Garbage took the stage at the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday night, just hours after a devastating terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach claimed at least 15 lives and injured nearly 30 others. In a city still reeling, frontwoman Shirley Manson paused the band’s set to speak directly to the moment:
“This has become an astoundingly frightening, violent, hateful, intolerant world,” Manson told the crowd. “And I think the only thing we can do really, as people who do not believe in all this separation and all this intolerance, is try and profess our love for one another.”
“Fuck all this vile antisemitism. Fuck Islamophobia. The killing has to stop.”
Reaffirming Garbage’s long-standing ethos of unity and inclusion, Manson continued:
“We have always believed that we are one people under one sun. It doesn’t matter what God you worship, what colour your skin is, what your gender is, what your sexual orientation is… it’s all so fucking stupid… We have people in power telling us to hate one another, to destroy one another.”
After the show, Manson shared a personal statement on Garbage’s Instagram, revealing that six close family members had been at Bondi Beach just hours before the attack.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their surviving families who are now dealing with unfathomable loss and heartbreak,” she wrote. “Fuck all this vile antisemitism. Fuck Islamophobia. The killing has to stop.”
In response to the tragedy, Garbage made a last-minute change to their setlist, performing ‘Fix Me Now’ from their 1995 self-titled debut – the only time the song has appeared during the Australian leg of the tour. With lyrics reflecting fear, hope and vulnerability, the moment served as a quiet act of solidarity and reflection in the face of overwhelming grief.
Our thoughts remain with the victims, their loved ones, and all communities affected by this horrific act of violence.
