Seven years have passed since Garbage graced the world with their distorted pop craft and I’m not sure we could survive another seven without them. Roaring back to life last week with a few shows in California, the band arrived at The Pearl in Las Vegas fresh and in fine form. Opening with “Supervixen”, the band ripped through the best of their catalog and added three gripping songs from the upcoming album Not Your Kind Of People. Shirley Manson took control of the night early and never let go of the crowd. The boys in the band crafted the sonic landscapes around her and she punched through them time and time again. “Metal Heart” sounded ferocious but turned out to be just a small dose of the power that followed soon after with “Why Do You Love Me”. The band nailed the breaks as Manson strutted in circles behind them constantly on the move. Even for a fan of the band, the sheer quantity of classic Garbage tracks stuffed into one night was mind blowing. For a band about to release only its fifth studio album, there was barely room to fit all the favorites into the twenty song set. New tracks “Blood For Poppies” and “Man On A Wire” offered no respite from the sonic onslaught and sound every bit as exciting as the more familiar hits. Emotionally struck by the crowd’s love, Manson thanked the fans time and time again for sticking with them over the years and added a third new track to the end of the encore. For Garbage fans eagerly anticipating the new album, ending the night by looking at what lies ahead made for a perfect evening.
