Review – Garbage, Usher Hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Queen of Edinburgh, as Shirley Manson is affectionately known by her fans, walked on to a ramped-up atmosphere across the well-trodden boards of the Usher Hall.

This homecoming performance was in full swing as they got into a crunching I Think I’m Paranoid. The audience is represented by hardcore devotees and a new generation of supporters who sing along to every word. Manson is a charismatic entertainer, with an enchanting Scottish voice who engages with the crowd like she is among close friends.

The electronic thump of The Men Who Rule The World delivers a potent message in times such as these. Milk and The Trick Is To Keep Breathing remain evocative, dark and trippy ballads from the 90s that still manage to sound fresh and relevant. Manson pays homage to Siouxsie and the Banshees with a memorable version of Cities of Dust.

As first singles go Vow continues to be a clarion call to everything Garbage stands for, there’s a certain Scottish anger mixed with killer hooks, distorted riffs and glorious harmonies that have more than survived the test of time.

Tonight Garbage reminds us why they were one of the great singles bands of the era with the likes of Stupid Girl, an update of 1960s pop and the big finish of I’m Only Happy When It Rains.

The four-piece must be one of the most creative and sonically innovative bands of the last 30 years with arguably the best living front-woman in the business, long may this Scottish monarch of rock reign.