Sombr surprised fans during his Coachella set with a surprise duet with Billy Corgan.
- READ MORE: Sombr tells us “music from the UK beats” the US at the BRITs 2026
The moment came during Sombr’s sunset set at the Outdoor Theatre yesterday (April 11), where he performed a slew of fan-favourite hits as well as delivering the live debut of a new track ‘Potential’.
Halfway through the set, he brought out Corgan, marking the Smashing Pumpkins frontman’s first ever time performing at the festival.
Corgan joined for a cover of the band’s hit ‘1979’, which has seen a resurgence among Gen-Z in recent weeks, with the track trending on TikTok and Instagram.
Check it out, and Sombr’s performance of ‘Potential’, below.
Sombr brings out Billy Corgan as a surprise guest at #Coachella to perform a rendition of Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979” pic.twitter.com/KmjaiD4Wm2
— Variety (@Variety) April 12, 2026
might be Billy Corgan joining Sombr onstage to perform Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979” pic.twitter.com/5BhwoyGIhA https://t.co/irOEg3L4CX
— music wins (@musicwins1) April 12, 2026
sombr x the smashing pumpkins at Coachella
04.11.26 pic.twitter.com/SP4gZYkK2w— sombrshq 𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ (@sombrshq) April 12, 2026
SOMBR’S NEW SONG HELLO??? DANCERS??? PRODUCTION????? OH WE’RE ARE SO BACK BABY ITS ALREADY A HIT #sombrchella #sombchella pic.twitter.com/c4kI55r8ij
— didine ✮ maggie’s month ♱ (@playguts) April 12, 2026
It’s not the first co-sign Sombr has received from his musical predecessors. Last month, he was joined on stage in Dublin by The Cranberries to perform ‘Linger’.
In other news, Sombr recently caught up with NME on the red carpet for the 2026 BRIT Awards and shared his love for UK music, and said that he thinks that Britain surpasses the US when it comes to producing “iconic acts”.
When asked about why the UK feels like a second home to him, he told us that it was predominately due to artists like “The Beatles, the Stones, David Bowie, and Elton John” resonating with him, as well as local Manchester talent including The Stone Roses, The Verve and Oasis.
“The list goes on,” he said, adding that he was planning on going round the room during the live event to “try to introduce myself” to some of his favourite artists.
“I just love it here,” he added. “It’s the music that comes from the UK [that clicks with me]. In my opinion, I love America, but I think acts from the UK just beat them, in terms of iconic acts”.
As for Corgan, his podcast The Magnificent Others was the recent setting for a reunion between him and former partner Courtney Love. The two shared their issues with “gatekeeper” Kim Gordon, addressed Love’s relationship with Dave Grohl and revealed who the lyrics in the chorus of Nirvana‘s ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ are about.
Corgan previously told NME that with his podcast, he wanted to “celebrate people in the culture that I feel either are misunderstood, overlooked or maybe don’t have the proper perspective from my position about what they’ve actually accomplished.”
He also recently theorised that rock music was “purposely dialled down” by the CIA and MTV starting from the late ’90s as a way of explaining why it’s not been so prevalent in the 21st century.
