Placebo, Victoria Warehouse. 22nd November 2022

Placebo have always been the sort of band to buck the trend. Their request for no phones isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but rarely have I seen it requested so eloquently. Tonight we’re in for a set of shiny goth pop. Hands sway for ‘Beautiful James’, before ‘Scene of the Crime’ bludgeons us with its bass stomp. It sounds a bit like a Slow Readers Club song (a good thing), but there’s no mistaking Molko’s voice. I’m just far enough forward to be with the die hards. The guy in front knows every word. This is a good thing too. It’s a set of newer songs and I’m thankful for the enthusiasm. I move a bit further back later and it’s visibly more muted. ‘Bionic’ sounds good, but there’s a clear sense that their heart is in the present. The broody menace of ‘Surrounded by Spies’ is a mid-set triumph and ‘Sad White Reggae’ with its luscious piano line is a europop banger. They sound great. They look great, the lighting and glitch effects on the screens are great. There are definite lulls though. ‘Went Missing’ although beautifully dark, is a bit dour live. There’s no effort to pander to the masses. You won’t hear ‘Pure Morning’ or ‘Nancy Boy’. I’ve no issue with this. The set list is always the bands choice, but it’s obvious that some patrons are disappointed. ‘For What It’s Worth’ does get everyone moving again, as the strobes kick back in and the crowd sing “Got no friends. Got no lover”. Nothing raises my pulse like ‘Infra -Red’ though. It helps it’s my favourite, but live in a packed room, it’s spine tingling. Another song I love is Tears for Fears ‘Shout’ that they return to the stage with in the encore. It’s a brilliant song and a brave choice to cover in an uncompromising set, but ‘Fix Yourself’ follows and delivers with its bombastic finale. They could stop there, but we get another cover with ‘Running Up That Hill’. It seems a slightly odd way to close, but they do it well and I enjoyed the noodling from Molko and Olsdal as they play about with synths and amp distortion  to send us back off into the cold night. It might not wind up on my best gigs of the year list, but it’s good and I doth my cap to Placebo fans who all kept their phones in their pockets. Impressive!