Smashing Pumpkins

It's no coincidence that a Smashing Pumpkins record like "Adore" was described as being very close to the sound of the Cure, albeit filtered through the alternative rock aesthetic in vogue in the '90s. Billy Corgan, in fact, has always been a devoted fan of Robert Smith's band. It's no accident that for his solo debut "TheFutureEmbrace" he brought in none other than the Cure frontman himself, with whom he recorded a dark, gothic-tinged reworking of the Bee Gees classic "To Love Somebody". The Smashing Pumpkins have also paid tribute to the English band on other occasions: James Iha took on vocal duties for an acoustic version of "A Night Like This" and, in 2018, for a live rendition of "Friday I'm In Love".

In an interview a few years back, Corgan recalled the moment his connection to the Cure's music was born: "I was dating a goth girl who was obsessed with them," he said. "She talked about Robert Smith like he was a personal friend of hers. I later found out that's pretty common among Cure fans: they see Robert almost like a companion in life."

Corgan, who at the time knew the English band mainly through poppier songs like "In Between Days", was taken aback when the girl first played him "Pornography", one of the undisputed masterpieces of the Cure's early period, the one most closely tied to the darkwave aesthetic, and discovered a far darker dimension that struck a chord with his own sensibility. "It was a completely different atmosphere," he revealed. "The moment 'One Hundred Years' kicks in, you immediately think: 'This isn't the same band, this isn't the tender, catchy version I knew.' It was another side of the Cure and it really hit me. That song has something of 'Tomorrow Never Knows' about it: it never really changes, it's hypnotic, and yet it works. I think the Cure are massively underrated. As eccentric as they are, they've managed to express themselves in different ways with real effectiveness. Robert is an extraordinary melody writer, but at the same time the band knows how to do art-rock brilliantly."

Corgan then recalled his first meeting with Smith, which was destined to grow into a friendship. "The first time I saw him was a pretty wild night," he recalled. "He was completely drunk… he ended up throwing up on my shoes. An unforgettable encounter! The next time, he looked at me with those sleepy eyes and burst out laughing, as if to say: ‘That's how things go in the world of the Cure…’. When I think of them, I think of a lot of alcohol and crazy nights. I've had plenty of those with them."

The recent “Aghori Mhori Mei“, the thirteenth studio album by Smashing Pumpkins, marked the return of the "classic" lineup, with Billy Corgan joined by James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin, while Jeff Schroeder remains out of the picture. Recorded between 2022 and 2024, the record blends alternative rock, progressive and heavy metal influences across ten tracks written and produced by Corgan alongside Howard Willing. The first single, "Sighommi," a fast, melodic track, quickly climbed the American alternative charts, reaching as high as number five on the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart.

Formed in Chicago in 1988, Smashing Pumpkins came together thanks to Billy Corgan (vocals, guitar), joined by James Iha (guitar), D’arcy Wretzky (bass) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums). With their blend of alternative rock, psychedelia and metal influences, the band became one of the most important acts of the Nineties. Their most celebrated record, “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness” (1995), a double album featuring classics like “1979”, “Tonight, Tonight” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”, defined an era.

After the band's split in 2000 and a series of reunions with different lineups, the group reformed around the central figure of Corgan, with Iha and Chamberlin once again by his side, joined by newcomer Kiki Wong on guitar to round out the lineup.

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08/02/2026