Crawley-raised rock star Robert Smith of The Cure lays into excessive ticket fees and touts

Smith, who was six when his family moved to Crawley, is touring the States this year with The Cure.

"We want the tour to be affordable for all fans, and we have a very wide (and we think very fair) range of pricing at every show," the band in a statement.

But when fans went to Ticketmaster this week, they were charged additional fees which for some doubled the price the band had come up with. Smith said he was "sickened.”

He wrote: “To be very clear, the artist has no way to limit them. I have been asking how they are justified. If I get anything coherent by way of an answer, I will let you know," he promised.

He also tweeted: “ALL THE 'SECONDARY TICKET MARKET' SITES SHOWING INSANELY PRICED CURE TICKETS ARE A CON - NOT ONE OF THESE SCAMMERS HAS A GENUINE TICKET FOR SALE - PLEASE DON'T FALL FOR IT - WAIT TO SEE HOW YOU GET ON THROUGH THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION CHANNEL – X”

In a further tweet he added: “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...

“AND A $5 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR ALL OTHER TICKET PRICE TRANSACTIONS, FOR ALL CURE SHOWS AT ALL VENUES; IF YOU ALREADY BOUGHT A TICKET YOU WILL GET AN AUTOMATIC REFUND; ALL TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW WILL INCUR LOWER FEES.”

But he also criticised the touts: “The touts are sophisticated businesses that are expert at acquiring tickets, and the major marketplaces spend tens of millions of dollars on marketing. The touts get an unfair share of tickets and resell them on these marketplaces."

The Cure was formed in 1978 in Crawley. Smith attended St Francis' Junior School, Notre Dame Middle School from 1970 to 1972 and St Wilfrid's Comprehensive School from 1972 to 1977.