Guest starring the geezer from Sugar Ray

Buy Tickets To The Smashing Pumpkins 2019



Latterly-resurrected Chicago alt-rock icons Smashing Pumpkins have put out a new video for Halloween (which apparently lasts the whole of October now).

In the clip – for new track ‘Silvery Sometimes’ – the group founded by morose frontbaby Billy Corgan accept some sort of challenge to spend a night in a haunted house.

Inside said cursed abode, the band spend the whole time watching themselves play the tune on telly, with lots of macabre bits and bobs going on around them like ghosts and scary puppets and demons and freaky twins.

Anyway, have a butchers, it’s Halloween after all, and they’re called Smashing Pumpkins #OnBrand

It kicks off with an (overlong, let’s face it) intro by former Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath, you remember, ‘every-morning-there’s-a-halo-hanging-from-the-corner-of-my-girlfriend’s-four-post bed’, that guy, done up like some manner of naff gameshow host.

McGrath is later revealed to be a demon, yeah.

Oh look, there’s Billy Corgan in a bunny onesie, what a good sport.

In fairness Corgan – who directed the clip – James Iha, Jimmy Chamberlin and Jeff Schroeder do appear to be having fun. And why the hell not – in just one month from today fans around the globe will at last get to hear new album ‘Shiny and Oh So Bright Vol 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun’.

The Rick Rubin-produced record should actually be a bit of a smasher, if ‘Silvery Sometimes’ and recent release ‘Solara’ are anything to go by.

Back in the summertime Gigwise gushed that Solara could boast ‘pin-sharp production, smart melodic ideas, and an eminently air-drummable rhythm section.’

Tonight (October 16) the band will play a packed out Wembley Arena, their last UK date on this tour.