The World Is A Vampire

Live at PICA, Melbourne 22/4/23

The Smashing Pumpkins have brought their The World Is A Vampire tour to ten cities across Australia this April including two shows in Melbourne at the Port Melbourne Industrial Centre for the Arts (PICA). A project conceived by the band themselves is a feast for the ears including locals (turned worldwide sensation) Amyl & The Sniffers who had a great hour long slot to play to a very receptive crowd of punters.

Jane’s Addiction were in fine voice & sounded brilliant sonically with all original members except Dave Navarro, absent on guitar, with duties performed by stand in touring guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer.

Perry Farrell kept the crowd entertained with lives tracks lifted predominantly from their ‘big’ albums ‘Nothing’s Shocking’ & ‘Ritual de lo Habitual’

The Smashing Pumpkins headline all the shows across the country (It is their festival anyway!) which was so good to see & put on an exceptional performance. The hits were upfront – ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ & ‘Today’ & their set included tunes from most of their albums including covers – Talking Heads ‘Once In a Lifetime’, The Church’s ‘Under The Milky Way’ & a snippet of Farnham’s ‘Your The Voice’.

The exuberant crowd were fully engaged throughout the show in the wonderful industrial surrounds of PICA.

Towards the end on The Smashing Pumpkins set when they played ‘Beguiled’ from Atom: A Rock Opera in Three Acts, they were joined by wrestlers from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) who had been keeping the crowd entertained between bands throughout the afternoon & evening.