Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson has responded to “weaponised” comments about her appearance.
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Taking to Instagram this morning (April 13), Manson shared a screenshot of a Daily Mail article that claimed the rock band looked “unrecognisable” in new album promo photos for recently shared single ‘There’s No Future In Optimism’.
“Quite a header from the Daily Mail yesterday,” her caption began. “What is THIS supposed to mean?!? The Druids look almost exactly the same as they have always done for thirty years so I can’t help thinking this is directed at me.
“Look – I’m nearly sixty years old. Of course I’m not going to look anything like my late twenties self?!?” she continued. “Quite honestly I think it would be a bit creepy if I did but hey that’s just me. Either way – this kind of language is weaponised to put a woman like me in my place.”
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garbageManson’s comments come after Millie Bobby Brown slammed numerous tabloids that criticised her appearance in March, while Lady Gaga also hit out at “ageism” in the music industry the same month.
The ‘Stupid Girl’ singer went on to say she rejected the “gift”, writing: “This gift is a fail. I shall continue to age as I am. I will continue to wrinkle and flub – lose an inch of my height here and gain a new inch or two there – but I will still look cute in my pyjamas with bed head and no make up on and I will always – no matter what I look like – no matter what they say about me – I will always – and forever – rock HARDER than most.”
News of the band’s upcoming eighth studio album ‘Let All That We Imagine Be The Light’ was first shared back in February, when it was confirmed that the band had finished work on the 10-track follow-up to 2021’s ‘No Gods No Masters’. The record is due for release on May 30 (pre-order/pre-save here).
As well as sharing new material, Garbage are also gearing up for a number of US tour dates. Set to take place later this year in support of the new album, 31 new shows have been lined up, including stops in New York, Washington, San Francisco and more.
It will mark Garbage’s first in North America since dates with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in 2023. Their last big headline tour there was close to a decade ago. Visit here for tickets, and check out a list of shows below.
Garbage’s 2025 North American tour dates are:
SEPTEMBER
3 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Cafe
5 – Pompano Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
6 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
8 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern
10 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
12 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre
13 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Cathedral Theatre
16 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
17 – Washington, D.C. – The Anthem
18 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
20 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
23 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
24 – Toronto, Ontario – History
29 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
30 – Newport, KY – MegaCorp Pavilion
OCTOBER
1 – Columbus, OH – Kemba Live!
3 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
4 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
6 – Kansas City, MO – Midland Theatre
7 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
12 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
15 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
18 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory Spokane
20 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Orpheum
21 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
23 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery
24 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
26 – Reno, NV – Silver Legacy Resort Casino
29 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rockwell at The Complex
31 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
NOVEMBER
2 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
Last spring, Manson told NME that Garbage were “looking for shards of life and humanity” while working on their eighth full-length effort. She said at the time that she was “really delighted” by the response to ‘No Gods No Masters’ – which reached Number Five in the UK.
“Going into this next record, I feel a shift,” Manson added. “I’m trying to dampen my outrage. As a society, we’ve become so beaten down and broken-hearted. I’m trying to reach for something that’s a little bigger than me, because if I don’t then I’m going to drown in my own dismay.”
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