By Amahli Vivian
March 7, 2025, was not the first time The Garden had come to Santa Cruz. They had played at the Catalyst back in 2022, although I was unable to attend. Their most recent “Nine Desperate Dates” tour extends from Fresno, CA to Tucson, AZ, with Santa Cruz being the third tour date. When The Garden first announced the tour, I couldn’t purchase tickets because of how quickly the show sold out. Thankfully, I was able to snag free tickets through KZSC several days before the show.
Known for their extensive touring and experimental art punk musical style, The Garden has formed a wide-reaching listener and fanbase. Twins Wyatt and Fletcher Shears, who are from Orange County, CA, first started the band in 2011. The Garden has also coined the term “Vada Vada,” which embodies creative expression that lives outside of conventional genres.
I arrived about 10 minutes before the doors opened. The line snaked around the block, with many showgoers donning black and white jester attire and makeup. The aesthetics of the audience reflected The Garden’s own embracement of theatrics and harlequin motifs.
Iceage, a Danish post-punk band, opened for The Garden. The crowd was polite enough to listen attentively and nod to the beat. A general air of impatience for The Garden’s set grew after Iceage left the stage.
Despite being in the larger room, The Catalyst was packed to the brim. Once The Garden took the stage, the audience immediately began jumping, dancing, and shoving each other, highlighting the devotion of The Garden’s fanbase. A pit opened up near the back of the crowd a few songs into the setlist. People filled it with moshing, circle pits, and dancing for the rest of the show.
Both members seemed focused on providing an electrifying live performance where each song transitioned smoothly, with the occasional callout of the track’s title. A wide range of discography was included on the setlist, including their nearly 13-year-old-album The Life and Times of a Paperclip. Most, if not all, the tracks of their most recent EP, Six Desperate Ballads, were included as well. Balancing the electronic aspects of The Garden’s music was done extremely well, considering that the Shears twins were the only performers on stage; Wyatt Shears was on vocals and bass, while Fletcher Shears was on drums.
Around halfway through the show, a larger-than-human-sized puppet joined the Shears twins. Dressed in black and white jester costuming, it solidifies the unserious aspects of The Garden. The puppet meandered around the stage for the remainder of the set before disappearing backstage towards the end of the set.
Before playing their last song before their encore, Wyatt Shears thanked the crowd, saying, “Santa Cruz, you’re a good city.” Performing “Thy Mission” as the encore ended the night on an electrifying (albeit much sweatier) note.