Glasgow Gig

Placebo, Barrowland, Glasgow, April 7

17.04.2003

by Catriona Killin

AFTER a lengthy break, the masters of hypnotic gloom, Placebo, are back with a new album Sleeping With Ghosts.

The title track is the first sign of the evening that Placebo have lost none of their allure or prescience as Brian Molko sings, " Dry your eyes, f**k your killing, f**k your lies."

Molko is an innate performer; every song becomes an operetta as his tiny figure writhes and spirals, postures and pirouettes. The music, largely from the current album, is sombre, yet kinetic; a mercurial mix of glam rock, Goth and camped up new wave.Bitter End is a painful analysis of a fracturing relationship, while I'll Be Yours is a dark, sonorous, almost claustrophobic love song. As Molko promises to "be your mother and your father" the image is a veiled threat, rather than a promise, you canalmost hear the bats leaving the belfry.

Although Molko resembles nothing so much as an elfin faced prince of darkness, in fact he shows remarkable concern for an over enthusiastic crowd urging them to "Respect each other, it's a really basic human thing".

Forthcoming single This Picture features a droned vocal intro reminiscent of Neil Tennant on West End Girls, the sound pure new wave, as Molko intones, "For fear of growing old, we can't stop growing old."

True perhaps but maybe sampling Placebo's pill will keep the hounds at bay.