Let’s take stock of the facts, whether you’re a fan of Billy Corgan or less impressed by his post-Pumpkins ‘villain-era’, The Pumpkins are a great band. For the rock diehards among us, it’s guaranteed that a few of their tracks have seeped into our musical consciousness and stayed there waiting for 1979 or Bullet With Butterfly Wings to reawaken the feeling of our formative years. In my opinion this is true regardless of what generation you hail from.
So what to make of the World is a Vampire tour Corgan set up to hit the Sandstone Hotel in Bribie Island? Supported by rock’n’roll heavy hitters Jane’s Addiction and Australian acts Amyl and The Sniffers, Redhook and Battlesnake, plus the US National Wrestling Alliance (owned by Corgan) and the Wrestling Alliance of Australia duking it out in the ring, and a team of burlesque dancers; this event was a slam dunk. Unlike previous tours, Billy has got 80% of the band back together. All of this adds up to Corgan turning over a new lease on life if you’ll forgive the mixed metaphor. Ten thousand people packed the Bribie Island spot and all of them were entertained with food, wrestling and blistering rock’n’roll. A resounding success.
- Matt Hall.