In partnership with Electric Castle 

Words: David Renshaw and Laura Molloy

Electric Castle Festival has drawn to a close for another year, after four days straight of 24-hour music and partying. This year, we’ve seen Twenty One Pilots crowdsurfing, Sleaford Mods surprising us with high-octane remixes, Teddy Swims covering rock greats and Yung Lean celebrating his 30th birthday in the grounds of a Transylvanian castle. It’d been one to remember, to say the least.

As well as all that, we’ve danced the night away to a truly eclectic selection of DJ sets that have taken us on a trip around the world, with everything from Afro house, Latin beats, Italian disco and classic electronic hits.

For a more detailed recap of how the weekend went down, find our picks from day one here, day two here, day three here and day four down below.

Electric Castle 2026. CREDIT: Andrei Ionescu for Electric Castle

The Cure make it 1-0 to music

Electric Castle bosses gave festival-goers a simple choice on the final night – The Cure or the World Cup final (which was shown away from the main stage on a giant screen). Robert Smith clearly wasn’t bothered to be missing the big game. He pre-empted Wayne Rooney’s withering opinion on FIFA’s glitzy half-time show featuring Justin Bieber and Madonna with a simple “please just fuck off”. Even if he hadn’t been on stage, he clearly would have turned his TV off for half an hour.

Those who chose goth rock over Argentine shithousery were rewarded with a set filled with classic hits and stunningly innate atmosphere. Arriving on stage to the sound of rainfall (piped into speakers – the Romanian weather is glorious), The Cure explored their vast catalogue with a two-hour set that showcased their ability to delight and surprise in equal measure.

The Cure perform at Electric Castle 2026. CREDIT: Miluta Flueras for Electric Castle

Bassist Simon Gallup was back on stage following a recent bout of ill-health while his son, Eden, was also among the band’s ranks, making the night a family affair. Frontman Robert Smith, meanwhile, kept his interactions to a minimum, mainly thanking the audience with a simple, “Merci.” Acknowledging his use of French, he later added, “It doesn’t work, but I’m going to keep saying it. It works somewhere.”

Instead, Smith let the music do the talking with a set that zig-zagged through eras and moods. There were extended forays into 1985 album ‘The Head On The Door’ (‘A Night Like This’, ‘In Between Days’ and ‘Push’) as well as 1989’s ‘Disintegration’ (‘Lovesong’ and ‘Lullaby’).

Playing just their second ever show in Romania, and their first since 2019, The Cure also found time to dust off a few of their lesser-known songs. The band clicked into gear to play ‘Secrets’, a rarely-played deep cut from 1980’s ‘Seventeen Seconds’ which has only been performed a handful of times in recent years, while ‘alt.end’, a track first featured on their self-titled 2004 album, was also given an airing.

The Cure perform at Electric Castle 2026. CREDIT: Diana Buznea for Electric Castle

Smith picked up his Cure-branded guitar throughout the set as the band ran through singalong hits including ‘In Between Days’ and ‘Just Like Heaven’, the latter causing pandemonium in the huge crowd.

By the time the encore rolled around, The Cure were flying high. ‘The Lovecats’, ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Close To Me’ provided a perfect encore and once again underlined Smith’s standing as one of the finest songwriters in history.

In his trademark miserabilist style, Smith noted prior to set-closer ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ that, “It’s the end of a long weekend. We will go home happy. Is that the idea?”

Maybe somewhere Gianni Infantino is watching and decides this kind of sulking magic works and that he should book The Cure for the next World Cup half-time show. Roll on 2030. (DR)

Just Mustard bewitch Transylvania with dreamy noise rock

Last year, Just Mustard vocalist Katie Ball told NME that opening for The Cure made them “want to write more songs for people to dance and sing along to – to have a discernible melodic core“. So, it’s only right that their place on the line-up today comes mere hours ahead of the goth icons taking to the main stage. Due to a cancellation from Wet Leg, Just Mustard have been bumped up from the cosy, tree-lined backyard stage to the ominous metal structure of the Hangar, which seems a more apt home for their all-consuming brand of gloomy, noise rock, anyway.

Just Mustard perform at Electric Castle 2026. CREDIT: Miluta Flueras for Electric Castle

Though the sun shines outside, the Hangar is enshrouded in a darkness that serves to intensify the jagged, dream pop that unfolds the moment they take to the stage and burst into ‘Seven’ – Ball gazing out at the crowd with her signature deadpan stare.

Despite their nonchalant performance style, the set is engulfed in moments of chaos and urgency – one drum break causes a fan standing in front of NME to jump out of their skin, while the drone from the bass seems to rattle the entire ground.

Just Mustard perform at Electric Castle 2026. CREDIT: Miluta Flueras for Electric Castle

Moments of lightness come in the form of ‘Frank’, which sees the stage lit up with a constellation of twinkling, lo-fi stars as Ball’s genuinely mesmerising voice floats above the darkness, and ‘Dandylion’, which offers a welcomed dose of euphoria. It’s no wonder they’ve found fans in the likes of Fontaines D.C. – we can bet there are a few more converts in the crowd at Electric Castle, too. (LM)

Dogstar soundtrack the sunset with melodic rock

Another last-minute line-up change sees Dogstar bumped up from the Hangar to the open air of the main stage, where Keanu Reeves (yes, that Keanu Reeves) and co. take on the bittersweet task of soundtracking Electric Castle’s final sunset of 2026. They sound every bit suited to their new location – sharp and searing as they sail through a set that begins in Transylvania and takes us “from San Francisco to Tokyo”, ( as frontman Bret Domrose jokes in between ‘The Whisper’ and ‘Exhalted’).

Dogstar perform at Electric Castle 2026. CREDIT: Popa Andrei for Electric Castle

As well as closing out a weekend of mayhem here at Electric Castle, Dogstar’s set also marks the very end of their own six-week European tour, which came in support of their recent album ‘All In Now’. “I can’t think of a better way to spend it than a beautiful night with you guys,” Domrose says as the final streaks of pink and orange fade from the sky and Banffy Castle becomes engulfed in darkness. “We’ve loved every minute of it, thank you.”

Dogstar perform at Electric Castle 2026. CREDIT: Theodor Tudose for Electric Castle

Dogstar’s first life spanned between 1991 and 2002, before the COVID lockdowns saw the trio pick up their instruments once again for the first time in almost 20 years. Their set tonight consists of music from this new iteration of the band, with the biggest reactions even coming from the funky ‘Math’ and the smooth dreaminess of ‘Siren’ from the latest record. Melodic and masterful, it’s the perfect way to see out the last few moments of a truly magical festival. (LM)

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