PLACEBO LIVE AT SOUTHAMPTON’S SUMMER SESSIONS

★★★★★ (5/5)

PLACEBO PERFROMING AT SOUTHAMPTON’S SUMMER SESSIONS
PHOTOCREDIT: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI

The British summertime continues in Southampton as the local crowd gathered early for another interesting gig at the city’s landmark Guildhall Square. First band on was Friedberg, who hail from London. Formed in 2019 by Anna Friedberg, the band has been quick to capture their audience with their soft and indie sounds, as well as interesting and dynamic performances. While the origins of the group are in London, there is a Berliner feeling into their music and lyrics. While the crowd was not as big as in other similar gigs this month, the attendees were fully committed to the band’s set, dancing along and swinging to the beats and the bass, as well as the post-punk guitar sounds and dreamy synth-pop influences. In an unexpected turn of events – or not so much because the name should have given this away – the band started singing in German, a mellow song with synth and pop blends that beautifully captured the audience’s attention.

While Friedberg have been an excellent starter to what was about to come, it is worth mentioning that the unique and danceable rock music was only a taste of what was to come. Shortly after the set finished, a recorded message echoed in the square. Placebo have been known about this – and I wish I hadn’t joked that we were lucky to get into the photopit before the announcement was made. The band – unlike many other bands in our day and age – requested from their audience to STOP using mobile phones, to not record and to not video the show. This is because Placebo’s performance is meant to create an atmosphere and a feeling that is unmatched and can be watched rather than recorded. Crucially, us photographers barely got away with shooting this gig – for the same reason.

As the audience was preparing for this show – a show that was about to be witnessed and not recorded – the band came on stage and instantly played the famous song ‘Taste in Men’, capturing the crowd’s souls. Following this song, the band continued on to play other big hits such as ‘Happy Birthday in the Sky’ and ‘Surrounded by Spies’, before the set was interrupted. While a lot of bands encourage their audience to mosh during their sets, Placebo stopped the show to break a mosh that had started in the middle. Singer Brian Molko then asked his audience to ‘not fight in his gig’ – albeit not so politely – and that his gigs are a safe place for everyone. Calming the crowd down professionally, he then asked us all of us to think about the person we love the most, as the first notes of ‘Soulmates’ came on – a personal favourite if I may add.

The set continued with banger after banger, as the band then erupted into ‘Every You Every Me’ and the audience followed by singing along. While a live review cannot possibly capture fully the atmosphere of the show, it is safe to say that people underestimate the power of nostalgia. Listening to this song live, with Brian’s crystal clear voice, the intense bass, the ambient lighting and – crucially – no phones in sight, it was like being in a Placebo gig 10 (if not more) years ago. It was a moment that felt intense only because of the sheer power of this song that has accompanied everyone in a moment in their lives – mostly streamed through the radio for most of us. Watching the audience sing loudly all the way to the back was surreal, but for Placebo, it was a given.

The set continued with ‘Sad White Reggae’ before a massive grand piano was brought to the stage for ‘Too Many Friends’ and ‘Went Missing’ to follow. As the lighting changed to intense orange, painting a sunset picture against the dusky sky, the band performed ‘For What It’s Worth’ and ‘Slave to the Wage’, as the audience kept singing every-single-lyric. Last songs on the set before the encore were of course ‘A Song to Say Goodbye’ and the fan favourite ‘The Bitter End’, which received the loudest singalong, dance-along and jump-along I had ever seen. For encore, the band performed ‘A Nancy Boy’, ‘Infra-Red’ and a cover of Kate Bush’ ‘Running up that Hill’ to close off a magical evening.

Placebo are a very difficult band to catch live, and an even more difficult band to watch. The lack of video footage could potentially exclude them from tik tok and Instagram famous videos, but it is for a good reason. Going to a phoneless gig is quite literally one of the best things I have ever experienced, because the attention I could pay to the band was maximised. It was no lie that this is a show that needs to be performed offline and away from technology, because the feeling was unmatched. I cannot remember the last time my view was not obstructed by a phone and it was an amazing experience to witness this, especially for a band that has shaped my teenage years. Rock artists, take notes.