Gunnersbury Park gears up for Alt-Rock Icons: The Smashing Pumpkins

West London is bracing for an incredible night of alternative rock with The Smashing Pumpkins bringing their acclaimed Aghori tour to Gunnersbury Park on Sunday, August 10th – in what promises to be one of the city’s defining live music moments of the summer. This one-day event isn’t just an ordinary tour stop, it’s the band’s only UK open-air headliner this year, marking a rare appearance of the band under open skies and historic trees. The show lands in support of their recent album “Aghori Mhori Mei”. Whilst The Smashing Pumpkins are no strangers to reinvention, this album sees frontman, Billy Corgan, reaching back into the darker, denser corners of the band’s catalog, putting in layered instrumentation and meditative themes drawn from Eastern spiritual imagery.

Fans can expect a setlist that spans the band’s influential discography. Stadium anthems like “Tonight, Tonight” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” are likely to share space with newer, more experimental cuts such as “Sighommi” and “Who Goes There”. So whether you came for nostalgia or for the next evolution, the band is promising a performance that honors their past while challenging their future.

The supporting lineup also features a selection of incredible music, elevating the event to full-scale festival status. British alt-rock veterans Skunk Anansie will bring their charged energy and unmatched stage presence. White Lies are known for their atmospheric post-punk; they are a natural complement to the lineup. Also on the bill are VOWWS, an industrial pop duo whose electronic and cinematic tones make them one of the most intriguing opening acts for the day, and last but certainly not least, Rocket, a rising female-fronted indie rock band hailing from LA, which is gaining momentum across UK venues and undoubtedly on the rise in the indie/ alternative rock scene. It is a lineup for the books.

Beyond the music, Gunnersbury Park itself plays a starring role. The grounds will accommodate up to 25,000 attendees, with one main stage positioned for optimal listening. The layout is festival-friendly, featuring wide-open viewing areas, food stalls, craft beer bars, and well-managed accessibility zones, including raised viewing platforms and calm spaces. This venue has been no stranger to hosting some of the most iconic acts over the past years, notable names that have headlined include Joji, Korn & Boygenius; each one bringing an electric atmosphere regardless of the music genre. It is undoubtedly bound to be one of the most notable shows for The Smashing Pumpkins, not just for this tour, but for their careers.

As London’s summer concert season reaches its peak, The Smashing Pumpkins’ Gunnersbury Park show stands apart; not just for its scale, but for its sense of occasion. It is a celebration that this ever-evolving band are not only still here, but still pushing boundaries. For fans, it’s a chance to reconnect with the songs that shaped a generation, and to witness a band still writing their legacy loudly, vividly, and on their own terms. For further information and tickets visit: https://smashingpumpkins.com/tour/.