Latest news with #ShirleyManson
News.com.au
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Garbage singer Shirley Manson warns ‘expensive' Australia may miss out on more big tours
Shirley Manson confirms there are 'plans afoot' for '90s industrial pop pioneers Garbage to return to Australia later this year for their first tour in almost a decade. The rebel siren who has stalked the country's biggest stages over the past three decades says the delay in returning down under to play to one their biggest fanbases in the world, isn't for a lack of desire. It's a numbers' game. Manson reveals the band, which features famous producers and hitmakers Butch Vig, Duke Erikson and Steve Market, are offered the same fees to play in 2025 as they were paid in the late '90s. As Garbage get ready to head out on a massive US tour in support of their eighth studio album Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, the alt-rock goddess says the explosion in costs from flights and accommodation to staging and freight is putting younger rock bands out of business. 'There are plans afoot to come this year but it's getting increasingly difficult for bands to come to Australia,' she says. 'It's very expensive for us, flights, hotels, wages, everything, and the fees for a band like us, not always but sometimes, remain the same as what we were being paid in the '90s. 'I don't think people fully understand how difficult it is for bands to survive and that is why we are seeing less and less bands because the expense of touring for a band just becomes impossible to sustain. 'We have managed to survive an industry that's brutal by being really canny with the money; none of us live wildly, I drive a f---ing 10-year-old Prius.' Manson has been to hell and back over the past couple of years. She underwent hip replacement surgery to fix the damage wrought by a stage fall she suffered in 2016. Last year her other hip broke and she went through the same operation and recovery process all over again. Dealing with her human frailty, and the sociopolitical flux of her beloved America, where the Scottish singer has lived for decades, tested her spirit. Like all songwriters, when the brain fog of pain and medication lifted Manson set up a small recording studio in her bedroom and channelled her feelings into lyrics for the new record's songs. 'It's the first time I've sort of recorded my part of the bargain independently of the band; it's my era of independence!' she says with pride. 'I was recovering from two major surgeries over the course of two years so I was bed bound and my whole life got sort of turned upside down and all my habits got just disrupted, which was actually in the end, really great both for me and the band. 'It just changed the dynamic completely, which after 30 years is a real gift because of course if you're familiar with one another and familiar with your patterns of working, things can get very predictable.' 'Being in pain and having to learn to walk again was no picnic but I'm grateful for the upheaval in the end because it changed my thinking and it turned out there was a lot of silver linings to this misery.' The 58-year-old sounds different on the songs. Maybe it was the painkillers, perhaps it was the pain but her already expansive, emotive voice has found bolder new colours. Like on Sisyphus, where she channels her recovery – 'This little body of mine is going to make things right' into a soaring electronic club track that is ripe for a cover version from her labelmate Kylie Minogue. The pair were both mentored by the late great Australian music mogul Michael Gudinski. 'Oh my darling Kylie, she would kill that track actually,' Manson says. 'I have such a massive love for her. 'I really try to explore different parts of my voice, with every record that we make. And I really tried to push myself to not stick to what I know so if you hear any new colour in my voice after 30 years, that's the greatest compliment you could possibly pay me.' Manson has a lot of love for the new generation of female pop artists who share her passion for using their art and platform to speak out against injustice. The singer has never shied from using her songs and her social media to protest, and has been buoyed by other women raising their voices from Lady Gaga to Chappell Roan. 'We are screaming about the same bullshit as we did in the '90s. I'm very excited, however, by the new generations of young artists. They really fill me with a lot of joy,' she says. 'Whether they know it or not, they're coming from our school. 'And we've had a dearth of provocative and alternative voices for about 20 years with the advent of uber pop artists who are just ginormous and take up so much space and were well-behaved and sort of conservative. 'I'm not knocking pop, I love pop, so I love seeing these enormous pop stars now who are getting involved in trying to improve our communities and are being courageous, way more courageous than my generation.' Let All That We Imagine Be The Light is out now.
Scotsman
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Shirley Manson interview: Rock icon on Garbage and her ‘wild years' in Edinburgh band
Shirley Manson, Garbage's iconic frontwoman, speaks to the Evening News about her incredible career and the alt-rock veterans' eighth album, Let All That We Imagine Be The Light. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The band were formed in 1994, when Edinburgh-born Shirley met American bandmates Butch Vig, Duke Erikson and Steve Marker. They would go on to become one of the biggest musical acts of the '90s, selling over 15 million albums worldwide. Their best known songs include Stupid Girl, Only Happy When It Rains and the theme to the 1999 James Bond film, The World Is Not Enough. Before finding world stardom with Garbage, Stockbridge-raised Shirley sang with Edinburgh indie stalwarts Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. So how much of a debt, if any, does Shirley owe to her former band? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I have a huge debt to Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. Without them I wouldn't have been prepared for the insane rise of Garbage that I enjoyed. I have a lot of love in my heart for them, and it's wonderful to see them get the kind of praise they deserve. I follow them on Instagram and to see them getting rave reviews, five out of five stars, and entering the Scottish charts is really gratifying. They are insanely talented, and yeah, I'm really proud of them. It's glorious. They are lovely, special people. And they are great artists. You've said in the past it was a wild and decadent time that gave you a 'spectacular education in the world of rock and roll'. It was fantastic. EVERY. SINGLE. DEBAUCHED. GLORIOUS. MOMENT. It was a wild, wild ride. And I have zero regret. We were disobedient, untameable... and hey, that's what you're supposed to do when you're young, right? It was a riot. It was the first time I'd ever been outside of Scotland when Goodbye Mr Macknzie played on the continent and it was glorious. To see the world for the first time while in a rock and roll band - it doesn't get better than that! You famously took a call from Garbage and jumped on a plane to America to audition for the band. What would have happened if you hadn't taken that flight? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The great tragedy of Goodbye Mr Mackenzie is that we were severely mismanaged. It caused a lot of financial duress, and basically destroyed the band. And we had stopped functioning as Goodbye Mr Mackenzie by the time I got the phone call from the Garbage boys. I still think it's terrible... what I call the Swiss cheese effect... when certain things go wrong and you're involved with the wrong kind of people at the wrong time and the wrong place. And that basically hampered Goodbye Mr Mackenzie's momentum. We had run into the rocks basically. And I got this phone call... I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't. I probably would have had to go and get a job. I had no money, I was on the dole. I had no qualifications. And I didn't really know what I would do, so I got the call, and I jumped really cos I didn't have any other option. And I had no idea what I was jumping into. I literally just jumped into the void and it all paid off for me in the end. But I had no idea at the time that it would. I was like, 'ok, this is something to do. I'm gonna do it and I'll get to go to America'. And that's what happened. Did it surprise you how big Garbage became - and how many records you guys sold? Even if you'd talked to me after the success of the first three records, I would not have thought that we'd be enjoying a 30-year career. That's still astounding to me. Even today I'm still reeling from the fact I get to put new records out on a major label and be speaking to journalists like yourself.... that's still kinda wild to me. It just seems like the kinda thing that happens to others, so I don't take it for granted. And I certainly did not see it coming when I jumped on that after making the first record... I was proud of the record we'd made, but I didn't think it had any legs, at all. I was really caught off guard. And then when we released the second one, and we sold as many copies as the first album, that shocked me. So yeah, it's just bizarre. How much do you think the music industry has changed for female artists since your trailblazing early days with Garbage? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I think social media has encouraged the new generation of young women to speak out. I see that in the pop world. All these young women who are pop stars are now massively outspoken about things that they believe in - whether it's Olivia Rodrigo or Lady Gaga or Billie Eilish. They all have causes that they will speak out on - and in a forthright manner. They are way more switched on than my generation was. I was an anomaly really amongst female artists - and I'm not saying I'm the only one cos there were a lot of women in the 90s who were outspoken and talking about taboos. But as outspoken as our generation was, and as outspoken as my peers were, it's nothing compared to how women are now. And I'm so excited by it - it's thrilling to me. What are your proudest moments as an artist? Opening the Scottish Parliament. Absolutely. You have no idea what it feels like to be called up by your management and asked if you want to play at the opening of the first Scottish Parliament in 234 years - or however long it was. It was momentous. It was such a glorious evening and to sing in this spectacular setting underneath our ancient castle... it's etched in my memory and is something I am immensely grateful to have been a part of. How much has Edinburgh changed since you were a teenager? And have the changes been for better or worse? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's changed. Of course it has. You would want it to change. Nothing stays the same. The city has its own evolution, just like a human being does. Sometimes you lose some beautiful things, and sometimes you gain a lot by change. So I do see that. I personally enjoy a lot of the changes I've seen in Edinburgh - and also I'm a little heartbroken at the death of that amazing moment in time when Edinburgh just had a burgeoning club scene. My favourite was the Hoochie Coochie club. All these kinda places where all the outsiders - the freaks and the geeks - would meet... that seems to have been eroded across the whole globe. There are different clubs that now exist, but I feel like the global communities are much more homogenised than they were when we were young. And I miss that. I miss everybody dressing differently and expressing themselves through their style in wilder, more provocative ways. I miss all the punks and rockabillies and the rockers, etc etc. They used to congregate outside Bruce's Records and places like that. And those record stores disappeared for a while. But old school record stores are coming back, and I think that's wonderful. It's exciting. The new album, Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, features a more optimistic tone compared to Garbage's previous work - would that be fair to say? Going into making this record, I was determined to find a more hopeful, uplifting world to immerse myself in. The title of the album, Let All That We Imagine Be The Light is the perfect descriptor for this new record as a whole. When things feel dark it feels imperative to seek out forces that are light, positive and beautiful in the world. It almost feels like a matter of life and death. A strategy for survival. Our last album was extremely forthright. Born out of frustration and outrage – it had a kind of scorched earth, pissed off quality to it. With this new record however, I felt a compulsion to reach for a different kind of energy. A more constructive one. I had this vision of us coming up out of the underground with searchlights as we moved towards the future. Searching for life, searching for love, searching for all the good things in the world that seem so thin on the ground right now. That was the overriding idea during the making of this record for me - that when things feel dark, its best to try to seek out that which is light, that which feels loving and good. When I was young, I tended towards the destruction of things. Now that I'm older I believe it's vitally important to build and to create things instead. I still entertain very old romantic ideals about community, society and the world. I don't want to walk through the world creating havoc, damaging the land and people. I want to do good. I want to do no harm. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad You've said in other interviews that you were 'completely cut off' from Garbage during the writing process for this new album, following hip surgery you underwent in 2023. Tell us about that. I was in Los Angeles recovering from surgery and I had a lot of brain fog going on because I was on a lot of pain medication. And I was literally learning how to walk again. So I didn't have the fortitude to go into the studio with the band. I just didn't have it in me. So for the first time in 30 years, we were forced into a different way of working. Retrospectively it was actually a gift to be able to disrupt all these old habits of ours. It was actually amazing. It was magical. I wouldn't want to do it again, but I think it really worked for us at that moment. One of the standout tracks on the album is the final track, The Day That I Met God. Tell us about that - did you meet the big man? The idea came to me when I was recovering from major surgery and I felt so raw, vulnerable and scared. I was on the treadmill for the first time following an operation when I suddenly felt this powerful sensation of healing love around me - it was a moment that uplifted me. It took me out from what had felt like hell. The vocal you hear is the writing demo, the first take. Just me sitting on the edge of my bed, in recovery, singing into a handheld microphone. I was feeling so vulnerable and I think that's what lends the song added poignancy. It's really a song about mortality but it's also an expression of gratitude. Gratitude for getting older, gratitude for the longevity of our band, for good health, for the great mystery and for the ongoing, creative adventure of life'. Garbage's new album, Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, is out now.
Daily Mail
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Mauricio Pochettino's United States commit double errors in 2-1 defeat to Turkey
There's a line in the song 'Only Happy When It Rains' when Garbage front-woman Shirley Manson sings 'Pour your misery down on me'. For 80 minutes, rain and misery drenched the United States' men's national team. An early goal put the USMNT ahead of visitors Turkey at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. But the sloppy weather reflected the American's play as consistent mistakes on the backline lead to two cheap goals and a loss. In the first of two warm-up matches before this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, the USMNT attacked in fits and spurts while constantly being exposed on the backline. It's a performance reflective of the squad that head coach Mauricio Pochettino selected. Multiple USMNT starters are recovering from injuries or tied to clubs competing in the Club World Cup. Others, like Christian Pulisic, asked the USMNT to not be included in this summer's proceedings. The result is a squad made up of only seven members of the 2022 FIFA World Cup team which reached the knockout stages. While the USMNT hasn't sent its best to the Gold Cup in over a decade, the performance in Connecticut showed that the depth in this team is shallow. For Pochettino, his rocky start atop US men's soccer continued on home soil - White smoke popped up right behind the benches the moment the match began - likely Turkish fans who smuggled it in past the security guards. What wasn't smuggled in was fireworks - those were provided just two minutes in by Jack McGlynn, who curled a sublime shot with his left foot to beat Berke Özer for the opening goal of the match. Unfortunately for the US, those were the only real firecrackers they displayed for the rest of the game as the national team was frequently exposed by Turkey. The visitors' first great chance came on the wings as Juventus' Kenan Yildiz was sprung free with a long ball down the left side. He placed a perfectly weighted ball in the middle for Real Madrid's Arda Güler, whose finished betrayed the effort set up for him. A breakthrough did eventually come for the visitors. While the credit goes to Güler, it was essentially an own goal from Johnny Cardoso. The Real Betis midfielder was too careless with the ball just nine yards from his own net and the pass he tried playing to a teammate careened off the Madrid man's feet and into his own net. Not even three whole minutes later, the Turks took advantage of an American backline white-knuckling its way through the pressure. Another breakthrough down the left wing led to an initial chance across that found no one. A second ball hit by Oguz Aydin went into a disorganized USMNT backline. Miles Robinson either made a half-hearted clearance attempt or had the ball take a hard touch off his feet. Either way, it fell to Kerem Akturkoglu - whose shot took an awkward bounce, but crossed the line to make it 2-1 to the visitors. The American backline looked perfectly acceptable in their own attacking buildup - with Max Arfsten often finding space on the US' left flank. But when tasked with holding back the Turks, the USMNT was frequently out-of-position and unable to keep up with the pace of their opposition. Granted, the nation they played against sent their 'A-minus' squad. The attack was all their usual suspects, but other starters were missing elsewhere. For Saturday, the squad Pochettino fielded could be fittingly assessed a grade of 'C-minus'. The 26-man roster named for the Gold Cup is on the 'B-minus/C-plus' borderline, but starters like Tyler Adams, Matt Turner, Brenden Aaronson, and Mark McKenzie didn't play for the first 45 minutes. When Adams and McKenzie eventually did come on at the half, they showed their quality. At the 61st minute, Adams picked up the ball in the box and chipped a ball into Chris Richards - whose header went right at Özer, but was the best US chance in the early stages of the second half. Adams, the USMNT captain at that 2022 World Cup, looked incensed - frustrated with the display put on in front of 34,023 in the muggy weather. The attack often led to nothing. Patrick Agyemang, the Charlotte FC striker playing in his hometown of East Hartford, had chances rarely come his way. McGlynn attempted more strikes, but they never even threatened rattling the net. Saturday's result does need to come with the caveat that this is not the USA's best team. Using this performance as an outlook for the World Cup to come in almost one-year's time would be irresponsible. But this does come at a time where momentum surrounding this team appears to have halted since the hiring of Pochettino. The result does, however, paint a bleak picture for the continental competition beginning next Sunday. Every year, the United States comes into the CONCACAF Gold Cup with expectations of winning - regardless of the caliber of squad they send. Those expectations should not be placed on this team. And that's a problem.
UPI
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: Garbage performs 'There's No Future in Optimism' on Kimmel
June 5 (UPI) -- Rock band Garbage appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform "There's No Future in Optimism," a song from their new album, Let All That We Imagine Be the Light. The band -- composed of Shirley Manson, Duke Erikson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig -- performed on Wednesday night's show to promote the album, which released May 30. Let All That We Imagine Be the Light is Garbage's first new studio album in four years. The band thanked their fans in an Instagram post the day after the record's release. "We are all absolutely blown away by the response to our new record," the post said. Thank you so much for the outpouring of kindness we have received. Such wide open arms. Such long suffering love. Such a beautiful, most welcome surprise. Our sincere gratitude. And once again -- from the very bottom of our shriveled and dark old hearts -- thank you. And Free Palestine." Garbage's tour in support of the new album kicks off July 20 in St. Paul, Minn.
Edinburgh Live
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh's Shirley Manson backs Kneecap in free speech row as fans call for TRNSMT boycott
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Edinburgh-born singer Shirley Manson has backed Northern Irish hip hop trio Kneecap and called for free speech over Gaza after they were removed from the TRNSMT festival. Manson, 58, says she supports the band after they were ditched by the TRNSMT line-up due to safety concerns, reports The Daily Record. Describing the trio as 'decent young artists', the Garbage singer insisted they had a right to criticise an Israeli government which is accused of carrying out a genocide in Gaza. She said: 'Did Kneecap exercise the best judgment in their choice of words? 'I see why some people freaked out, but we all know deep down that they're decent young artists trying to affect change in some way and get us all to at least recognise that these people exist. 'While I sympathise with the fear and the historical suffering, the ancestral pain, I still don't understand how anyone can see what's going on in Gaza and not be crying out for it to stop.' She admitted that she could face a backlash for her support of the Belfast group. Manson said: 'I find it perplexing. I understand that's just a tactic to shut people up. 'Everyone's entitled to their opinion. If you're not physically hurting anyone, you're entitled to express it. 'What everyone is begging for is for the slaughter to stop and I don't see how anyone could argue against that, but they accuse us of being terrorist supporters. 'None of us are. 'If you cancel me, you cancel me… If you cancel us, I'll feel guilty that I've messed sh** up for my band, but I'd much rather be true to who I am as a human being, how I was raised by a family I'm very proud of.' Kneecap's removal from this summer's TRNSMT bill has led to calls from hundreds of music fans to boycott the festival. One fan, Laura, posted on X: 'Just sold my TRNSMT ticket. No Kneecap, no attendance. Not going to a festival that silences people for calling out a genocide.' Another, Rosanna Tarsiero, posted: 'Let's all just pull out of TRNSMT - forever.' Fearghas Kelly said: 'love the concept of boycotting TRNSMT. It's like boycotting ready salted crisps in a meal deal.' The Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee backed the boycott in a statement that said: 'TRNSMT say they are acting on 'police concerns' over 'public safety'. This is a spurious claim and a cowardly evasion by TRNSMT in seeking to remove the band and avoid responsibility for their own decision. Boycott TRNSMT.'
