Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Saturday April 29, 2023
Reviewer and Photographer: Kevin Bull
‘The World Is A Vampire Festival’ rolled into Newcastle this overcast Saturday, and we arrived early to ensure we didn’t miss a moment. Like two hours early so it was a quick walk over to the Premier Hotel which was full of band t-shirts and punters lubricating themselves for what was to come.
It’s a quick dash back to the shed to find it in complete darkness and Battlesnake about to hit the stage. I’m so glad that I’ve finally seen this band live. Multiple lead guitars, keytar and religious/satanic/royal garb is always going to make it a fun show. Religious/satanic/royal… these are all the same isn’t it? Big metal riffage with some slow grind thrown in for good measure, they filled the big stage comfortably. Now to see them at a small venue. Imagine that one.
Amy Taylor is a powerhouse on stage, and Amyl and the Sniffers have merged into a world class punk rock band. Non stop energy, ‘Knifey’, Maggot’ and ‘Hertz’, and a run through the photo pit by Amy. If this was your first time seeing this band you would have to be a convert.
Though this is very much The Smashing Pumpkins’ show, personally I was so keen to see Jane’s Addiction again. The slow build of ‘Kettle Whistle’ eased us in, then ‘Stop’ snapped us awake with its franticness. Perry Farrell is commanding and draws your attention, big smiles and wails, his vocal delivery and melody lines are a massive part of what makes JA who they are. Josh Klinghoffer was a worthy fill-in for Dave Navarro on guitar, and it was great to have original bassist, Eric Avery, back with the band. He’s an absolute monster on stage. With the souring ‘Ocean Size’ closing a much too short set, seeing Jane’s Addiction live again was a pure joy.
Having The Smashing Pumpkins back in the country and to be playing regional shows is such a pleasure, and to come to my home town, I thank you. With a live sound that felt like a brick, and a masterful light show, SP covered much of their catalog tonight. Near half came from Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie, and deservedly so, but the setlist reached far and wide with a couple of cover being the most unexpected. The Church’s ‘Under The Milky Way’ was a pleasure to hear, but more so the forceful take of Talking Heads’ ‘Once In A Lifetime’. This was a highlight for me.
Three cuts from the band’s most recent Atum release made an appearance, and I do have a soft spot for ‘Empires’. That all said, Gish was entirely missed which was a real shame. Personally I totally enjoyed their performance, and it made up for my disappointing memories of their 2015 Soundwave show on a small side stage.
But this circus of a tour had more than just the music, Smashing Pumpkin’s Billy Corgan brought out his American wrestling federation, the NWA to be a part of the festival as they challenged the WAOA (Wrestling Alliance of Australia). Between the band’s sets, we were entertained by the best, world-class wrestling where you were so close to the action you could feel the hits. And when a guy goes over the top rope onto the concrete, he hits that concrete hard. When you see it up close, you realise that there is so much technique involve just so that they don’t hurt themselves. I had so much fun pointing the camera at it. Cheers Billy for that.
