The concept of seeing the heavily mediated Marilyn Manson in the flesh is almost unfathomable. But this was it, Challenge Stadium filling with Goths and enough make-up to threaten any cosmetics factory. Unfortunately, this crowd had to sit through the support act first before meeting the mysterious shock rocker, wondering why on earth the Manson support would go to…

The Spazzys got on the stage first, and got on this crowd’s nerves as well. Bringing their unexciting three- chord punk rock sounds to the stadium, the three girls failed dismally at winning this crowd over. That said, they did the best they could do, tapping into the punk spirit of we-don’t-give-a-shit and mocking the crowd between songs, encouraging a hateful response. Their between song banter was the only thing that kept their show interesting as their set seemed more like one song repeated. Someone ought to teach these girls a few new chords.

As The Spazzys left, a thin curtain drew between the audience and stage, sporting the new MM logo, blood drips reaching far below. Enough smoke filled the stadium to combat the smell of weed. After long enough, the stage glowed a deadly red; blurs of silhouettes flickering on the curtain that separated the audience from the much awaited performer.

Some strangely familiar drone of ambience began, before the curtain separating the mystery and the audience fell with a flutter the moment that signature shaking voice of Marilyn Manson began, synchronised with the melancholic guitar part of If I Was Your Vampire. Still crowded in mystery and smoke, he waited at the back of the stage while the dehumanised look of his band caught the light and took some getting used to, the entire back wall of the stage filling with a projection of a slowly rising moon.

It was at the opening of the chorus that the assault on the senses began, an enormous wall of sinister distortion barking through the PA as Manson stepped forward into the light holding a microphone with a kitchen knife attached to the bottom, making his every movement seem murderous.

The opening was followed up with Disposable Teens, before Manson first addressed the audience, informing them that it was “Oscar Wilde’s 150th birthday today, and he inspired this song”. Donning a top hat appropriate to Wilde’s era, Manson launched his band into mOBSCENE, offering the microphone to the audience for classic lines, knife end facing him as he did so.

Three days prior to this concert there was a school shooting in Ohio, another one Manson has been blamed for. Rather than fighting such claims, Manson embraced them satirically, sharing a secret with the Perth crowd, that “I am responsible for every school shooting that has ever been”, the next song accompanied with projections of written media excerpts with mentions of Manson about the recent shooting.

Just a Car Crash Away, one of the weaker songs from new album Eat Me, Drink Me proved that the otherwise disappointing album translates well live, and after a moment of darkness on the stage that followed, it was the next song that showed off the theatricality of this gig. The Fight Song began with Manson being lit up in the centre of stage wearing a sweat robe, hands bandaged as though prepared for a fight, in a little boxing ring, an announcers microphone lowered from the ceiling with which he screamed the lyrics to this song, throwing the microphone into the audience only to have it swing back into his reach just in time for his next lyric.

Latest single Putting Holes in Happiness off the album was a chance for the band to prove their quality, guitarist Tim Skold nailing every note effortlessly in the guitar solo. Heart Shaped Glasses came off equally as perfect, Manson donning the heart shaped glasses that featured in the film clip. Dope Show had the crowd chanting along as the screen filled with a variety of digital pills cascading slowly.

After a distracting search light, the band burst into full aggressive momentum, Manson appearing on a political podium with an array of media microphones. Dressed in a lovely black and red suit, he proceeded to blow exaggerated kisses to the audience that satirised the behaviour of politicians. The band closed with the classic Beautiful People before disappearing immediately from the stage, returning to their shadows, as though they never appeared in the first place.