SAVAGE REVIEW

Australia's Savage Garden are currently on our shores performing a 
series of magical concerts on the group's very first North American 
tour.  Here's what the Dallas Morning News' Mario Tarradell had to 
say about Garden an article titled "Power Surge/Savage Garden puts 
the pulse into pop":

"Good electronic pop music is all about the rush. When the 
synthesizers are cranking out a throbbing beat and the melodies 
and the guitars are working in tandem, creating a high energy 
rhythm that moves the body, the physical surge is irresistible.

"At their best, Savage Garden, the Australian pop duo composed of 
singer Darren Hayes and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Jones, crank 
out music that makes the senses tingle. In concert Saturday night 
at the Bronco Bowl, the pair had the crowd in a frenzy during 
'Break Me Shake Me' and 'I Want You.' The latter is one of their 
signature hits, a pop radio staple from Savage Garden, the debut 
album that has sold 4 million.

"But it was 'Break Me Shake Me,' a cut from the CD, that elevated 
Mr. Hayes and Mr. Jones above pop-flavor-du-jour status. Angry, 
guitar-heavy and pulsating, the song reveled in its explosive 
mood. Sporting a sneering, almost ominous expression, Mr. Hayes 
belted the tune with a vengeance. The performance was so 
exhausting that it sent him backstage to catch his breath.

"That was the only time he needed a respite. For a relative 
newcomer to pop stardom, Mr. Hayes knows how to work a stage. 
He's got the frontman stance, the seductive moves, the dramatic 
flourishes, the captivating stares. He understands that putting 
on a pop show means entertaining the audience....

"....'Santa Monica,' Mr. Hayes' ode to the facade of pop stardom, 
was a refreshing, mature highlight. How many pop songs have you 
heard that mention Norman Mailer in the lyrics? And the cry for 
love at the core of 'To the Moon and Back,' performed early in 
the set, is not your usual lovey-dovey fodder.

"Which means Savage Garden may actually be around longer than the 
Backstreet Boys and NSyncs of the world. For starters, the duo's 
audience is predominantly older than the fickleteens. Moody, 
evocative fare such as 'Carry on Dancing,' one of those 
gotta-move tracks, is hard to ignore.

"Yet if Savage Garden disappeared tomorrow, they'd be 
remembered for 'Truly Madly Deeply,' the sinewy love song 
soon to be played at a wedding and anniversary party near you. 
Now there's a fan connection that can't be manufactured."