Events

Influential alt-rock quartet fronted by Shirley Manson Garbage were a breath of fresh air as soon as they arrived on the 90s alt-rock scene. Fronted by the outspoken, magnetic frontwoman Shirley Manson, they rebuffed the dour navelgazing of grunge and instead created something that was complex, dark, anthemic and tongue-in-cheek all at once. What’s even more surprising is that now, seven albums in, they’re still constantly rebuilding and re-imagining that magic formula. They’re rock royalty at this point, but Garbage is no legacy act. In 1994 Butch Vig, already a successful producer who had come to prominence with his work on Nirvana’s Nevermind, began looking to form a band that could move away from the grunge style that was en vogue at the time – instead injecting lighter pop influences into an alternative rock sound. Joining forces with guitarists Duke Erikson and Steve Marker, Vig found the band’s ideal singer in Shirley Manson, a Scot who at the time was fronting the band Angelfish. Garbage released their debut single, ‘Vow’, in 1995, which picked up substantial airplay across the US and UK. They released their debut, self-titled album later that year. The record’s fresh, energised mix of alternative and pop sounds was an instant hit, going on to become one of the decade’s most influential releases – with tracks like the double GRAMMY-nominated ‘Stupid Girl’ and ‘Queer’ still sounding effortlessly cool today. It has since been named one of The Guardian’s 100 Best Albums Ever.