iTunes Live: London Festival '09

The Roundhouse was crawling from head to toe last night with; men in suits, girls in summer dresses, emos, punks and goths as the intimate venue rounded up a mixed cross-section of society for a night of hardcore pop with hosts- Placebo. Warm up act, General Fiasco did exactly what it says on the tin and paved the way for the headliners in a great punk fashion.

Placebo got off to a rather slow start, with Kitty Litter, taken from their new album - Battle For the Sun gently kicking off proceedings. It was not until half way through the show that the mosh party officially started and the music was amped up. Every You And Every Me served as the passport to other great numbers such as Ashtray Heart and Special Needs.

The rockers playlist disappointingly neglected their self-titled first and arguably their best album. Where was the classic head banging, guitar ridden anthem Nancy Boy? His absence was greatly missed as was Pure Morning and the anger management type whaling in their first-rate song, You Don’t Care About Us. The boys, dressed in black and white, blasted out a mix and match of songs from their six albums. While their new songs are inoffensive, they proved to be largely undistinguishable and did not stick in your subconscious. The set list could have perhaps included a few more crowd pleasers.

Nonetheless, enigmatic front man, Brian Molko’s monotone moany voice ricocheted throughout the diverse audience and filled the room with a strong but dark energy. Talking of energy, there were continuous guitar changes throughout and new drummer Steve Forrest, wooed the crowd with his colourful tattooed naked chest and his generosity; on several occasions he threw drum sticks and towels into the overly zealous mob. The crowd jumped up and down like lunatics with some fans even shedding the odd tear when they heard that spine tingling tune they were eagerly waiting for. The strongest reactions and thunderous claps were reserved for the encore.

The age-old adage, ‘good things come to those who wait’ did indeed ring true last night, with proceedings coming to a sweet, rather than a bitter end. Concluding tracks included Infra-Red, Taste In Men, and the every so chirpy Bitter End! These songs showcased the trio at their very best and provided a sharp reminder as to why the band have received global recognition and why we should still appreciate their rock credential in 2009.

Devoted masses escaped the mosh-pit grinning; singing loudly and sweating like they had just ran the London marathon. It is fair to say the sweatometer reached soaring levels. If the fans enjoyed it as much as they looked like they did, then it must have been one sock-rocking show. The word ‘Placebo’ is Latin for ‘I will please’ The British rockers did just that and were the perfect panacea for a rainy summers night.