Live Review: Garbage

The bar queues are still lengthy as announcements over the PA count down the minutes until Garbage hit the stage. We're used to watching musicals in Regent Theatre and it has to be said that this venue's lavish interior isn't very rock'n'roll.

Frontvixen Shirley Manson resembles a gold-and-white (fringed) disco gladiator and, teamed with her pink lob hairstyle, it's a bit of a rock eisteddfod look (but, of course, she pulls it off). We immediately miss Butch Vig, who has been out of action all year due to ongoing health problems, and everything could be turned up (except for Manson's vocals, which are a fraction too loud). Manson encourages us to put our "shields up" (kind of like putting your dukes up in preparation for a fight) during a stripped-down instrumental break within Stupid Girl - what a song!

Manson tells that Garbage are suffering through "possibly the worst jet lag [they've] had in 22 years of touring". Following Blood For Poppies, the 2012 Record Store Day single/introduction to the band's return to releasing music, Manson admits she nearly started crying. She thanks Michael Gudinski for bringing them out - "You're one of the few men we love in this industry" - before slamming the rest for being "cunts". Singling out the LGBT community, Manson promises, "I'll always have your back". It still feels weird to be thrashing around in this theatre.

Blackout from Garbage's latest album features a couple of supremely thrilling sonic moments that make us feel as if we're on a roller coaster. Manson rants about society's expectations about "how we're all supposed to look": "men are supposed to be muscly and have huge cocks, and women are supposed to have no physical hair and we've got to have big boobs." Waist trainers cop it ("our fuckin' organs are being shrunk"). Manson then wonders aloud: "Am I the only one who thinks this is insane?" Crowd: "NOOOOooo!"

"And then I realised, 'No, I'm not the only one that thinks this is fuckin' bonkers!'... We believe that to be a li'l weird and to be a li'l off-centre... and a li'l fucked-up and a li'l messy is actually a beautiful thing," Manson shares, which perfectly segues into "basically Garbage's philosophy in life": Bleed Like Me.    

We score #1 Crush (which is actually Manson for many in the audience) while making a mental note to rewatch Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (or 'Romeo Plus Juliet' as it was pronounced by many high school English teachers). Manson channels all of the angst of unrequited first love into this song and we positively ache for her.  

Manson hastily ties her sweaty hair up into a top knot. We kind of wish for a costume change, even though this isn't expected. Unofficial Melbourne anthem Only Happy When It Rains inspires us to storm the aisle and no one stops us so we delightedly belt out, "Pour your misery down on me!" just metres away from the stage as guitars wail.

We demand an encore and Empty, the first single from Garbage's latest Strange Little Birds set, simply shimmers. "I am SO INTO YOU!" we sing, totally meaning it (even though the actual lyrics are "I'm so empty" — oops!).