10.04.06
For a band who twenty four hours earlier had played at Birmingham Academy to them this was to be a small gig. Placebo playing in the Maida Vale studio�s venue for BBC�S radio 1.
The crowd weren�t the happiest bunch you�ll ever meet but sometimes a great gig has the worst crowds. Just before the show started Brian was told off for smoking in the studio�s when he shouldn�t have been and the DJ called him a naughty boy.
Brian said that the setlist was going to be all new songs and he wasn�t wrong. They started the night of with �Meds� the first song on the album so it made sense for them to play it first. The song went ok but there were a few small problems and Brian sounded a little drowned out by the music but he still sounded good.
Next up was �Infra Red� anyone notice a pattern here? Brian began by playing something which I think was a new intro to the song. It sounded very different to the album version. It sounded like at times there were some timing errors but despite that they carried on playing in true Placebo manner and still made the song sound good. Brian looked a little worried at one point but it sounded good in the end.
They followed this up with �Drag� a funny moment at the start Brian wasn�t ready to start when the others did so they had to start again after a few giggles. Placebo performed this song really well and the audience seemed to enjoy it.
The next song up was �Space Monkey� which they performed brilliantly. They made it sound very similar to how it does on the album but live it is much more powerful. During the verses Brian used a megaphone which gave the whole performance a really good sound and seemed to give the song texture.
After space monkey Steve was playing something on the drums which led into the intro for �Because I Want You� as normal this song was amazing live, Because I want you is so much more of a live song then it is an album one and when they play it live they put a lot of energy into it and seem to enjoy playing this one.
After the energy used in the previous song it was time to slow it down a notch and what better song to play then �Follow The Cops Back Home� This is a very emotional song when they perform it. Brian performed with great passion but looked lost with nothing to do except sing. This song was a very nice touch to such a small intimate gig.
Time to turn up the power again for �Post Blue� which sounded slightly different live to what it does on the album. They performed it with lot�s of energy. They added some cool sounds to it which made it all the more enjoyable.
Next up was a strange little musical interlude and I really didn�t know what was coming up. Then they began �Song To Say Goodbye� They all seemed to enjoy playing once again. Seen as though this is the last song on the album I was expecting this to be the last song of the night when they surprised us by playing �One Of A Kind� They started it off really nice by blending the intro nicely into the outro of STSG. It added a good effect. This song was really enjoyable live.
The last song of the evening was a classic cover. In 2003 they used to end with �Where is my mind� tonight they ended with style with the Kate Bush cover �Running Up That Hill� this song was amazing performed live, they all performed it really well. It is one of many good Placebo covers. A lovely end to a good gig.
So all in all despite a few hiccups the whole gig was enjoyable. One that won�t be forgotten.
