Placebo

The master of temper tantrums (Brian Molko) and his entourage otherwise known as Placebo, are back on tour after releasing their new album 'Sleeping with Ghosts'.

Whilst glancing at the audience, it was easy to spot that there was every type of person you could imagine in the audience - tall, short, thin, fat, rockers, Goths, transvestites, lady boys. It was just like being on the streets of Amsterdam.



As soon as Placebo strolled onto the stage, you could see that there was something different about Brian Molko, since their last tour he has had a radical image change and now has very short hair; he looks like a hybrid of Dracula and Richard from TV's 'Richard and Judy'. His stage attire consisted of a tight black T-shirt and black denim jeans, as well as the obligatory make-up around the eyes.



Could this image change mean that Brian Molko was a changed man? Things seemed to go well during their opening instrumental track 'Bulletproof Cupid', Brian seemed to be in a good mood, he was talking to the audience, and trying to get them involved in singing along. Then it happened - Brian just stopped the band playing and started to flip out because a fan was taking a photograph of Placebo. Brian refused to carry on with the set until security had ejected the person out of the venue. (I personally think Brian should be grateful that Placebo still have any fans at all, as he obviously doesn't care about his fans, but he will gladly accept their hard earned cash).



Apart from that, this gig was amazing. Musically the band were tighter than a ducks arse, and Brian's stage presence is overwhelming. The stage lighting was fantastic, and the sound was immaculate.



They played all of the songs that you would expect from Placebo, the highlight of the night was when they belted out 'Pure Morning'; the audience just lapped it up. The surprise of the evening was the absence of 'Nancy Boy' from the set list. However this didn't really matter, as the show was brilliant without it. So despite Brian's tantrums, Placebo are still one of the top live bands around, and they are looking in great form for their festival appearances.

FUTURE GIGS