Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
“I’m bleeding like a stuffed pig and am hormonally upset” Shirley Manson warned. “But the vibe is good tonight.” A little more information than we would possibly have liked, but she was right – the atmosphere certainly was hot.
Returning to one of the first places Garbage played in the UK back in 1995, Wolverhampton rapturously applauded rock’s sexiest tough girl as she strode confidently onto the dark stage as the other band members thrashed out the intro to Push It. Nearing the front, she was suddenly engulfed by a single white light and grabbed her mic as the band cracked into the track. The set had begun.
Cavorting her way around the stage, Shirley’s energy levels were as high as her hormones’ as she pogo-ed from one side to the other, one minute kicking her legs high into the air and the next kneeling down on one knee, balancing over the edge. It’s not surprising that she’s so trim! Other band members Steve Marker and Duke Erikson also bounced around the back of the stage with some degree of organised chaos, as they strummed out the chords.
And God, they were as loud as they were energetic! The beat of the songs vibrated through my entire body and even the tips of my hair were bouncing, synchronised to the rhythm of the music. Not unusual you may think, but these levels were perhaps edging to the extreme as I caught sight of a few of the crowd plugging their ears with their fingers to dull the sound.
Even so, Garbage gave a stunning show that more than compensated for the ringing ears! They performed an array of tracks taken from all three of their albums including their hits Paranoid, Stupid Girl, Supervixen and Only Happy When It Rains. Surprisingly Androgyny was not amongst the set tonight but instead they delivered other favourites such as Grow Up, the first song Shirley wrote the lyrics to, and Cherry Lips, the track she described as “a strange little beast, written for a friend who, against all odds, still believes that living is important”.
Shirley oozes contradictions. Dressed in a white t-shirt (complete with fake black tie printed on the front), black trousers with braces, Dr Martin style boots and her bleached blond crop framing her delicate features, she is both tomboy and sex kitten in one. Her smouldering voice was versatile enough to belt out the powerful Hammering In My Head, yet provocatively alluring in So Like A Rose, as she played her powder blue Fender Telecaster.
Working the whole stage, Garbage was careful to ensure that none of the audience were neglected through any part of the show. Shirely actively directed her singing in all directions of the venue and even jumped down into the ‘pit’ and proceeded to shake hands with her fans as she continued her vocals.
In retaliation to a journalist’s remarks the night before in Bristol that the gig was too long, she insisted; “I think we should elevate the set by one song. So here’s an obscure piece for all you hard-cores” and proceeded to deliver the little known but catchy track Get Busy With The Fizzy.
The hour and a half set was rounded-off with a three-track encore which included a cover of the Rolling Stones’ Wild Horses which was described as “an amazing example of standing the test of time”.
Surprisingly, this third gig in their world tour was not a sell-out and a lot of the Midlands population will never know what they missed. Garbage was certainly not garbage. As for Shirely Manson, she’s definitely more ‘Supervixen’ than ‘Stupid Girl’.
