Smashing Pumpkins. Whenever that name is thrown around, it is usually followed by a groan and a reply of, “it’s not the Smashing Pumpkins.” True, it may now be just Billy Corgan and “three randoms”, as some bloggers have dubbed them, but they remain a popular band and a big name in the world of rock, something which is important for a headliner to be. You could argue that the Pumpkins stopped being the Pumpkins in 1996, after drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was fired following a drug overdose with a touring keyboardist. He did return in 1999, but then bassist D’arcy Wretzky left and she was replaced by Melissa Auf der Maur, formerly of Hole, before they split in December 2000. So technically, the Smashing Pumpkins haven’t really been the same band since July 1996.

Is it really that important for the band to have all its original members? Believe me, I’d have loved nothing more than being able to see the Pumpkins’ headline set at Reading 1995, but being 5-years-old at the time, I couldn’t and I won’t have another chance to see the original line up. Some may point to Guns N’ Roses’ disastrous headline spot, as proof that bands aren’t the same without the original line up. However, that would be an unfair comparison, given that Billy Corgan practically is the Smashing Pumpkins. He wrote the tunes, he wrote the riffs, he created the solos, heck he even wrote and recorded their breakthrough album, Siamese Dream, by himself (save for the percussions which were done by Chamberlin). I’m sure if you asked anyone if would they rather see the band in its current ensemble, or Wretzky, Chamberlin and James Iha playing with a different vocalist, pretty much everyone would choose the former.

The question that will come up is, are they relevant enough? A sold-out UK tour; their first trip across the pond in more than three years no less, will tell you yes. They may have ‘downgraded’ from Arena shows to Academy venues this time around, but that may actually be a good thing. There’s nothing better than seeing a band like the Pumpkins in an intimate venue, closer to the action, than at a soulless corporate arena, which would strip them of their live experience. It could be argued that only certain bands do suit the atmosphere of arena gigs. This isn’t a new thing either, as the band played Brixton several times in the 90s and the now-defunct Astoria in 1994. They will certainly help sell out the day tickets and draw a big crowd, were they to headline the festival.

The other factor used to define a Reading headliner, is whether they are ‘current’ enough for the crowd? Well, one look at the 2011 poster and you will see plenty of ‘current’ bands who have listed the Smashing Pumpkins as an influence. Two of the three headliners, in Muse and My Chemical Romance, are such, along with Deftones, 30 Seconds To Mars, Panic! At The Disco, Warpaint, Taking Back Sunday, The Naked & Famous, The Joy Formidable, Smith Westerns and Yuck. Other artists who have listed them as an influence include Placebo, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Silversun Pickups, Garbage and Nelly Furtado. Even the character Scott Pilgrim can be seen wearing Smashing Pumpkins t-shirts in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Their influence in modern day rock culture is clearly there to see. It’s hard to gauge whether they are ‘current’ enough at the moment, given their ninth album, Oceania, won’t be released until the new year. However, judging by the amount of coverage it is receiving on the internet, it will no doubt be one of the most high-profile releases of 2012.

So, what would make the Smashing Pumpkins a great booking in 2012? 

Well, for a start, they have such a distinguished and variable back catalogue, perfect for a headline set at a festival. From hard-rocking anthems such as “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “Zero”, to mellow sing-alongs “1979” and “Disarm”, to grunge beasts “Siva”, “Cherub Rock” and “Today”, and, of course, the orchestral masterpiece “Tonight, Tonight”; Smashing Pumpkins have the songs to ignite any festival.

Those, of course, are just the popular tracks. “A Song for A Son” from download-only album, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, sounds like the perfect festival closer and “Geek USA” from 1993’s Siamese Dream, with its pounding riffage and drums, would tear apart the Main Stage. They have so many songs in their discography readily available, they could play any number of different tracks and would still leave the crowd heading home happy.

Secondly, given the above tunes mentioned, surprisingly they have only played festivals in the UK four times: Reading three times (1992, 1995 and 2007) and Glastonbury (1997). Given how many times some of their contemporaries have played festivals in that timeframe, that is an astonishing statistic, and they certainly wouldn’t be in danger of being an over-exposed headliner.

Finally, given they were one of the premier alternative rock bands of their generation, how could they not be fit to headline the UK’s premier alternative festival? Smashing Pumpkins are the type of band that Reading used to be, and still could be, about.