Garbage singer Shirley Manson took aim at a punter for throwing a beach ball into the crowd during the band’s Good Things Festival performance in Melbourne on Friday.
“Big guy with your big fucking beach ball! I’m so scared of you, so thrilled by you! What a fucking douchebag!” Manson said on stage at Flemington Racecourse.
“We’re fed up of not getting fucking paid properly and fed up of having to play for douchebags like you. You’re a fucking middle-aged man in a fucking ridiculous hat, and you’re a fucking fuckface. And I want, literally, to ask people to fucking punch you in the fucking face. But you know what? I’m a lady, so I won’t.”
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Manson doubled down on her stance via social media following the performance. On Threads, she stated she would make “NO APOLOGIES” for her beach ball hatred, explaining that her decision to join a band stemmed from wanting to “HATED THE FUCKING BEACH” and instead “listen to Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Cure and be dark and beautiful.”
“Continue listening to Spotify and toss your stupid beach balls around like you are ten years old,” Manson wrote.
“I love the musical community, and I want to respect their artistry. I am so tired of folks taking music for free and treating us all like circus performers.”
The timing of Manson’s comments carries additional weight given Garbage’s recent announcement about their touring future. The band recently concluded what they described as their “last” North American headlining tour, stating on social media that “it is unlikely we will play many of the cities on this tour ever again”.
Following Good Things in Sydney on Saturday and Brisbane on Sunday, Garbage will play more headline shows throughout Australia next week. See below for more details.
Garbage – Australian Tour 2025
Presented by Frontier Touring
Tickets on sale Wednesday, October 22nd at 1pm local time via Frontier Touring
24-hour Frontier Members pre-sale Tuesday, October 21st from 10am local time
Thursday, December 11th
Palais Theatre, Melbourne, VIC
Friday, December 12th
Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, SA
Sunday, December 14th
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW
