Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins released full page advertisements in Chicago’s newspapers in which he said “I want my band back, and my songs and my dreams”.

"For a year now I have walked around with a secret, a secret I chose to keep, Corgan said in the ad.

"But now I want you to be among the first to know that I have made plans to renew and revive The Smashing Pumpkins.”

Billy Corgan didn’t say whether his revival includes fellow former Smashing Pumpkins members: drummer Jimmy Chamberlin (who plays on Corgan's solo album), guitarist James Iha (now a member of A Perfect Circle) and bassist D'Arcy Wretzky, who was replaced for their final tour by Melissa auf der Maur (who now fronts her own band).

Corgan also told Rolling Stone that he had no interest in performing his former band's material on his solo tour. "I don't want to play Smashing Pumpkins songs unless it says Smashing Pumpkins above my head. The only reason I'd be doing it now is to make people feel comfortable. If they wanna come see me play, they're gonna have to come see what I'm doing now."


Billy Corgan led the Smashing Pumpkins through the 1990s when Smashing Pumpkins quickly transformed from a dizzying Chicago attraction into one of the world's biggest alternative rock bands, mixing a barrage of metallic guitar with touches of psychedelia and jazz dynamics.

After going multi- platinum and even contributing to Batman & Robin soundtrack, Smashing Pumpkins split citing personal conflicts in 2000.

Since then Billy Corgan fronted the short-lived group Zwan, which produced a single album and, earlier this week, released his first solo album, The Future Embrace (Reprise).

Billy Corgan's solo tour rolls through US East Coast in June 2005 and West Coast, plus Canadian Toronto and Vancouver in July 2005. 

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