The Smashing Pumpkins – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax
By Steve Crabtree, August 2025
One of the things I love about the Live at The Piece Hall when the line-up gets announced is looking out for a name that I’m not massively familiar with – someone I’ve maybe heard a couple of songs from, but never truly explored. I make sure I get to see at least one of those every year.
Grace Jones last year springs to mind. I knew a couple of her hits, I remembered the Russell Harty moment, and that she had a reputation as a diva. She absolutely blew me away. Cliff Richard was the same deal in Scarborough too. A legend I didn’t expect much from – but he delivered.
So, when The Smashing Pumpkins were named as a headliner, and without any disrepect, they became my 2025 wildcard. I knew they were heavy. I knew they’d been around a long time. But what I didn’t expect was to walk away from this one having witnessed one of the best gigs I’ve ever seen at this venue.
“A real melting pot”
Heading to this Tuesday night concert with a couple of mates, we got inside in to The Piece Hall in time to catch the latter half of White Lies’ support set. They were excellent, and the place was heaving. Possibly the fullest I’ve seen it all summer. A real melting pot too – metal heads, punks, goths, grunge kids, emo teens, indie die-hards – all rubbing shoulders with beers in hand and sunglasses aplenty. It had the feel of a real event.
People knew they were about to witness something special. Even during the stage setup for the main act, you knew this was going to be something else. Huge props, big gear – and we were in for a proper two-hour rock onslaught.
About 8.45, and The Smashing Pumpkins were on stage. Huge cheers, lots of adulation, and they were off. Opening with ‘Glass Theme’ and ‘Heavy Metal Machine’, the volume was fierce. You couldn’t hear yourself shout, never mind sing. ‘Where Boys Fear to Tread’ and the laid-back thump of ‘Pentagram’ set precedent early – this wasn’t going to be a delicate evening.
“Smashing Pumpkins were LOUD”
Now, if you read my stuff you’ll know I don’t swear in reviews, but – f**k me! Smashing Pumpkins were LOUD. The kind of loud that temporarily resets your hearing between songs. But it was brilliant. I completely got why hardcore fans love them. ‘1979’ – one of the few songs I properly knew – was outstanding, and ‘Porcelina of the Vast Oceans’ stood tall alongside it, rising and falling with cinematic drama that completely swallowed the courtyard.
There was great humour too. Guitarist James Iha told us how much he’d enjoyed fish and chips in Halifax, and as chants of “Yorkshire! Yorkshire!” broke out, he laughed, saying he’d been warned that if he heard that, it just local pride and wasn’t a hostile chant aimed at them, telling them “You’re sh*t!”
There was more lighter moments with their brilliant cover of Berlin’s ‘Take My Breath Away’. A smashing job by the Pumpkins and…I preferred their version to the original. Unexpected, but what a brilliant inclusion.
“Volume and grit”
The heavy sound didn’t let up. ‘999’, ‘Disarm’, and ‘Cherub Rock’ all hit hard, with swirling lights and thick riffs filling the evening air. ‘Tonight, Tonight’ received the biggest crowd response of the evening. That intro still has a magical quality to it, and it felt like a perfect track for a warm August night.
Billy Corgan – still sporting his unmistakable look – was in great form, warm with the crowd and enjoying the atmosphere. This was a band that, despite their volume and grit, brought a real sense of friendliness and fun. They weren’t just here to play – they were here to perform, to put on a full-blown show, and give something to every person in the crowd.
‘Ava Adore’ was an absolute highlight late on, its chugging, thunderous sound bounced around The Piece Hall. And the band wrapped up an immense 23-song set with ‘Zero’ and ‘The Everlasting Gaze’. And when it finished, you were out of breath – not just from the volume, but from the scale of what we’d just been watching.
Three hours before, I’d have thought this gig would have just been alright. But wow. This wasn’t just another Tuesday night gig. It was a masterclass. A heavy rock show and a full on, high-energy event.
Images: Cuffe & Taylor and The Piece Hall
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
