Two formidable frontwomen who have been at the top of their game for over three decades – Shirley Manson and Skin have long been two of my musical heroes thanks to their prowess as musicians, thrilling stage presence and their charming personalities.
Their respective performances at Southampton Sessions was their last show together in their shared headline tour and from what i saw – what a way to conclude their series of gigs than an astonishing night of live music from both bands who were absolutely phenomenal.
Garbage
For this (very hot!) night in Southampton, Garbage were on first and truly brought the fire with Shirley serving up a blistering performance clad in a fire engine red top and matching boots.
Garbage set the tone of a night of brilliant rock music from the first note of the band’s opening track ‘There’s No Future In Optimism’ from their latest album ‘Let All That We Imagine Be The Light’ – an album of pure hope and optimism.
It was great to hear ‘Hold’ from the same album which talks of how the power of love is the perfect antidote to the craziness of the world. ‘Empty’ from 2016’s ‘Strange Little Birds’ swiftly followed before Shirley (on behalf of the band) checked in on the sold out crowd in Southampton saying that she hoped that we would all ‘keep drinking’ and to ‘stay cool and stay safe’ noting that this wasn’t the kind of weather you wanted to ‘f**k with’.
Never has a truer word been spoken and Shirley also reflected on how amazing the tour had been with longtime friends Skunk Anansie commenting that for 32 years they had been playing on the same bill. It’s testament to both bands what an incredible body of work that they both have created and especially with Garbage – how the line up has remained the same for over 30 years.
After paying tribute to the brilliant Skin and Skunk Anansie, Garbage then served up a propulsive rendition of one of my favourite Garbage songs ‘I Think I’m Paranoid’ from the brilliant ‘Version 2.0’ – Shirley and the band really rocked it out with Shirley leaving the stage to get closer to the crowd and delivered the line ‘I don’t think I even like you much’ with such charm which was a true juxtaposition to the spirit of the lyric.
‘Stupid Girl’ from their superb eponymous debut followed which along with ‘Special’ were two of the standout performances of the night. Every member of the band gave it their all from the crunching riffs to the thunderous drums – it was absolutely superb and I felt privileged to be there. The band also paid tribute to Robert Smith and The Cure with a heartfelt version of The Cure’s ‘Love Song’ which was so beautiful and as a fan of Robert and The Cure – was every bit as good as the original.
The chemistry between Shirley and Skin was evident when seeing that Shirley was getting too hot on stage towards the end of the set whilst performing ‘Only Happy When It Rains’ , she came out with a multi-hued umbrella to protect Shirley from the burning rays and even chimed in on a few lines whilst members of Skunk Anansie also came on to the stage brandishing umbrellas to shield the rest of Garbage from the relentless sun.
Commenting on Skin’s video on Instagram later that night, Shirley reflected on the incredible tour that they had experienced together saying: “Love you Skin. Love you and your boys. So sad tonight is our last dance. At least for now. The tour has been such a gorgeous fever dream and I am so grateful for it. For you, for the camaraderie, for the thrills.”
Skunk Anansie
Never has a song been more relevant through a 2026 lens, Skunk Anansie took to the stage and continued the high-octane rock with an impassioned rendition of ‘This Means War’ from the EP of the same name from 2019. With the line ‘I’ll fight hard till I fall’ felt like a mantra of the world – we won’t get beaten down and woe betide anyone who tries to break us.
Skin, Cass, Mark and Ace were in bombastic form and all of them played the set of their lives. Having set the tone for the evening, Skunk Anansie followed up with the exhilarating ‘Charlie Big Potato’ from 2009’s ‘Smashes and Trashes’ and a heartfelt ‘Because of You’.
Skin is the perfect example of someone who can effortlessly combine passion, pain and power all in one and is one of the most formidable front women/men out there (along with Shirley of course) which really epitimoises why this joint line up was so very special.
Fierce, but utterly endearing, Skin was amazing throughout, but especially so on ‘An Artist is An Artist’ was elevated by some striking visuals emblazoned behind the band which is a nod to the ageism in the music industry with Skin biting out the lines ‘And she don’t stop being an artist, cause she’s old you know!’.
‘Yes It’s F’ing Political’ was absolute fire and the band’s cover of ‘Highway to Hell’ by AC/DC was next level exhilarating. ‘Twisted (Everyday Hurts)’ and ‘Weak were intoxicating and of course, one of the biggest reactions of the night was ‘Hedonism‘ (Just Because It Feels Good) which always goes down a storm!
Both bands are an invariable tour de force and it was superb to hear both the newer material as well as some of the much-loved classics. Two of alternative rock’s most enduring and influential bands, both sets were emotive, powerful and packed with energy and attitude.
Both Garbage and Skunk Anansie delivered a masterclass in performance and fearless honesty and this was an evening of incredible live music that I will never forget.
