The Garden is an experimental art punk band formed in 2011, consisting of twin brothers Fletcher Shears and Wyatt Shears.
Originally from Orange County, the Shear brothers’ music is described as experimental because of the variety of different genres their songs have. Their music spans between punk, rap, rock and sometimes even a mix of multiple genres in one song.
Their unconventional music style is reflected in their creativity with the band’s overall aesthetic.
When performing, the brothers have dressed in black and white face paint resembling jester makeup, but with their own twist. This face paint is worn with clothing such as leather jackets, suits and grunge art outfits.
The design and style of the makeup differ with each album but the color of the paint remains the same.
The designs are mainly created by transforming the face into a white-colored canvas, decorated with bold, black paint. The most popular designs include symbols such as triangles above the eyebrows, stars on the cheeks and various dots and lines. The eyebrows are painted on with black ink, creating different facial expressions.
Fans of The Garden dress up in jester makeup for the band’s concert on March 27, 2026 at SOMA San Diego (Emely Rodriguez)
The artist’s reasoning for doing this makeup is to emphasize their own genre and creative philosophy, Vada Vada, a term coined by the band that embraces artistic freedom and breaking down barriers.
Vada Vada is creative; it is chaotic and symbolizes releasing one’s inner clown, ideas which their makeup highlights. Most importantly, the style of makeup brings together the whimsical aspect of jester culture.
On March 27, The Garden performed at SOMA San Diego with their opener, Ghost Mountain.
The concert atmosphere featured dark red lighting, along with fans entering to unexpected, classical music, creating an unsettling, intriguing ambiance.
The Garden, made up of twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears, performing on March 27, 2026 at SOMA San Diego
Fans dressed in black attire and band tees, but what stood out about the concert attire was the black and white face makeup seen on fans.
When describing the concept of jesters, Brian Green, a concert attendee and fan of The Garden, said they are “historically known to make light of heavy situations.”
Saul Ruiz, a concert attendee and SDSU student, described the jesters and their style as “a way of distinction and musical culture.”
The Garden has been able to connect with jester culture as a part of their own fan culture because of how authentic their music is to who they are.
Fans described this form of concert attire as a way of freeing themselves and their emotions from society’s expectations.
“To me, jester makeup is liberation. It’s free will. It’s being care-free. It’s doing what you feel is best without the fear of being judged, as people rarely pay attention to jesters,” concert attendee Cris Arellano stated.
The fans wear their own makeup, resembling the artist’s makeup, to reflect their innermost selves while also celebrating the band.
Fans emphasized how this makeup allows them to connect with strangers in the crowd and with The Garden.
“With makeup on, when you’re at one of their concerts you absorb a different identity from your normal self and in a way become united with those who are also painted face,” said Ruiz.
“It feels like a form of escapism and makes me less concerned with how I look,” said attendee Ivy Onur.
The Garden fans are able to embrace a unique version of themselves by releasing their inner jester through this creative makeup, which is unique to the artist and the fanbase.
“[It’s a] creative outlet, just learning to do makeup, it all looks so cool,” said concert attendee Caitlin Grass.
The Garden’s influence through the use of jester makeup has allowed their fanbase to embrace values such as being more free-spirited, spontaneous and playful in their lives.
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