The Smashing Pumpkins @ Kryal Castle
The World is a Vampire Tour Is A Sonic Feast for the Senses.
Review and photos by Brittney McCarthy of BM Images
Following on from Nat’s incredible review for the fourth show of The World is a Vampire Tour at Sydney’s Hordon Pavillion, (you might want to go and read that first). I was lucky enough to attend the sixth show that was delivered with vigor at Ballarat’s Kryal Castle.
Battlesnake, aptly described by Nat as Tenacious D-esque fantasy rock, filled up the huge stage with seven Mephistophelian members enrobed in demonic glam-rock priest attire. They came to play music though I am certain Battlesnake performed an exorcism instead, as my head was spinning unsure what I should be looking at at any given moment. Between rockstar guitar solos and a stripped-down member climbing the stage scaffolding with a hot pink keytar, Battlesnake kept me guessing. For a band that is flying at you with chaos, costumes and high energy you would expect some slack in the live performance but the band was tight. With dripping vocals, escalating layered guitar riffs and infernal bass it was a thoroughly enjoyable time and I have had their tracks on rotation since, I Am The Vomit is a new favourite for me.
Between sets we were presented with NWA Wrestling shows while the stage was reset. Billy Corgan purchased NWA in 2017 which is how and why the unusual coupling of a music fest and a wrestling show at a castle came to be. A knight was slapped, a femme wrestler came out screeching incoherently about something, and the nonplussed crowd gradually joined in with insults and cheers. Though the Aussie audience was slow to engage the obscure addition to a music festival went over surprisingly well.
Entering the stage in a straightjacket and Hannibal Lector mask, RedHook vocalist Emmy Mack frantically moved across the stage before dramatically guzzling a drink. Wearing an electric blue sheer crop over a black string bikini, with her signature red lips and an animated persona, Emmy certainly stands in her power as the frontwoman of RedHook. The band delivered an eclectic set filled with nu-metal, pop-punk and EDM-inspired tracks that the crowd up the front all knew, word for word.
Before Amyl and the Sniffers took to the stage punters were milling around gorging on roast beef rolls and slushies. Juggling simultaneously eating, drinking, enjoying the unusual venue, the live acts, and NWA wrestling. It wasn’t until Amy Taylor was propelled into sight that the enormous crowd were determined not to miss a moment. Even the gorgeous sunset couldn’t distract the crowd from Amy’s charismatic energy, mirroring her rambunctiousness with enthusiasm. Belting out punchy favourites Security and Guided by Angels from their 2021 album Comfort to Me, the Melbourne four-piece affectionately flipped off the smiling crowd between c-bombs and frantic riffs. The band delivers short, sharp and fiery performances, but what sets Amyl and the Sniffers apart is the beaming smile permanently etched on Amy's face, as if she is singing to all her mates. The absolute joy all members have about being there is evident; they just came to have a good fucking time, and that’s what they did.
Jane’s Addiction’s hedonistic frontman, Perry Farrell, brings theatrics and sex to the stage. Jauntily prancing around on stage with a bottle of wine in one hand and a microphone in the other, he was emanating ‘horny Joker’ as he belted out many of the LA four-piece’s staple tracks; Whores, Been Caught Stealing, Mountain Song and Jane Says were only a few of the many highlights in their setlist for the night. Filling in for Dave Navarro was ex Red Hot Chili Peppers' Josh Klinghoffer and he filled those big shoes with ease, the crowd eating up the show, which included a trio of femmes on a sex-swing, Perry’s wife Etty Lau Farrell leading the way.
The festival felt like a mish-mash of sideshows leading up to the main event, The Smashing Pumpkins. As their set approached, the frigid air enshrouded the audience, a mélange of warm breath, weed smoke, and vapor clouds settling above the crowd. Introducing their set for the night with their title track from ATUM – A Rock Opera in Three Acts (I and II are out now, III arrives on May 5) before launching into Empires. What continued was a pleasant blend of Smashing Pumpkins hits and new material.
Following a cover of The Church’s brooding classic Under the Milky Way, an acoustic version of Tonight, Tonight was introduced by Cogan as a dedication “to the lovers in the crowd, to the stoners in the crowd, to the knights in the crowd, to the queens in the crowd, to the princesses, to the non-binary, everybody … We dedicate this song to you. It’s a song we like to call Tonight Tonight.” The crowd earnestly sang along with arms and phones held high.
In a distracting twist the wrestling didn’t end in the ring as two were dragged back onto the stage to tousle before the show wound down with 8 and half-minute Silverfuck, a song that embodies the full spectrum of their sound well, allowing James Iha and Jeff Schroeder’s distinctive guitar melodies to shine, Billy Corgan’s breathy vocals juxtaposed with the more familiar nasally croon and Jimmy Chamberlain’s drums pleasurably pulsing against our eardrums. A sonic feast for the shivering crowd as the night came to an end.
The lighting technicians’ deft work deserves praise for their thoughtful and well-executed show that accompanied and embellished each song. From a dark void speckled with ethereal lights for We Only Come Out at Night to the undulating fans of blue blanketed across the stage and crowd for Bullet with Butterfly Wings, we were treated to a visual experience that elevated the entire show.
Between the grandeur of the replica castle and bizarre blow-up chicken, a lineup of talented artists and a wrestling ring, The World is a Vampire was a triumphant fusion of alt-rock and modern-day mayhem. A farcical idea that came to life as a medieval castle becomes the epicentre of the ultimate sports entertainment music festival where music, wrestling, and medieval vibes collide.
