This weekend sees the start of the annual Carling Weekend – a three day festival of some of the biggest and the best of the world’s rock bands.

Starting this Friday (Aug 24) the event’s headliners include Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and Razorlight.

Throughout the week, Uncut will be previewing some of the must-see bands.

Uncut will be bringing you festival news, blogs and pics all weekend live from the Carling Weekend: Reading, so take a look at Uncut’s festival blog from this Friday, August 24.

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SMASHING PUMPKINS

Rising from the ashes of heroin addiction and bitter slandering that ensued their highly publicised break up, American rock legends The Smashing Pumpkins reformed last year to record a new album, “Zeitgeist”.

With a new line-up; D’arcy Wretzky replaces bassist Ginger Reyes and guitarist Jeff Schroeder steps into James Iha’s shoes – the Smashing Pumpkins will headline the Main Stage on Sunday in Reading and perform in Leeds on Saturday.

“Zeitgest” is a quintessential Pumpkins album – despite the loss of two former band members. Ultimately, the band was always the brainchild of its perfectionist founder and lead singer Billy Corgan who remains on top form. The incredible goth-metal-shoegaze sound that made them the giants of rock in the 1990’s remains intact, in spite of Corgan’s unashamed politicisation.

The infinite energy and haunting lyrics that became synonymous with The Smashing Pumpkins of old are still evident in “Zeitgeist”.

Recent shows have seen the band plunder gloriously through the back catalogue of old too, everything from ‘Silverfuck’ to ‘1979’ to ‘Zero’ have all got outings in massively long shows in Europe.

The Smashing Pumpkins will perform on the Main Stage on Sunday in Reading and in Leeds on Saturday alongside Nine Inch Nails, LostProphets, Fall Out Boy, Funeral For A Friend, +44, The Used, Billy Talent, Hello Goodbye and Gym Class Heroes.