-3a738df.jpg)
The Smashing Pumpkins at Kryal Castle
Never in a million years did we expect to be seeing one of our favourite bands, The Smashing Pumpkins, performing at such a unique venue as Kryal Castle. Touring Australia with their mini-festival The World Is A Vampire, we travelled to Ballarat to see some of Australia’s best talent perform alongside Jane’s Addiction and The Smashing Pumpkins, as well as some pro wrestling.
For those not there, it’s hard to describe the events that unfolded in the early afternoon of the festival. Sydney seven-piece Battlesnake were on opening duties; bringing their sci-fi prog rock and metal, dressed as priests and popes to unleash the darkness and bring out the head-banging for all in attendance. Performing tracks that included I Am The Vomit and Return of the Witch, to the almost self-titled The Battlesnake, we couldn’t get enough of the band who really brought it for 2pm in the afternoon – closing out with their 2019 masterpiece Nightmare King.
Throughout the day, punters were able to catch the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) take on Australia’s very own Wrestling Alliance of Australia (WAOA), who were filming episodes for their show NWA Powerrr on YouTube. Having purchased the NWA in 2017, lead singer of the Pumpkins Billy Corgan delivered on his vision to bring music and wrestling together, in an extremely fun-filled festival for all. Commentators Joe Galli and Kyle Durden brought us into their world for a day of pro wrestling, along with some music on the side. NWA wrestlers Mercurio and Silas Mason (AKA Thrillbilly) brought out a full crowd to witness the action and epic battles from Kenzie Paige and Natalia Markova. From NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Kerry Morton strutting around stage riling up the crowd, to the Aussie pro wrestlers Adam Brooks ‘Brooksy’ and The Business, all were giving it their all. From knights in shining armour, to catchphrases like ‘business is good’, we couldn’t get enough of the NWA v WAOA, and Kryal Castle set the perfect stage for some pro wrestling action.
Having caught Sydney alt-rockers Redhook on their debut headline shows back in 2019, the band have since become a staple in the heavy Australian music scene, known for their incredible live performances. It’s crazy to think that their debut album Postcard From A Living Hell has dropped this week, having successfully toured Australia and the world off their amazing EPs and singles. Excited for the new catalogue of hits to enjoy, both at home and live in concert, the anticipation of seeing lead vocalist Emmy Mack as well as bandmates Craig Wilkinson, Alex Powys and Ned Jankovic in full force again was unrivalled.
Chased out on to the stage in a straight jacket, Emmy and band launched straight into classics Cure 4 Psycho and Only Bones, before performing their 2022 single, and Mack’s favourite, Jabberwocky. The crowd, electrified by the intensity of the band’s live performance, lifted after Fake when Emmy returned to the stage in a white dress covered in blood for Dead Walk. Opening up the pit for Kamikaze, the band closed out the set with Bad Decisions – bringing out Battlesnake to throw toilet paper into the crowd. With a headline set coming up on the 20th May, we highly recommend catching Redhook on their tour.
After another bout of wrestling, next up on the main stage were Amyl and the Sniffers, who are well known to most Australian audiences having performed at a long run of festivals, headline dates and important international support slots. Fronted by Amy Taylor, the Australia pub rock band blitzed through tracks from their albums Comfort to Me and the self-titled album Amyl and the Sniffers. Fitting 15 songs into a 50 minute set, the band powered through everything from openers Don’t Fence Me In and Balaclava Lover Boogie to Control and Shake Ya. Group sing-a-longs were in full swing for popular songs Security, Got you, Knifey, Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled), while the band finished strong on Hertz. Few bands can deliver such top notch performances every single night, but Amyl are no ordinary band; more than proving themselves time and time again on the main stage.
One of the headline acts for the festival was Jane’s Addiction; the legendary American alt-rock band whose perfect blend of punk, funk, metal and psychedelic music pioneered a new sound in the late 1980s. Their influence in the music world cannot be understated, and we were thrilled to have their boundary-pushing rock at such a magical venue. Performing tracks from their most popular albums, including debut Nothing’s Shocking, sophomore album Ritual de lo habitual and the self-titled album Jane’s Addiction, frontman Perry Farrell brought his theatrical and provocative stage presence to Ballarat to continue the wild night ahead.
Opening with Trip Away and Whores, the band were supported in tow with burlesque dancers to set the scene. Alongside Farrell, guitarist Josh Klinghoffer filling in for Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery brought the heat for Been Caught Stealing, Pigs in Zen and Ted, Just Admit It… The band, enjoying their time in Australia and at Kryal Castle continued to roll through the hits with Kettle Whistle, Ocean Size and Mountain Song, taking time to admire the sunset and acknowledging the mountains surrounding them inland. The crowd really picked up during the last tracks, with an extra loud cheer for Jane Says, as well as closing tracks Three Days and Stop!
Before long, it was time for the headline act, The Smashing Pumpkins to return to the stage after a seven year absence from Australian shores. Walking out to rock opera track ATUM, the band strolled onto stage to perform new track Empires with a simple ‘Good evening’ part-way through the song to let us know they had arrived. Billy Corgan, in his trademark black robes, white face-paint and a black star on his forehead, wasted no time in launching straight into Bullet With Butterfly Wings – the song the festival was named after.
Rolling straight into Today, the band pondered whether anyone lived at Kryal Castle, before heading into a full-crowd sing-a-long for We Only Come Out At Night – Corgan singing the line ‘my friends’ and pointing to the crowd meaningfully. The Smashing Pumpkins setlist came armed with bonus songs in the form of covers; the first of which being Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads – a unique and heavy take on a classic. Performing Solara and old throwback track Eye, Billy told the crowd, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the rock show’, as the band took a moment to thank the crowd and express their gratitude.
Ava Adore from album Adore delivered Smashing Pumpkins at their finest; in tow with an incredible drum solo and perfectly timed light show. As Corgan yelled out, ‘it’s so fucking hot here in Australia’, we hear Spellbinding from their latest album and a cover sung by James Iha with Corgan on acoustics for Australian classic Under the Milky Way by The Church. While all of the old and new Pumpkins songs won the hearts of the crowd, the band made the time to speak to the crowd in a real way. Corgan told a story of taking his kids to ‘medieval times’ to watch some jousting and dedicated an acoustic version of Tonight, Tonight to all of the lovers, stoners, knights, queens, princesses, non-binary and to everyone. It was nice to see the band having such a great time on stage; talking about gleaming knights in armour, how the crowd will warm up to the wrestling and how much they loved being in Australia.
The final portion of the festival, and the Pumpkin’s headline set was a ‘best of’; producing all of the hits and fan favourites. From Cherub Rock going absolutely off, to cult-classic Zero continuing to be one of our favourite songs on any of their set lists, the set had it all. Bringing the audience along for 1979, the band closed out with ATUM track Beguiled, and the mind-melting masterpiece from Siamese Dream with Silverfuck.
At the end of the night, it was easy to see why The World Is A Vampire tour has been so popular around the world. The Smashing Pumpkins alone would justify your ticket, and being able to witness Jane’s Addiction, incredible Aussie talent and a day of pro wrestling, we’d highly recommend getting your ticket to the rest of the tour.