across all dates from The Twilight Sad.“The Cure return to North America in May for a 30 date tour #ShowsOfALostWorld23,” the band wrote on social media, the hashtag being the name of their much anticipated first new album since 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’.Verified fan registration is open now until Monday, March 13 at 10am EST and can be accessed here.

teasing its release, Noel Gallagher has released The Cure‘s Robert Smith‘s remix of High Flying Birds‘ ‘Pretty Boy’.The remix – which you can listen to below – features on the deluxe limited-edition of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’ upcoming album ‘Council Skies’, due for release on June 2 via Sour Mash.Smith said of his remix via a press release: “I was surprised and delighted when Noel asked me to remix this gorgeous song, and I had a lot of fun slowing it down and spacing it out – Cure drummer Jason Cooper gave me a great vibey drum track to play along with – and the rest just phased into place under the starry sky of my distant moon…”The deluxe edition of ‘Council Skies’ will be available in triple vinyl and 2CD formats featuring a BBC Radio 2 session version of ‘Live Forever’ and a Pet Shop Boys remix.All versions of album pre-orders via the official store will come with a printed handwritten lyric sheet of ‘Council Skies” title track. Pre-order your copy here.

Noel Gallagher has shared a preview of Robert Smith‘s remix of ‘Pretty Boy’ – check out the video below.The original version of the track (featuring Johnny Marr) arrived last October and is due to appear on Gallagher’s fourth High Flying Birds album ‘Council Skies’, which comes out on June 2 via Sour Mash (pre-order here).Back in January, the former Oasis singer-songwriter explained that Smith’s upcoming reworking “sounds exactly like The Cure” while talking about how the team-up with the frontman came about.Gallagher has now posted a brief snippet of Smith’s take on ‘Pretty Boy’ on social media. A portion of the song soundtracks a video that contains screenshots of various news articles about the collaboration.The new teaser suggests that the remix could be arriving soon, but a release date is not yet known. You can listen below:A post shared by Noel Gallagher’s HFB (@themightyi)Earlier this year, Gallagher recalled: “‘Pretty Boy’’ as it was unfolding became reminiscent of the golden age of The Cure.

The Cure debuted a new track called ‘And Nothing Is Forever’ during their show in Stockholm last night (October 10) – check out the footage below.Robert Smith and co. were performing at the Avicii Arena in the Swedish capital as part of their current European tour, which has already seen the band preview two new songs: ‘Alone’ and ‘Endsong’.Those cuts returned to the setlist yesterday, with ‘And Nothing Is Forever’ making its first appearance six songs into the gig (via Setlist.FM).The dreamy, six-minute number – featuring typically-lush synth and piano – includes the opening lyrics: “Promise you’ll be with me in the end/ Say we’ll be together, and with no regret/ However far away/ You will remember me in time.”Later, Smith reflects on how his “world has grown old, and nothing is forever“.

The Cure kicked off their 2022 world tour in Latvia tonight (Thursday October 6), debuting two new songs and welcoming guitarist and keyboardist Perry Bamonte back to the band. Check out footage and the setlist below.The icons, supported by now-regular touring partners and one of frontman Robert Smith’s favourite bands The Twilight Sad, began their long run of 2022 dates with a show at Arena Riga in Riga this evening – airing two new songs fans assume are from their long-awaited new album, ‘Songs Of A Lost World‘.Opening their 25 song set – where they were also joined by Bamonte, returning to the band having been a member between 1990 and 2005 – The Cure started with the sprawling and bittersweet ‘Alone’; a tender track that saw Smith begin with the line: ‘This is the end of every song we sing‘.At the end of the first set, which included classics and fan favourites such as ‘Pictures Of You’, ‘Trust’, ‘Fascination Street’ and ‘In Between Days’, The Cure debuted another new song ‘Endsong’ – a much more sombre number where Smith lamented how ‘it’s all gone‘ repeatedly, in a life with ‘no hopes, no dreams, no love – I don’t belong‘.The band then returned for more more encores, delivering the likes of ‘Plainsong’, ‘Close To Me’, ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’.The new band #thecure #TheCureLostWorld22 (thanks lyse) pic.twitter.com/xaFSV1d882— Jeremy Wulc ©️ (@jeremyWulc) October 6, 2022The new songs are excellent.

Yungblud has sampled The Cure‘s ‘Close To Me’ on ‘Tissues’, the latest cut from his self-titled album arriving this Friday (September 2).The singer-songwriter, who grew up listening to the influential British band, has spoken about how the sample came about, including convincing singer Robert Smith to allow it.It’s the latest song shared from his third album ‘Yungblud‘, following ‘The Funeral‘, ‘Memories‘ and ‘Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today‘.Yungblud (real name Dominic Harrison) explained to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 earlier today (August 30) how he retroactively sought permission for the sample.“As I enter a new vector of Yungblud, I wanted to dance. I remember when we were making it I was like, ‘I just want to dance!’ I remember we were writing in the studio and the session wasn’t going well it was like midnight.

The Cure have released a 1990 demo of ‘Cut’ from their forthcoming 30th anniversary reissue of ‘Wish’ – listen below.Announced last month, the special deluxe edition of the band’s ninth studio album will arrive on October 7 via UMC/Fiction/Polydor.It’ll include 24 previously-unreleased tracks – including demos, instrumentals and rare 12″ mixes – as well as four songs that will be coming to CD and digital platforms for the first time.Having already previewed the collection with ‘Uyea Sound’ from the 1993 ‘Lost Wishes’ cassette, Robert Smith and co. have today (August 26) shared ‘Cut (1990 Demo)’ on streaming platforms.It was recorded at Farmyard Studios in the Cotswoldsduring the ‘Wish’ demo sessions.

The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell has confirmed he’s working on his first film score.Taking to Twitter yesterday (August 22), the keyboardist said he had “just delivered the 27 cues for my first movie score.”“Very exciting and will share the details when I can. What an experience,” he continued.I just delivered the 27 cues for my first movie score.. Very exciting and will share the details when I can.

The Cure have announced a 30th anniversary reissue of their ninth studio album, ‘Wish’ – find all the details below.Released in 1992, the record features the singles ‘Friday I’m In Love’, ‘High’ and ‘A Letter To Elise’. It reached Number One on the UK albums chart, and Number Two on the Billboard 200 in the US.Today (July 28), The Cure confirmed that the special deluxe edition of ‘Wish’ will arrive on October 7 via UMC/Fiction/Polydor.

Phoebe Bridgers has performed on CBS with singer-songwriter Christian Lee Huston – check out the moment below.The pair, who have collaborated together frequently in the past, appeared on CBS This Morning: Saturday earlier today (June 18). They performed two of Hutson’s originals together, ‘Rubberneckers’ and ‘Lose This Number’.Hutson also performed a solo, stripped-back acoustic cover of The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’.Bridgers and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst worked as producers on Hutson’s latest album, ‘Quitters’.Check out the performance here:Meanwhile, Lucy Dacus was revealed as the surprise guest during Bridgers‘ show in Queens, New York earlier this week (June 16).Bridgers previously teased “a very special surprise guest” on the show’s promotional poster, but no other details were provided at the time. Tonight, after opening act MUNA had played, Dacus was revealed as the surprise act, filling the slot before Bridgers’ set.Dacus performed a short set, including ‘Night Shift’, ‘Hot & Heavy’ and ‘Going Going Gone’, during which she was joined by MUNA, Bridgers and Bridgers’ dog Maxine.

The Cure’s Jason Cooper has announced he will be taking part in a charity bike ride in memory of long-serving crew member Paul ‘Ricky’ Welton.Welton suffered a heart attack in 2019 while on tour with The Cure and died in hospital a few days later.The British Heart Foundation’s London To Brighton Bike Ride will start at London’s Clapham Common on June 19 and, 54 miles later, will finish on Brighton seafront.“I’m riding the London To Brighton Bike Ride for the British Heart Foundation in memory of my dear departed drum technician [Ricky] who died of a heart attack”, Jason told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We shared lots of moments, he was just wonderful to have on stage and I could always depend on him.

Foals‘ Yannis Philippakis has recalled a drunken encounter between himself and The Cure‘s Robert Smith at the NME Awards in 2020.At the awards, which took place just before the first COVID lockdown, Foals won Best Live Act while The Cure picked up Best Festival Headliner.As he recounted to Shaun Keaveny on his podcast The Line-Up, Philippakis encountered Smith backstage at the Brixton Academy event.“We were at the NME Awards, which is famously sloppy,” he began. “And I think that I’d quit smoking, and I was drinking quickly, you know.