Smashing!: Pumpkins to play Kryal Castle

ONE of the biggest bands of the 1990s is coming to Kryal Castle this April.

US alt rockers The Smashing Pumpkins are set to breach the castle walls as part of their The World Is A Vampire tour.

Kryal Castle CEO Bart Hamilton said the show will be a “huge” draw for the venue.

“We kind of got ourselves back on the map when it came to music festivals with Knight and Day at the end of 2021,” he said.

“But to get The Smashing Pumpkins’ first tour in almost two decades when they swing through Australia is going to be massive not just for the castle but for Ballarat and regional Victoria.

“We’re hoping for around 10,000 to 15,000 in front of Kryal with the castle as a backdrop.

“Music gigs always do well for us. Knight and Day sold out and we’re expecting the same for this.”

Even though Kyrial Castle is in Moorabool Shire, a representative from the City of Ballarat said the previous major live music gig at the venue, Knight and Day Festival, brought an economic boost of $700,000 to the region.

Mr Hamilton said he hopes The Smashing Pumpkins event will establish the venue as a prominent live music venue.

“I think we’ve proven we can throw a pretty significant festival and once this is a success, we’re hoping people will be knocking down our door as a permanent music fixture,” he said.

“We’re already in talks to run 10 to 12 shows at the backend of the year. I’m confident this won’t be the last people hear of us and we’ll get bigger and better acts each time.”

Support acts for The Smashing Pumpkins include Jane’s Addiction, Amyl and The Sniffers, RedHook, and Battlesnake as well as a wrestling match between Pumpkins’ frontman Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance and the Wrestling Alliance of Australia.

The Smashing Pumpkins will perform at Kryal Castle on Sunday, 23 April.