Having arrived as last minute as humanly possible, just as Brian, Stefan and the band were arriving on stage, I had no choice to take my place at the back watching on the temperamental screens in the bar area. With Placebo it’s more about the sound than any stage antics so I was more than happy just listening to Brians unmistakable vocals accompanied by truly delightful music, However, I did eventually get to shuffle a tad closer and I must say the stage light show was phenomenal.
The band had requested that the crowd should not take pictures and videos with their mobile phones so they could appreciate the show, and yes there were a few rebels amongst them but wholly they adhered to these wishes and it was a good call, everyone was just dancing, singing and living in the moment…. Just like the good old days. However, if you were hoping for a good old blast from the past sing-a-long to the all the hits you may have been slightly underwhelmed by the set list, No NANCY BOY, No EVERY ME, EVERY YOU, No SPECIAL K, No BLACK EYED, No PURE MORNING etc etc.
BITTER End, SLAVE TO THE WAGE and FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH provided a high energy moment for the majority towards the end of the main set and cover versions of SHOUT by TEARS FOR FEARS(also new single release) and RUNNING UP THAT HILL by KATE BUSH ended the night with some familiarity.
Plenty of people hung around at the end though, expecting a second encore, but this band have evolved and they don’t cling to the past if it doesn’t feel right, they just want to showcase the moment they are in now and tell the story their way.
I saw PLACEBO on their 20 year hits tour in 2016 so I wasnt bothered about the lack of past tracks, especially because their new album NEVER LET ME GO is, in my opinion, their best to date and they treated us to a whopping 10 out of the 13 tracks. The songs BEAUTIFUL JAMES, HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN THE SKY and TRY BETTER NEXT TIME had everyone joining in, outstanding lyrics amidst truly beautiful music.
It’s a shame they missed THE PRODIGAL off the setlist but it will make a great addition to any future orchestral tours which seem to be all the rage now. SAD WHITE REGGAE and SURROUNDED BY SPIES (although it didn’t sound as good as I’d hoped for live)are more examples of this bands ability to create music which is relevant yet familiar and will keep fans interested in them for their duration, or until the end of humanity….listen to the album!!!
Words by Joanne Marsland
Photos by Philip Goddard
Full Gallery Below….
Setlist :-
FOREVER CHEMICALS
BEAUTIFUL JAMES
SCENE OF THE CRIME
HUGZ
HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN THE SKY
BIONIC
TWIN DEMONS
SURROUNDED BY SPIES
CHEM TRAILS
SAD WHITE REGGAE
TRY BETTER NEXT TIME
TOO MANY FRIENDS
WENT MISSING
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH
SLAVE TO THE WAGE
SONG TO SAY GOODBYE
THE BITTER END
INFRA-RED
~Encore~
SHOUT
FIX YOURSELF
RUNNING UP THAT HILL
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