Garbage w/- the Temper Trap & the Preatures - Kings Park, 29th Nov 2016
Words: Karen Lowe & Todd Lockley
It was the perfect evening for a night at Kings Park - the blankets were laid out with fancy spreads and bottles of wine purchased. The temperature was just right and the atmosphere was bubbling with excitement for the bands ahead.
The Preatures opened the night and immediately wowed everyone with their talent and immense stage presence. Lead singer Isabella Manfredi may be tiny but she certainly knows how to get the audience eating out of the palm or her hand in no time as she told everyone “It's no secret that Perth is our favourite place! It's great to be back!”
They played their hits including Somebody's Talking, I Know a Girl, Cruel, Manic Baby and then, with Rock and Roll Rave, took a dig at Sydney’s lockout laws with the song being about "going out in Sydney. I don't know if you've heard but you can't go out any more in Sydney!”. They also delivered a fabulous cover of the Divinyls' Boys In Town.
Not only are The Preatures a class act but Manfredi sure knows how to move as she got down and dirty on the floor. She also gave the punters a little more of a show than they expected as she poured a bottle of water over herself to cool down. However, with that little white tee and her short black skirt, she may’ve cooled herself down but she also managed to raise the temperature in Kings Park by several degrees.
The Temper Trap were next on stage and started their set with Thick as Thieves, Love Lost and Down River. They started off so strong and had the audience eating out of their hands as Dougy Mandagi's vocals filled the air along with those powerful beats.
However, towards the middle, they seemed to lose their way a bit with little to no audience interaction and a few too many of their introspective melodies from their new album including Ordinary World, What If I'm Wrong and Summer's Almost Gone.
The songs themselves weren't bad, they were beautifully written and had a great beat but they just seemed to dampen down the energy that the previous band (and the beginning of their set) had injected into the park. Of course, it can't be easy picking a set list, especially when you know there will be such a varied crowd.
That energy didn't stay down for long however as they ended their set with the hits. Science of Fear, Resurrection, Alive, Drum Song and Sweet Disposition showed Kings Park once more just how talented this band really is.
The Preatures opened the night and immediately wowed everyone with their talent and immense stage presence. Lead singer Isabella Manfredi may be tiny but she certainly knows how to get the audience eating out of the palm or her hand in no time as she told everyone “It's no secret that Perth is our favourite place! It's great to be back!”
They played their hits including Somebody's Talking, I Know a Girl, Cruel, Manic Baby and then, with Rock and Roll Rave, took a dig at Sydney’s lockout laws with the song being about "going out in Sydney. I don't know if you've heard but you can't go out any more in Sydney!”. They also delivered a fabulous cover of the Divinyls' Boys In Town.
Not only are The Preatures a class act but Manfredi sure knows how to move as she got down and dirty on the floor. She also gave the punters a little more of a show than they expected as she poured a bottle of water over herself to cool down. However, with that little white tee and her short black skirt, she may’ve cooled herself down but she also managed to raise the temperature in Kings Park by several degrees.
The Temper Trap were next on stage and started their set with Thick as Thieves, Love Lost and Down River. They started off so strong and had the audience eating out of their hands as Dougy Mandagi's vocals filled the air along with those powerful beats.
However, towards the middle, they seemed to lose their way a bit with little to no audience interaction and a few too many of their introspective melodies from their new album including Ordinary World, What If I'm Wrong and Summer's Almost Gone.
The songs themselves weren't bad, they were beautifully written and had a great beat but they just seemed to dampen down the energy that the previous band (and the beginning of their set) had injected into the park. Of course, it can't be easy picking a set list, especially when you know there will be such a varied crowd.
That energy didn't stay down for long however as they ended their set with the hits. Science of Fear, Resurrection, Alive, Drum Song and Sweet Disposition showed Kings Park once more just how talented this band really is.
Then bang on time, it was Garbage! The gorgeous Shirley Manson and co bounced on stage and launched into Supervixen, their debut, self titled album opener. It was the perfect song to signal the return of Garbage, albeit without producer and drummer extraordinaire Butch Vig behind the kit, instead being replaced by Gnarls Barkley's skinman Eric Gardner.
Manson was on point from woah-to-go, jumping about the stage with her bright pink hair, soaking the air, her moods up and down throughout, stalking the stage like a bi-polar bear. Fans may remember the previous two occasions she worked a Perth crowd; Burswood Theatre in 2005 and Soundwave 2013. Burswood was to be the last time anyone ever saw Garbage live, they cancelled the rest of their tour and as Manson, Steve Marker and Duke Erikson chased each other round and round Vig's drum kit on their final song, it seemed a ‘farewell to the world’ moment; they seemed happy.
Fast forward to the mammoth, now redundant Soundwave 2013 and Manson was a fireball of fucking anger, mostly due to the Offspring's soundcheck drowning out her vocals from the adjacent stage. Alas on this night under the stars of Kings Park she was mostly a bundle of joy. Mostly.
The 1, 2,3 punch hit combo rounded out with I Think I'm Paranoid and Stupid Girl, the latter being dedicated to Australian actor Travis Fimmel for reasons unexplained. The dedications didn't stop there, The Trick Is to Keep Breathing was dedicated to Shirley's late mother, ending with her expressing her displeasure of a fan in the front row who had pinned their fingers inside their ear holes for the song. "You're sitting in the wrong spot if it's too loud for you. Sorry. Perhaps you'd be more comfortable up the back there" gesturing to the nosebleed. Her tender side shone through though as she organized some ear plugs for a much younger fan she was concerned for, as well as the front row party pooper.
Special, up next, was a little under done, while #1 Crush trudged along like a moody giant with a limp. But one of the major highlights of the night was Even Though Our Love Is Doomed which kept the pace of it's predecessor however the boing-ing piano bass-line, red and purple saturated stage, hypnotic vocal and epic dubstep crescendo made it a must have for the live experience.
The pace was turned on it's head for the frenetic surprise hit single Why Do You Love Me? from 2005's Bleed Like Me album, whose title track also got a beautiful rendition, once again dedicated indirectly by Manson to "famous people in the industry, fook off!" aided by a two finger salute.
Night Drive Loneliness was wedged in between with some magical synths floating through the eerily attentive air. All in attendance rose to their feet on command for Cherry Lips and most stayed standing for set closer and indie alternative anthem Vow.
After a moments grace, the band returned for their feel good hit Only Happy When It Rains. The encore could have easily ended there, however Push It was a difficult way to round out an otherwise flawless set. Sure, When I Grow Up, Androgyny and Queer were questionable omissions, however it was smiles all round for a night of definitely not shit, beautiful Garbage indeed.
Manson was on point from woah-to-go, jumping about the stage with her bright pink hair, soaking the air, her moods up and down throughout, stalking the stage like a bi-polar bear. Fans may remember the previous two occasions she worked a Perth crowd; Burswood Theatre in 2005 and Soundwave 2013. Burswood was to be the last time anyone ever saw Garbage live, they cancelled the rest of their tour and as Manson, Steve Marker and Duke Erikson chased each other round and round Vig's drum kit on their final song, it seemed a ‘farewell to the world’ moment; they seemed happy.
Fast forward to the mammoth, now redundant Soundwave 2013 and Manson was a fireball of fucking anger, mostly due to the Offspring's soundcheck drowning out her vocals from the adjacent stage. Alas on this night under the stars of Kings Park she was mostly a bundle of joy. Mostly.
The 1, 2,3 punch hit combo rounded out with I Think I'm Paranoid and Stupid Girl, the latter being dedicated to Australian actor Travis Fimmel for reasons unexplained. The dedications didn't stop there, The Trick Is to Keep Breathing was dedicated to Shirley's late mother, ending with her expressing her displeasure of a fan in the front row who had pinned their fingers inside their ear holes for the song. "You're sitting in the wrong spot if it's too loud for you. Sorry. Perhaps you'd be more comfortable up the back there" gesturing to the nosebleed. Her tender side shone through though as she organized some ear plugs for a much younger fan she was concerned for, as well as the front row party pooper.
Special, up next, was a little under done, while #1 Crush trudged along like a moody giant with a limp. But one of the major highlights of the night was Even Though Our Love Is Doomed which kept the pace of it's predecessor however the boing-ing piano bass-line, red and purple saturated stage, hypnotic vocal and epic dubstep crescendo made it a must have for the live experience.
The pace was turned on it's head for the frenetic surprise hit single Why Do You Love Me? from 2005's Bleed Like Me album, whose title track also got a beautiful rendition, once again dedicated indirectly by Manson to "famous people in the industry, fook off!" aided by a two finger salute.
Night Drive Loneliness was wedged in between with some magical synths floating through the eerily attentive air. All in attendance rose to their feet on command for Cherry Lips and most stayed standing for set closer and indie alternative anthem Vow.
After a moments grace, the band returned for their feel good hit Only Happy When It Rains. The encore could have easily ended there, however Push It was a difficult way to round out an otherwise flawless set. Sure, When I Grow Up, Androgyny and Queer were questionable omissions, however it was smiles all round for a night of definitely not shit, beautiful Garbage indeed.