Date: November 7th 2006
Placebo haven’t graced these shores in over three years now, and new effort ‘Meds’ hasn’t been the talk of blogs nor topped any charts, but despite all the indicators of a tepid turnout tonight, the show’s sold out and the place is packed.
Mostly it’s selections from the new album that populate the setlist as things kick off with the energetic ‘Infra-Red’. ‘Song To Say Goodbye’ is swiftly followed by old-timer ‘Every You, Every Me’ – they not only flow seamlessly in to each other, but are also great crowd-pleasers. Everything’s executed with great skill, but Brian Molko seems to be approaching the show with a clinical detatchment, and it’s not only his closely-shaved head that gives off that impression.
‘Special K’ does much to liven up the show with a singalong – “just like American Idol, except not of the Devil” (or something to that effect). Stefan Olsdal does the honours of conducting and he’s the one to throw the sultry looks, too. The night is full of surprises: the cover of Kate Bush‘s ‘Running Up That Hill’ in encore number one is not quite up to the recorded version, starting out strong but falling apart the further it goes along. Steve Hewitt can’t be seen behind his drum set, but it’s safe to assume that he’s there, somewhere, since the bass drum shudders with impact at all the appropriate moments.
After two encores, many actually expect a third, but are sorely disappointed. Guess the crowd isn’t there to see co-headliners ‘She Wants Revenge’ after all; something has to be said for staying power.
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Gallery: Placebo – November 7th 2006
Previously published on This Is Fake DIY.
