The Cure played a 40-plus song set at the Teenage Cancer Trust show over the weekend.
The Cure's Robert Smith says he is unconvinced that the release of the group's new album is a worthwhile exercise and that the record is "a sore point" within the band.
Robert Smith Performing with The Cure
The album is the follow-up to 2008's 4:13 Dream, though the tracks were also recorded six years ago - Smith says he should have stuck to his guns and released a double album.
"We're in a weird kind of predicament," Smith told XFM's John Kennedy after coming offstage at the Albert Hall over the weekend, (Saturday 29 March). "I've finished singing and mixing an album that was made by a band that no longer exists. So I'm trying to be convinced that I should release what is the second half of an album that effectively came out in 2008. It's a bit of a sore point, to be honest."
"It's not really new, I just never sang it," he said, "I couldn't be bothered. I didn't think the words were good enough, but I've re-written it. We're playing in May in America and then I don't think we'll play again until late September. So it'll probably come out in that summer 'dead air' period for albums."
Robert Smith Of The Cure
Smith revealed that the album will likely be released on the Fiction label - the original home of The Cure between 1978 and 2000. "It seems like a nice way of squaring the circle. It's an album that is really different to anything else we've done. People who want to hear it will hear it and those that don't, don't. They'll just keep dancing to Close To Me and Love Cats," he said.
"Having said all that. I've no idea. I'm very bad at planning long term. I'm at an age where I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I don't feel such a strong urge to beat people over the head with new stuff," he added.
The Cure performed a massive 40-plus three hour set at the Teenage Cancer Trust show on Saturday (March 29, 2014), playing various live rarities.
"I like dipping into the history of the band. I'm so enthralled by digging out songs we've never played before. They're like new songs to me," Smith said.
This year's Teenage Cancer Trust shows - curated by The Who frontman Roger Daltrey - included performances from OneRepublic, Ed Sheeran and comedian Jason Manford. Suede played on Sunday evening.
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Robert Smith of The Cure