Pumpkins lead siege at Kryal

THE forecourt of Kryal Castle became the backdrop for a more modern display of entertainment over the weekend with lights, performative wrestling and a bevy of alt-rock icons.

US rockers The Smashing Pumpkins were in town on Sunday evening with four supporting acts in tow, playing in Ballarat as part of their The World Is A Vampire tour.

With more than 6500 in attendance, Kryal Castle CEO Bart Hamilton said the Pumpkins gig was a sign of bigger things to come for the venue.

“It was a 10 out of 10. The weather was beautiful. The crowd was electric and the bands were awesome, so it’s definitely the start of a lot more festivals at Kryal Castle,” he said.

“This is definitely the biggest one we’ve ever done and it all went off smoothly. I think it cements us as a pretty popular regional Victoria festival destination.

“We have huge plans for the back-end of the year and into 2024 to do bigger and better events. We’ll do at least two, probably more, and then a whole stretch into summer.”

Two female wrestlers battle it out during matches between the National Wrestling Alliance and the Wrestling Alliance of Australia.

The Smashing Pumpkins were supported by Jane’s Addiction, Amyl and The Sniffers, RedHook, and Battlesnake with two sets of wrestling matches between the National Wrestling Alliance and the Wrestling Alliance of Australia also taking place.

Sean Kelly travelled from Adelaide for a weekend trip and said the gig didn’t disappoint.

“The atmosphere’s been wicked and everyone’s been really nice,” he said. “We watched the wrestling earlier and everyone was getting really into it.

“I’ve seen the Pumpkins a couple times, Jane’s Addiction once and the rest of the bands I’d never seen. RedHook really surprised me. They were dope and it was really unexpected.”

Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell.

Brown Hill resident Sarah Opie said she was excited to see The Smashing Pumpkins for the first time.

“I’m a massive 90s kid so I’m really looking forward to it,” she said. “Kryal’s an amazing backdrop. I honestly think they should do bigger gigs here. It’d be an ideal location for full festivals.

“It’s been really cool and chill. The wrestling was definitely a highlight which I wasn’t expecting.”