Garbage
Palais Theatre, Melbourne, VIC
Thursday, December 11th
As the house lights dim, “Laura Palmer’s Theme” – Garbage’s intro tape – sets the eerie scene.
Shirley Manson’s pristine vocals echo through the Palais Theatre during opener “There’s No Future in Optimism”, from Garbage’s excellent new album, 2025’s Let All That We Imagine Be the Light. Butch Vig’s powerful, metronomic drumming drives the band’s sound, with American bassist Nicole Fiorentino and founding guitarists contributing choppy, metallic textures.
It’s been over a decade since Garbage graced us with their illustrious presence and, about half an hour into tonight’s remarkable show, Manson points out this is the band’s first tour on Australian soil since their mentor, Michael Gudinski, joined the great gig in the sky. “We would have no career without Michael,” she tearfully admits.
Manson then addresses the “bizarre” beach ball incident that went down at the Melbourne edition of Good Things last week. “If that person was indeed who he said he was – if he was a Garbage fan – I would never have spoken to him the way I did,” she stresses. “I would like you to bear in mind that everything is contextual. If you’re not given any context, you have no idea what went on.”
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
According to Manson, she’s only spat the dummy twice across her 30-year musical career. We’re told the other time she “went nuts” was in response to “one cunt” who spat on her, following which she was cast as a Terminator in the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. “I’m sorry I lost my cool,” she allows, cheekily adding, “but I still fucking hate beach balls.” Laughter rings out in the crowd.
Sporting a long skirt composed of several different tartans, Manson would look right at home on Vivienne Westwood’s catwalk. She prowls around the stage, ignoring the beat, often with one hand placed defiantly on her hip. Targeting individual crowd members with her gestures, Manson’s eye contact is strong.
Garbage’s lighting design favours bold, monochromatic colour schemes – red, green, purple – with dissected rays bringing Venetian blinds to mind. During one of tonight’s standout moments, Manson steps in and out of light beams like a hologram finding focus while performing the unrelenting “Wolves”: “No one can say / That I didn’t need you/ That I didn’t want you / That I didn’t love you.”
Manson reveals “Hammering in My Head” was inspired by the band’s first Japanese tour in the mid-’90s, during which the band travelled by bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka.
Fiorentino opens “#1 Crush” (aka the “I would die for you” song, which shone within Baz Luhrmann’s hit-laden Romeo + Juliet soundtrack) in spectacular, menacing fashion. Complementing Manson’s timbre throughout, Fiorentino’s BVs are simpatico.
“Bleed Like Me” was written during “a very sticky time” for the band, Manson reveals, adding that their record label was pushing them to change their sound and write with rappers and hip-hop artists. When Garbage stood their ground, they were dropped. She dedicates this song to “the LGBTQ members of the audience.” During the sultry, swaggering “Queer”, Marker unleashes manic riffs.
Manson adopts a sneering delivery for “Chinese Fire Horse” as she takes aim at misogyny and ageism: “Wait a fucking minute… I’m not dead, I’m not done.” Wailing, emotive guitars elevate their latest album’s closer, “The Day I Met God”.
Manson reminds us that this will perhaps be their last Melbourne show, which makes everyone in the crowd all the more determined to get involved and dance wildly to their happy-sad bangers.
Garbage’s set concludes with “Only Happy When It Rains”, accompanied by a voracious crowd singalong: “Poooouuur your misery down on me…” An absolutely flawless show.
