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Concert Review
-April 15,1999
"Placebo - Brits sooth San
Francisco"
By Randy Cohen
 Many in the United States may not know who
the hell Placebo is, but at home in London they are being hailed as "The
Band To Watch Out For" by Melody Maker (whose past predictions included
Oasis, Blur, Lush,). Placebo members Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal (bass), drummer
Steve Hewitt . Placebo seemingly burst out of nowhere in 1996, when their
brilliant debut "Placebo" and became all the rage in Britain.
A blood-curdling mix of pent-up emotion, gender-bending turmoil, and tumultuous
guitar licks, Placebo proved something we see time and time again, lead singer
Brian Molko said from a previous interview. "If there
is one place to vent life's frustrations and disappointments, a record is the
place to do it". But there is no rest for the wicked and Placebo
is wicked with astound tinged in early Sonic Youth, '80's Glam rock, a wall of
blearyguitars, enough melody emotional storytelling.
In concert at the Maritime Hall in San Francisco Placebo soon drifted into
"My Sweet Prince," an icy torch
 song that had Molko singing like a
passionate blend of Marianne Faithful and Perry Farrell. He stood on stage in
makeup with a white long sleeve top and Grey skirt. This sort of
gender-blending is hardly a new idea in rock, and Placebo's would hardly matter
at all if not for the music. The band's rockers carried an intense urgency not
quite captured on the new "'Without You I'm Nothing"
album, and found bright melodies amid otherwise grim rhythms. Placebo played
passionate songs like "You Don't care about us
" built on an upbeat riff right out of '80s Goth pop, and "36
Degrees". Not all of the band's material was up to this intense
standard, "Pure Morning" was the nights favorite, but
the musical peaks were undeniable and furious, until the moment the band
stepped off the stage to a storm of violent feedback. A torrid emotionalism
lies just beneath the surface of Placebo's Glam-Goth cool. At the Maritime Hall
the British trio performed a show that was heavy on strobe lights and mascara,
but equally rich is thier songs context of relationships and heartbreak.
Brian Molko sang of desperate romance with a wounded sneer,
pausing during a cigarette break to utter, without a hint of irony:
"The greatest thing I've ever learned is to be loved and to love in
return."
Copyright 1999 Rock Publication All Rights
Reserved
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