#Review: Placebo, Eventim Olympia, Liverpool

Author: Jessica Fenlon

Amidst the dreary rain of Monday 21st November, queues of animated gig-goers lined up outside Liverpool’s Eventim Olympia, eagerly awaiting London founded Placebo and their welcome return to the city. 

Filing through the doors, a veritable pick’n’mix of younger to older audience members warmed the hall of the old theatre. As we went to take our seats in the gallery, stewards kindly asked that no phones be used for the duration of the show. A request, which seemed readily accepted by those in attendance; set up the event to be free of flashing lights in crowds and screens in faces. 

Support act Cruel Hearts Club, a trio of ladies with individual style and commanding stage presence, performed to raucous applause. Strong riffs, disco-esque drum beats, and rousing lyrics started things off wonderfully. The band played raunchy singles such as ‘Dirty Rotten Scum” and ‘Hey Compadre‘, interspersed with a memorable cover of ‘All The Things She Said‘ by TaTu and hauntingly beautiful vocals with ‘Where Has The Summer Gone‘. Drummer Gabi Woo’s radiant grin as she kept the tempo going behind energetic sisters Gita and Edie Langley showed they were enjoying their time just as much as the crowd were enjoying the music. 

The venue grew silent as a message appeared on the screens of the stage, a post the band had shared on Instagram explaining their reasons for the phone-less show. An image of Brian Molko, vocalist/guitarist, replaced the text as his voice reiterated the point and thanked the fans for their participation. Placebo clearly wanted this to be an experience, in their own words “because this exact moment will never ever happen again”. 

Musicians took their places amidst a swathe of all white instruments and amps, as lights swept the stage. Stefan Olsdal, bassist/guitarist (among many other talents), appeared to an ecstatic reception, and was soon joined by Molko. The entire ensemble was dressed in black, allowing the intricately orchestrated lights and video to take centre point. The glitchy tones and riffs of ‘Forever Chemicals‘ kicked off the proceedings, with not a word uttered by the duo. Brian’s resonating vocals enraptured the fans, flowing into the melodic ‘Beautiful James‘. Despite the lack of verbal interaction, the intoxicating personalities of the duo were evident and engaging throughout the entire show. Each song was perfectly paired with lighting effects that bedazzled the crowd, and psychedelic images of the artists lit up large screens. 

Working in harmony with the supporting band, Placebo strummed out ‘Bionic‘, a much loved track from their 1996 self-titled debut album. Molko’s animated gestures and expressions bemused the crowd as the band played tracks from their recent album ‘Never Let Me Go‘, including hypnotic ‘Surrounded By Spies‘ and snappy ‘Try Better Next Time‘. The rest of the set list saw samples of the extensive history of the band, as the audience was avidly singing along to ‘Too Many Friends‘ from 2013’s ‘Loud Like Love‘, and 2000’s ‘Slave To The Wage’.

The energy and momentum of both performers and attendees showed no signs of slowing, as the band dipped into their backlog with anthems from albums ‘Meds’ and ‘Sleeping With Ghosts’. The Olympia was filled with excitement as the initial chords of ‘The Bitter End’ and ‘Infa-Red’ filled ears. Each word Molko and Olsdal sang was chanted along with by their fans, as it had been for the entirety of the set. 

A joyously received encore of three songs ended the unusual concert, ‘Shout‘ by Tears For Fears fanned the audience to full frenzy with the finale being an unforgettable cover of ‘Running Up That Hill‘ by Kate Bush. Screams of appreciation and applause erupted from the hall as the ensemble made their final exit of the night, having said a handful of words to thank their audience and supporting musicians throughout the evening. Quiet though they had been, Placebo had provided their fans with something truly remarkable during a drab Monday. The astounding AV show that accompanied the imitable presence and sounds the band has to offer left everyone leaving in a transcendent mindset, blown away by what they had witnessed. Lack of technology in the crowd, the passion on stage created a sense of unity between artists and onlookers enhancing the entire experience. 

Placebo have delivered an incredible show, and in doing so outlined how a bond between musicians and fans can create remarkable moments that will never ever happen again.

Set list: 

Forever Chemicals, Beautiful James, Scene Of The Crime,Hugz, Happy Birthday In The Sky, Bionic, Twin Demons, Surrounded By Spies, Chemtrails, 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, Infa-Red

Encore:

Shout, Fix Yourself, Running Up That Hill