Garbage + Skunk Anansie = Rock Masterclass at Piece Hall

Halifax, England 16^th June 2026

Piece Hall in Halifax must be one of the most unique venues we have in the UK for live music. Built in 1779 as a cloth trading hall, its huge quadrangle lends itself perfectly to an outdoor music venue. The “TJ Maxx Presents Live at Piece Hall” series of concerts have grown considerably over the past 5 years, and the 2026 line up is breathtaking in its scope.

Tonight, however, was a celebration of two of 90’s pop-punk-alt rock behemoths and the incredible women who front them. Performing as Garbage + Skunk Anansie, both bands are on a short co-headlining tour of the UK before festival season kicks in, with each taking their turn to close out the show throughout the tour. There were equal amounts of both bands t-shirts on display in the crowd, but many of those there were fans of both and the prospect of seeing the two in one night was an opportunity not to be missed.

In Halifax, it was the turn of Garbage to finish the evening’s entertainment but before both sets began the powerful Du Blonde took to the stage to get the crowd going. She’s well known to both bands as she has recorded with both Skin and Shirley Manson, and her infectious mix of punk glam rock was the perfect start to the evening. There were clearly many fans in the audiences as “TV Star” and “Next Big Thing” had the crowd bouncing and singing along.

It’s hard to describe the sheer level of noise when Mark Richardson (drums), Ace (guitar) and Cass (bass) took to the stage for Skunk Anansie’s set, and when Skin strode out to grab the mic the place went wild. Storming into the set with “Charlie Big Potato”, the power of her voice is as visceral as it was 30 years ago, and her stage presence is something to behold. She is captivating, bringing you in close with a quiet, questioning tone on the verse of “Yes It’s Fucking Political” before the storm and anger of the chorus. Their song “Little Baby Swastika” points out the frustration and sadness of seeing one graffitied on a wall so low down that the perpetrator “couldn’t be more than four years old” and it hit hard that these songs are sadly as relevant today as they were in the early 90’s. The ferocious set didn’t let up and “Twisted (Every Day Hurts)” and “I Can Dream” had hit fever pitch, leading to Skin jumping into the crowd and starting a girls-only mosh pit. If that had been the only show for the evening then it would have been a perfect end, but with Garbage to follow it was only getting started.

As the sun finally started to set, Steve Marker (guitar) Butch Vig (drums), Duke Erikson (guitar) and Nicole Fiorentino (bass) walked on to ecstatic cheers. When Shirley Manson joined them the excitement was palpable. Starting with “There’s no Future in Optimism” from their latest album “Let All That We Imagine Be The Light”, Shirley strode the stage, her dark, haunting vocals as strong as they were on their debut album. The newer songs are closer to their sound on “Version 2.0” and worked fantastically well with classics like “I Think I’m Paranoid” and “Stupid Girl”. As a band, they still sound as vital and creative as they did on their self-titled debut album, performing their first ever UK single “Vow”, and new song “Chinese Fire Horse” is a biting retort to those who may comment on the longevity and age of the band – I doubt many newer bands could perform with the passion and perfection that Garbage still produce. Thankfully “I’m Only Happy When It Rains” proved not to be true, as the dark clouds overhead held back from drenching the crowd, and the bands last song “The Day That I Met God” was a prayer to the fans, and a mark of their gratitude towards them.

It was nothing less than an absolute privilege to watch two of the most seminal women in rock, along with their respective bands, deliver performances that emphasised their enduring legacy.

Du Blonde Setlist: