Report: Rockfeedback @ iTunes Festival Night 14 Placebo, 14/7/09
4/5
By: Alex Pyper
Visit iTunes on Facebook here - still lots of free tickets to be won!
This year, Rockfeedback is delighted to be the official blog partner for the rather exciting iTunes Festival, taking place at London’s Roundhouse every night in July. Over the course of the festival, we’ll not be missing a night, delivering morning-after reports on everyone from Oasis and Bloc Party to Franz Ferdinand and Kasabian playing intimate sets to fans lucky enough to have won tickets to the shows.
Multinational super corporation. Check. Legendary music venue. Check. Massive global rock band. Check. Free tickets… Oh go on then.
A name like General Fiasco can’t help but tempt fate. Thankfully, iTunes doesn’t do fiascos, and so this band was tighter than a pop punk group squashed into a cupboard of metronomes. With a roar that seemed surprisingly loud for such a shy and youthful triumverate, they deftly navigate their way through songs that are part teen-angst, part sing-along stadium rock.
Recent support slots with One Night Only and the Enemy to name but a few, plus some serious radio loving, have propelled them onto the edges of ‘the radar’ of the people. No surprise when their singles ‘Rebel Get By’ and ‘Something Sometime’ get a positive response.
Much that the audience enjoys the support act, there is only one word on everyone’s lips. As soon as the stage starts to be changed over, there is a sudden influx of listeners clad in black, and the crowd quickly doubles in volume. Things are going to get hot.
Placebo come on to some creepily hypnotic intro music, and barrel into their new material. Songs like ‘Kitty Litter’ and ‘Battle For The Sun’ show the band bearing their sonic teeth, whilst ‘Ashtray Heart’ and ‘Devil In The Details get them flexing their pop muscles.
‘For What It’s Worth’ is strangely reminiscent of Kiss’ ‘I Was Made For Loving You’. And they’ve got a brass section on it. Also, they’ve got themselves a hit on their hands in the form of ‘Never Ending Why’ – layers of strings and brass alike just keep on building.
It seems that their period of absence from the public eye has not been wasted. A new album, and a new lineup are on display now the band has resurfaced. Judging from the reaction tonight, it looks like Placebo are experiencing a resurgence in popularity.
On stage, the band have found their sex, and to paraphrase - it’s on fire. Stefan does some serious slinky hip moves, whilst new drummer Steve looks like he’s going to fall off his drum kit with excitement. Watching him pound the sh*t out of it with such a large smile on is face is entertainment enough. Brian appears to be enjoying himself too; the moody frontman having been replaced by a more confident demeanour. Teasing the audience when they clap out of time, he is clearly in his element as he performs to us all.
When they get to ‘Every You Every Me’ and ‘Special Needs’, everyone goes mental. Not only is the roundhouse packed with people who will have experienced Placebo’s early days, the band have picked up a new generation of followers who at that time can’t have been much more than toddlers.
The Placebo classics keep coming – ‘Special K’, ‘Meds’, ‘Song To Say Goodbye’. It would have been good to get ‘Pure Morning’ and ‘Nancy Boy’ in there, but by the encore of ‘Infra Red’, ‘The Bitter End’ and ‘Taste In Men’, we’re pretty happy.
It’s great new material that is already en route to contain some of tomorrows classics, brought to us by a ridiculously hardcore touring schedule. However, what is reminded to us is that Placebo has a back catalogue of tune after tune of culturally pervasive hits that have no doubt added to the soundtrack of a whole generation and will have a good go at adding to the next.
Artists in this article: Placebo
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment