With a string of era-defining hits, Garbage stands among the most influential alternative rock bands of modern times. We caught up with Butch Vig to talk about their journey, the new record, Good Things Festival, and what keeps them pushing forward.
Garbage has been releasing music for three decades now. It was their debut self-titled album featuring classic tracks like “Only Happy When It Rains” and “Stupid Girl” that catapulted them into focus. In May this year, they released their eighth studio album – Let All That We Imagine Be The Light – a 10-track exposé into the impact love can have in a world too often despondent.
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All things considered, Garbage has shaped modern music in a way that speaks volumes of the songwriting prowess of Shirley Manson and the instrumental work of Duke Erikson, Butch Vig and Steve Marker. Now, 30 years later, in a post-COVID world, they are returning to Australia to headline Good Things Festival.
The famed alternative music festival will again take place in Brisbane/Meanjin, Melbourne/Naarm and Sydney/Warrane. The first leg will be at Flemington Racecourse on Friday, December 5, before setting forth to Sydney Showground on Saturday, December 6 and finishing at Brisbane Showgrounds on Sunday, December 7th.
The festival battled through COVID’s effect on live music, only to put on some unforgettable festivals from 2022 to 2024, an ode to the broader alternative music community nationwide. I spoke with Vig about his awareness of this support and the reality of the band that loves playing in Australia.
“The first festival I ever played down there was Big Day Out,” says Vig. “And it was the most amazing run I think we’ve ever had because we’d play a show and all the musicians got along so well. We’d party at the hotel, get up at like 7 am and go to the airport.
“We’d all be on the same plane and fly to the next city. And it was like a travelling band of crazy people. It was a blast. Garbage likes playing festivals because we realise we reach a lot of people beyond just our fan base, but you know that we know that Australia likes to rock.”
And that much is true, considering the success of Good Things, as well as the alternative music bands that have come out of Australia. Or in the instance of Garbage, although some people may not know, bands that have been discovered by Australians in music.
“People may not be aware, but Garbage was signed to Mushroom Australia before we even met Shirley,” says Vig. “They were the ones, Michael Gudinski and the people at Mushroom, who green-lit Garbage.
“They had belief in me to start a band before we even knew what that band was. I remember flying down there on the first Garbage tour and doing press, and I loved it straight away. I’ve always loved Australia, and we felt so warmly received there. Australia is very close to our hearts.”
In fact, Australia is such a special place for Garbage that Vig disclosed the exclusive potential of the band playing some headline shows on this impending trip. “We’re trying to sneak in a couple of shows, that’s all I can say. We’ll see if we can pull that off.”
Although existing merely as a tease at this stage, it seems that with the setbacks the band have had during COVID, and also an injury and subsequent surgery that Manson suddenly endured, Garbage are more eager than ever to play more shows in Australia.
“The process of making our last album was definitely different from any of the other previous seven albums,” he says. “We had to cancel shows last November and December. We’d planned to come to Australia, but that got cancelled because Shirley had to have a total hip replacement. It was quite daunting for her that the rehabilitation and therapy took a long time.”
It was an old injury that had flared up for Manson, a fall that in 2016 damaged her hip, only to shatter on her in 2024. Despite the devastation, Manson managed to grasp onto a silver lining in the process.
“We were catapulted into a situation out of our control,” she says. “It felt at the time like a curse, but I actually think it was a gift. It gave us a brand-new shift in perspective.”
And what came of it was the album Let All That We Imagine Be The Light, an LP that sifts through the chaos and grief omnipresent in the world to find strength in joy and positivity.
“Let All That We Imagine Be the Light, is a lot more about hope and positivity,” says Vig. “And I think that’s been a thread through our recent shows. It’s hard to define exactly, but I think that Shirley’s lyrics have spoken to a lot of our fans.
“You know, the world is crazy right now. Not just America, but everywhere. And we, especially Shirley, haven’t been afraid to speak about that. Our fans have a sense of that, and it’s meant there’s been a real sort of community collective at the gigs, and a lot of that comes through in Shirley’s lyrics.”
It’s no wonder the band are as sharp as they have ever been with Manson leading the helm in this newfound way. An approach that Vig suggests stems from Manson as the epicentre.
“We’re playing about as good as we’ve ever played in Garbage,” says Vig. “A lot of that comes down to having been around for so long, but we also rely on Shirley. If she’s having a great show, we have a killer show, and she’s been on point recently. I mean, she’s been totally focused.”
And you can expect nothing but a stellar performance from the band in their upcoming Good Things feature, a tour that Vig is particularly excited for.
“Well, every time we’ve been down to Australia, we have a fucking blast. The people are just so cool. We have a great history with our label there. It was them and Michael Gudinsky who gave us a green light to make Garbage what we wanted it to be when no one else even understood what we were trying to do. We’re going to come down there and I’m telling you, we’re going to put the fucking hammer down.”
Get your tickets to Good Things Festival here.
