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. These are tickets acquired with fake accounts / listed on secondary resale sites. TM have identified specific locations from secondary postings” #ShowsOfALostWorld2023

— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 31, 2023

Earlier today he also warned ticket buyers from attempting to circumvent ticket transfer rules.

“OFFERING TO SELL/SEND ACCOUNT LOGIN DETAILS TO GET AROUND TM TRANSFER LIMITATIONS… ANY/ALL TICKETS OBTAINED IN THIS WAY WILL BE CANCELED, AND ORIGINAL FEES PAID ON THOSE TICKETS WILL NOT BE REFUNDED,” Smith added.

“..ORIGINAL FEES PAID ON THOSE TICKETS WILL BE DONATED TO AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, AND THE TICKETS THEMSELVES WILL BE RESOLD TO FANS.”

1 OF 2
BEWARE ANOTHER SCALPER SCAM: OFFERING TO SELL/SEND ACCOUNT LOGIN DETAILS TO GET AROUND TM TRANSFER LIMITATIONS… ANY/ALL TICKETS OBTAINED IN THIS WAY WILL BE CANCELED, AND ORIGINAL FEES PAID ON THOSE TICKETS WILL NOT BE REFUNDED… #ShowsOfALostWorld23

— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 31, 2023

2 OF 2
…ORIGINAL FEES PAID ON THOSE TICKETS WILL BE DONATED TO @amnesty AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, AND THE TICKETS THEMSELVES WILL BE RESOLD TO FANS #ShowsOfALostWorld23

— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 31, 2023

The Cure singer has taken Ticketmaster 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 persuaded Ticketmaster to issue small refunds to verified ticket buyers over the “unduly high” service fees.

He wrote on Twitter on March 16 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 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, earlier this month.

In related news, Neil Young has now weighed in on the current state of touring following Ticketmaster’s controversy with The Cure.

Images & transcripts are copyright to their respected owners.

Images & transcripts are copyright to their respected owners.

Los Campesinos! shared that they want to commission writers as a way to continue to foster their fanbase community.

The band took to Twitter to announce the idea of working closely with writers to create in-depth pieces that fans would enjoy.

They shared: “Our recent experiences are that very few outlets will cover our band anymore (no hard feelings, I get it!). But we want to continue to foster this community outside of social media, and it seems we’ve an ever-growing fanbase that want to hear about our band.”

Our recent experiences are that very few outlets will cover our band anymore (no hard feelings, I get it!).
But we want to continue to foster this community outside of social media, and it seems we’ve an ever-growing fanbase that want to hear about our band.

— Los Campesinos! (@LosCampesinos) March 29, 2023

They added: “I’ve spoken to plenty of talented writers who feel restricted having to write “for clicks” and who have to chase for months to get their invoices paid. The current norm doesn’t seem to work perfectly for artists, journos or fans.”

The band have made a point to highlight that they plan to pay these writers “well and on time, to publish in-depth pieces to be enjoyed by fans, outside of the restrictive ‘album cycle’ PR pattern.”

I’ve spoken to plenty of talented writers who feel restricted having to write “for clicks” and who have to chase for months to get their invoices paid.
The current norm doesn’t seem to work perfectly for artists, journos or fans.

— Los Campesinos! (@LosCampesinos) March 29, 2023

We’d like to work directly with writers, pay them well and on time, to publish in-depth pieces to be enjoyed by fans, outside of the restrictive ‘album cycle’ PR pattern.
Maybe a bad idea? Could be fun and rewarding though, let’s see!

— Los Campesinos! (@LosCampesinos) March 29, 2023

They also noted that they are looking for writers of all kinds, not only music writers. “Anyone who could be interested in writing something about/around LC! would be fantastic. Variety is great,” they added.

This is not the first time Los Campesinos! have fostered their community spirit. Last year, the band released a 28-track charity compilation of Los Campesinos! tracks via Scottish DIY indie label Heavenly Creature.

All proceeds from the compilation go to Gendered Intelligence, a registered charity that works to increase understanding of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people. On the first day of release, the record raised over £2000.

In 2020, the band offered to help their UK fans who were unable to afford the cost of joining a union related to their profession by paying for their first month’s subscription fee.

The band’s latest release was 2021’s ‘Whole Damn Body’ EP.

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Death Cab For Cutie performed a headline show at London’s Royal Albert Hall last night (Wednesday March 29) – joking that they should be “sponsored by Boots” having spent the weekend battling illness. Check out photos, footage and the setlist from the show below.

Last week saw the band kick off their UK tour in support of their acclaimed 2022 album ‘Asphalt Meadows’, before being forced to pull a run of shows due to frontman Ben Gibbard being struck down by illness. After returning to the stage to perform in Brighton and London’s Roundhouse, the US indie veterans played another stop at the capital at Royal Albert Hall.

At one point in the show, Gibbard paused to make light of his recent plight with ill health while travelling around the UK.

“You know how you’ll see shows like ‘Jack Daniels presents Mötley Crüe’ or ‘Budweiser presents The National?’” he started. “OK, maybe not that last one – but after these past few weeks we’ve had, I feel like we should be sponsored by Boots.”

Honouring the chain of chemists, he continued: “You guys don’t know how lucky you have it. You’ve got a chain of stores where people really know their stuff and what medicine you should have.”

Death Cab For Cutie at the Royal Albert Hall tonight

You know bands have been around for a long time when they shout out “Boots, the chemist” for “really knowing their stuff.” Great to see them live. pic.twitter.com/vKR9BWv9Po

— Paul Townley (@prtownley) March 29, 2023

As well as repeatedly paying tribute to support act Slow Pulp, Gibbard often noted the sense of occasion in playing the iconic Royal Albert Hall. “Sometimes we say ‘we are happy to be here’ and we’re not,” he told the audience. “Tonight, we are genuinely happy to be here.”

He would later hail the gig as “not just a band highlight” but “a life highlight”.

With a set that leaned heavily on well-received cuts from last year’s ‘Asphalt Meadows’, other highlights included a full crowd sing-along to Gibbard performing ‘I Will Follow You Into the Dark’ solo and acoustic, along with renditions of fan favourites ‘The New Year’, ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’, ‘The New Year’, ‘The Sound of Settling’, ‘Soul Meets Body’ and ‘Transatlanticism’.

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Death Cab For Cutie played:

‘I Don’t Know How I Survive’
‘Roman Candles’
‘The New Year’
‘Cath…’
‘A Movie Script Ending’
‘Here to Forever’
‘Black Sun’
‘Northern Lights’
‘I Miss Strangers’
‘Crooked Teeth’
‘Rand McNally’
‘I Will Follow You Into the Dark’ (Gibbard, solo acoustic)
‘I Will Possess Your Heart’
‘Your Heart Is an Empty Room’
‘Asphalt Meadows’
‘We Looked Like Giants’
‘The Sound of Settling’
‘The Ghosts of Beverly Drive’
‘Foxglove Through the Clearcut’

Encore:
‘Brothers on a Hotel Bed’
‘Pepper’
‘Soul Meets Body’
‘Transatlanticism’

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Later this year, the band will be hitting the road in the US for a double headline tour with Gibbard’s other outfit The Postal Service, celebrating 20 years of their cult classic ‘Give Up’ while DCFC will mark two decades of their 2003 breakthrough album ‘Transatlanticism’ – with both records being played in full each night.

When NME recently asked if the joint tour would hit other territories such as the UK or Europe, Gibbard replied: “We have limited time for many reasons. Jenny Lewis [The Postal Service bandmate] has music coming out at some point and will need to tour, and members of the band would probably like to maintain relationships with their children and spouses.

“There’s just not enough time to take a global victory lap – but never say never.”

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Boygenius are releasing a new film directed by Kristen Stewart tonight (March 31) – get all the details on The Film below.

The new movie from Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus will be released alongside the trio’s highly anticipated debut album ‘The Record’, and comes after Stewart was touted to direct three of the band’s music videos.

The Film will land at 5am BST on April 1 (that’s midnight on the East Coast of the USA), and fans can wait for the premiere and see its poster below.

‘The Record’ is also out at midnight, with a five-star NME review saying: “This debut is a gorgeous testament to what can happen when you allow yourself to fully be seen. Though each of the album’s 12 tracks could have fit nicely on one of their personal records, their work together takes on a brighter bolder existence, enabling them to light up individually and together at the same time.

“Bridgers, Dacus and Baker did the tedious work of getting to know each other artistically and collaboratively and then poured what they found out into the world. Now, we as listeners, get to benefit.”

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This week, Boygenius also announced details of a full headline tour of North America for 2023 – see the full list of dates below and buy tickets here.

APRIL 2023
12 – Pomona, CA, Fox Theater
15 – Indio, CA, Coachella
22 – Indio, CA, Coachella

JUNE 2023
2 – San Diego, CA, Thrive Park at Snapdragon Stadium !
3 – Los Angeles, CA, Brookside at the Rosebowl !
4 – Stanford, CA, Frost Amphitheater at Stanford !
6 – Phoenix, AZ, Arizona Financial Theatre *
8 – Houston, TX, White Oak Music Hall *
9 – Dallas, TX, Texas Trust CU Theater Grounds !
10 – New Orleans, LA, City Park !
11 – Atlanta, GA, Central Park !
13 – Asheville, NC, ExploreAsheville.com Arena *
14 – Wilmington, NC, Live Oak Bank Pavilion *
16 – Columbia, MD, Merriweather Post Pavilion !
17 – New York, NY, Forest Hills Stadium !
18 – Boston, MA, The Stage at Suffolk Downs !
20 – Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE +
21 – Toronto, ON, Budweiser Stage ^+
23 – Columbus, OH, Kemba Live! Festival !
24 – Chicago, IL, Riis Park !
25 – Nashville, TN, Centennial Park !

JULY 2023
28 – Vancouver, BC, PNE Amphitheater % =
29 – George, WA, The Gorge Amphitheatre % =
30 – Bend, OR, Hayden Homes Amphitheater % =

AUGUST 2023
1 – Bonner, MT, Kettlehouse Amphitheater =
2 – Boise, ID, Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden =
3 – Salt Lake City, UT, Library Square =
5 – Morrison, CO, Red Rocks Amphitheatre =
20 – London, UK, Gunnersbury Park (with MUNA and Ethel Cain)
22 – Halifax, UK, Piece Hall (with Ethel Cain)
24 – Kingston, UK, Pryzm (with MUNA and Ethel Cain)
25-27 – Edinburgh, UK, Connect Festival 

! as part of the Re:SET Concert Series with Clairo, Bartees Strange and Dijon
* Support from Bartees Strange
^ Support from Broken Social Scene
% Support from Carly Rae Jepsen
+ Support from Claud
= Support from Illuminati Hotties

After the US tour, Boygenius will then play their first ever UK shows in August, including a massive outdoor London show at Gunnersbury Park with MUNA and Ethel Cain and a newly announced acoustic gig in Kingston.

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