Placebo / Stellastarr# - New York Webster Hall - 16/12/03
4/5
By: Joshua K
Placebo Set-List: 'Bullet Proof', 'Allergic', 'Every You Every Me', 'Bionic', 'Protect Me', 'Plasticine', 'Bitter End', 'Soul Mates', 'Black Eyed', 'I'll Be Yours', 'Special Needs', 'English Summer Rain', 'Without You I'm Nothing', 'This Picture', 'Special K', ENCORE #1, 'Taste In Men', 'Slave To The Wage', 'Pure Morning', ENCORE #2, 'Centrefolds', 'Where Is My Mind?'
First punk-funk and electro. Now 'the big music' of earnest, gloomy, trench-coated rockers U2 and Echo & The Bunnymen. If there was any question that the 1980s revival is truly all-encompassing - and again officially popular with the American indie crowd - look no further than tonight's gig for confirmation.
Up first are New York's finest young proponents of arty early '80s sound, Stellastarr*, relaxed and fervent for their last gig of 2003. Live, the band trade the Talking Heads references of their eponymous debut for a harder Bunnymen edge, lending a refreshing buzz as they rip through standouts including 'In The Walls', 'No Weather', 'Jenny' and 'My Coco' for a receptive, pre-year-ending gathering. You may feel like you've heard it all before (perhaps you have), but Shawn Christensen & co.'s sheer energy and knack for a winning tune win you over before you even bear a chance to dispute.
And by the time Placebo take the stage for their 75-minute set, the 1,200-capacity club is packed and seething with anticipation - suggesting that the band's gothic, helium-vocaled punk-pop may finally be again falling in league with the scene after years of toeing the fringes. If so, then thank goodness, for Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Steve Hewitt remain a sharp, darkly glamorous proposition. (And, at the same time, props to the band for not taking themselves entirely seriously, as Olsdal's campy, queeny, Grant Showbiz/Bez-like dancing throughout attests.)
Our enthusiasm is rewarded with a veritable 'best of' set spanning the icy guitar of 'Bionic', from 1996's debut LP 'Placebo', to a floor-shaking rendition of 'The Bitter End' off 'Sleeping With Ghosts'. 'Every You Every Me' rocks propulsively and the sexy waltz of 'Protect Me' finds Molko prowling and bouncing about the stage like a goth Justin Timberlake, while standout 'Black Market Music' tracks 'Special K' and 'Taste In Men' are rightfully reserved for ending the main set and kicking off the encores.
Yet, proceedings then conclude with an unexpected turn: a razor-sharp rendition of Pixies classic 'Where Is My Mind?'. Not just a reminder of how inspiring and influential the covered band are, this take shows us that, at their heart, Placebo are music-fans and deliverers of impeccable taste, unafraid to wear their feelings and influences on their tattered, glittery sleeves. Admirably, this all as they play at the same time, too.
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