THE WORLD IS A VAMPIRE FESTIVAL – Brisbane, Australia 15th April 2023
“The older people, show us how it’s done. The younger people, show ‘em what’s what!” exclaims Amyl and The Sniffers’ Amy Taylor, expressing her approval of the diverse age range in the crowd at today’s World Is A Vampire festival. It is indeed a mixed demographic at The Smashing Pumpkins’ travelling festival of rock music and wrestling (the latter being a major passion of Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan). With live music sets punctuated by wrestling matches between Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance and the Wrestling Alliance of Australia, it’s a curious but ultimately hugely enjoyable day, the wrestlers providing entertainment as road crew set up on the main stage for the various musical acts. Whatever one thinks of wrestling, it beats twiddling our thumbs while techies muck around with cables. And while I am not informed enough to give a review of the wrestling’s quality…well, it’s something different isn’t it?
Early arrivers have reason to celebrate, with the opening band PistonFist bringing some welcome Brisbane talent to the mix. This being my introduction to the local combo, I am quickly impressed by their petrol-scented blend of hard rock and sludgy metal. The audience gets a meat-and-potatoes set of classic rock riffs, wah-wah stoner frenzy and nimble shredding, not to mention vocalist Geoff O’Leary who possesses an authoritative howl somewhere between Spiderbait’s Kram and Glenn Danzig.
Next is Battlesnake, a costumed power/prog metal band from Sydney who enter the stage in matching priestly robes. That said, the band would not be easily confused with the likes of Ghost, as the music is of a more epic quality, enhanced brilliantly by triple-harmonised guitar solos. Frontman Sam Frank has a horned “high priest” hat and vaguely spider web-like sleeves, and while his voice occasionally rises to Mercyful Fate-style falsetto, his vocals are generally in a sinister wizard style, like Merlin from the Excalibur movie intoning spells. At times, the band reminds me of cult metallers Manilla Road, not to mention a healthy dose of Blue Oyster Cult.
There are more theatrics from another Sydney band Redhook. A couple of people in medical scrubs and face masks chase frontwoman Emmy Mack, clad in a straitjacket, up and down the stage, until the band charge into their alt-rock, nu-metal style of music. She reappears later in a bloody dress and blood capsules in her mouth, giving some macabre Alice Cooper vibes to the set as well. “You gotta risk it for the Bizkit,” Emmy says after a storming cover version of Break Stuff, eager not to repeat the chaos of a Woodstock ‘99. No risk of that however, with a far more chilled audience, increasingly appreciative of the band’s stage show. There is also their deeply personal song Jabberwocky which has folks singing along, the topic being the disturbing issue of sexual abuse. In a surreal moment, Emmy initiates a circle pit while guitarist Craig Wilkinson picks up a saxophone and blows some tasty licks. The main impression is of a hugely entertaining and charismatic rock band, while their elements of stage theatre (shared by previous band Battlesnake) have me wondering what’s in the water in Sydney? Good stuff.
Our next live music entry is the mighty pub punks Amyl And The Sniffers. Led by another magnetic frontwoman Amy Taylor, the crowd are soon singing (shouting?) along with their Oz rock anthems. “Security, will you let me in the pub? I’m not looking for trouble, I’m looking for love,” Amy serenades one of the security guards, who responds in good humour. With lots of tongue poking and stalking the stage like she owns the joint, Amy is a ridiculously good performer as anyone who has seen them perform can attest to. Ending with the one-two punch of Hertz and the furious GFY, it’s a great way to wrap up a set that successfully straddles the anarchic abandon of punk with the hooks, riffs and catchy lyrical motifs of good ol’ fashioned rock and roll.
Night has fallen, so the time is right for gonzo alt-rock institutions Jane’s Addiction to take to the stage. With one hour allocated for them on the bill, they wisely manage to cram all their classics into an all-killer, no-filler set. Occasionally self-refreshing from a bottle of red wine, Perry Farrell looks in remarkable good health and is as engaging a presence as ever. Guitarist Dave Navarro is not here due to long Covid, but touring replacement Josh Klinghoffer (former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist) is more than up to the task, recreating Navarro’s classic fretboard runs with great detail. It’s also awesome to see bassist Eric Avery back in the fold, while drummer Stephen Perkins is as dexterous as ever. Not only that, the stage has scaffolding and a rocking horse, from which a trio of burlesque dancers twirl and contort throughout the set. Farrell regales us with stories between songs, including a tragicomic story about when he was looking for heroin in Australia in 1991 and ended up being sold curry powder. “I shot it up anyway,” he comments bashfully, with more than a twinkle of self-deprecating humour. These days, however, he looks youthful and physically fit and certainly far more comfortable with himself than when I saw them on the verge of breaking up at Festival Hall back in 1991.
Musically, they are on absolute fire. Opening with the slow, heavy and atmospheric Up The Beach, we basically get a “greatest hits” set. No complaining here. Ocean Size, Idiots Rule and Mountain Song sound simply immense, while the epic Three Days is, in a word, monumental. Been Caught Stealing scratches our funk-metal itch, while Jane Says maintains the acoustic mellow vibe, but is enhanced subtly with drums and jangling post-punk guitars that would not be out of place on a Cocteau Twins or Felt record. Ted Just Admit It reminds us of the dub influence that frequently reverberates through their work. It’s a triumphant set from one of the most imaginative alt-rock bands ever to emerge from the ‘90s.
To end the night, we get headliners and festival founders Smashing Pumpkins delivering a near-two hour set with a smattering of new tracks and, of course, classics from their Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness albums (no Disarm though!). As someone whose musical youth was in the ‘90s, I (like many) have always returned to the aforementioned albums the most when in a Pumpkins mood. That said, the many records they have released since then means we get a setlist that is musically richer than anything they could have delivered in the mid ‘90s. So post-Mellon Collie gems like the moody synth-pop of Eye (from the Lost Highway soundtrack) add depth and diversity to the show. The highlights of their new album Atum are also performed, and they impressively hold their own amongst the classics. Set opener Empire is classic Pumpkins riffarama, while newest single Spellbinding has bright new wave verses and a stadium rock chorus that Journey wouldn’t object to.
There are surprises too – a sludge/psych metal take on Talking Heads’ Once In A Lifetime for example. Corgan, dressed in long overcoat with some gothic face paint, is in a light, relaxed mood, sharing stage banter with guitarist James Iha and, of course, along come the hits – Bullet With Butterfly Wings (which inspired the festival’s title) and the anthemic Today are performed near the beginning of the set, while the triple whammy of Cherub Rock, Zero and 1979 are peak alt-rock classics at their finest. The pacing and sound quality isn’t quite up to Jane’s Addiction for my money (Perry and co were my personal highlights of the day), but it’s still a damn fine way to close the festival
Reviewer: Matt Thrower
Photographer: Terry O’Hagan
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