Smashing Pumpkins Rock Intimate Record Store Day Show

As is often the case with anything Billy Corgan-related, it was an eventful Saturday afternoon, April 17, as the latest incarnation of Smashing Pumpkins played an intimate gig in Los Angeles in aid of Record Store Day.

With just 250 friends, family and Pumpkins fans in attendance at the city's tiny Space 15 Twenty venue, the group performed an even split of new and old songs over the course of 75 minutes, with grunge-era favourites 'Today,' 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' and 'Ava Adore' appearing alongside tracks from forthcoming eighth studio album 'Telegarden by Kaleidyscope' -- currently being made available online for free a track at a time.

As previously reported by Spinner, Corgan announced he was taking part in Record Store Day as, he explained, "I used to work at an indie record shop so I'll always have a soft spot for the places where I still go to find the most vital music, whether new or still hidden."

According to the report in Rolling Stone, the biggest talking point of the gig however came when the outspoken Pumpkins' singer introduced his "son Jason" on stage, clad in a Mexican wrestling mask in order to protect his privacy.

"You may have seen a recent article on me in 'Rolling Stone' that talked about how I've been affected by not having children," Corgan said near the end of the show, regarding an interview he recently did with the veteran music magazine. "Well, since then I've found out that I do have a child." The jury's out on whether this was a typical Corgan joke, with the aforementioned 'Rolling Stone' certainly suggesting so.

The Smashing Pumpkins line up consisted of Corgan, guitarist Jeff Schroeder -- who has been with the band since 2007 -- drummer Mike Byrne and Electric Prunes' Mark Tulin on bass, Corgan commenting on the latter, "We're teaching Mark the ropes of alternative-rock bass; it's not far from psychedelic grunge."

The complete setlist was:
'A Stitch in Time'
'Stumbleine'
'A Song for a Son'
'Tristessa'
'Astral Planes'
'Today'
'Soot and Stars'
'G.L.O.W.'
'Widow Wake My Mind'
'Stand Inside Your Love'
'That's the Way (My Love Is)'
'Bullet with Butterfly Wings'
'Baby'
'Ava Adore'

The first physical release of the new material will be the limited edition EP 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor,' out on May 25.