Placebo - Glasgow SECC - 14/12/09

Masters of the art of standing outside the mainstream whilst simultaneously gaining widespread recognition and acclaim from the industry, Placebo finally returned to Glasgow’s SECC to deliver the niche which they have carved out over the years.

Confessions must be made. I never was a fan of Placebo till a couple of years ago. Infact, that’s not probably not strong enough. I had a fairly intense dislike of them, for no reason that I can articulate. Having my own voice compared to that of Brian Molko in my musical endeavours (Closet Organ) only served to add fuel to the fire.

After years of visiting relatives in Athens, Greece, and having cousins espouse the virtues of the band, and being forced to listen to ‘Meds’ on high volume rocketing through the Atiica areas of Plaka and the like, I eventually developed a taste for Placebo, despite my best intentions to the contrary.

It’s probably quite fitting. Molko’s a character you can either worship or totally resent - most strong personalities are - and with the forthright and liberal attitudes to sexuality and substance usage by the band, it’s easy to be rubbed up the wrong way if you’re more conservative.

Their appearance at the Rockness festival this year was the sole reason I was sorely tempted to embark on the trek up north, but it never transpired; the following announcement of the headline slot very welcome. Festival appearances are good, but a band’s own tour is a different beast entirely. Whilst the SECC is far from a good venue (it’s pish, and despite any criticisms of me for that statement, it’s a fact), and the disparate sound quality, Placebo’s ethereal, spacey texture managed to fill up the space admirably, amongst wintery blue and white coloured lights. I liked that; I could never imagine them in amongst summer reds and yellows too much.

The reputation and credence that the six live members have was obvious, with Molko exuding sex appeal and authority with every movement; dedicating ‘Julien’ to ‘all those that have made the auspicious decision to experiment with controlled substances’ - characteristic emotion evident with every lyric. The double-encore was the real highlight though, with the likes of ‘Special K’, the brilliant ‘Bitter End’, ‘Infra Red’, and finishing with ‘Taste In Men’

Photos to follow

Video from the band from the first day of the tour below