As regular readers of this blog will know, I am a big fan of alt-rock band Garbage consisting of the enigmatic Shirley Manson as well as multi-talented producers / musicians Butch Vig, Duke Erickson and Steve Marker.  For twenty years I have loved everything about this highly creative four-piece and even got the chance to go and see them live last November.  So this year holds a lot of further excitement for me as a fan as they are readying the release of their sixth studio album.  The as-yet-untitled record is set for release some time in May and has to be said is highly anticipated by myself and the legion of dedicated fans.  The other day Shirley herself took to Facebook and Twitter to announce they had sent the finished product to their record label in preparation for whatever takes place before it’s release and even revealed a brand new band photo as a little taster of what’s to come (see below).

Hints and small samples of the album suggest a somewhat darkly gothic, semi-romantic tone and I’m expecting it to be something a little different from these musical pioneers who have always experimented with many styles, but ultimately come up with one that sounds uniquely their own thing.

There is also going to be a world tour this year to promote the album and Garbage have already got themselves booked at several festivals in the summer, albeit ones in Germany only at this stage.  Will I go and see them again?  I’d like to think so but last year felt very special and a bit of an unexpected opportunity considering I don’t really have friends who are into them like I am.  But you never know.  I also predict we’ll see more publicity and hype leading up to the album’s release and possibly a new single out in time for Record Store Day in April, an event the band have taken part in for a number of years now, so that should be a fair prediction.

For now I’ll leave you with some awesome footage of Garbage performing one of their most well known hits, last November at Brixton Academy in London – incidentally on the same night I was actually there!  Video courtesy of Youtuber ‘Kotsidinio‘