Niki N. Phaser

Placebo have encountered the climax of technical problems during a live concert, as they declared in an official statement on their site: “In our 15 year career we have never experienced such a technical difficulty on stage”. It all occurred during their set at the MTV Murcia Night show, in Cartagena, Spain. The problems started even from opener Kitty Litter and persisted all troughout the following songs, forcing the band to take the dramatic decision of cutting the gig short, six tracks in. They left the stage while the snags were being worked on, but never come back, as it was impossible to put on an at least a standard Placebo show. Useless to say that the decision was met with little understanding by the crowd. It was a free concert, so there wasn’t any question of refunds. Just a big disappointment for everyone. Despite Placebo promising that “We will try our hardest to make this up to you!”, we all know that once a gig goes awry, there is little to do about it.

WATCH A VIDEO OF THE DISPLEASED CROWD

Apoptygma Berzerk, a Norwegian futurepop band, has tackled mainstream success, especially with their 2005 album You and Me Against the World, but never quite make it in becoming a household name, other than in their own field. Their last album continues a more accessible sound, that distances them from the euro-futurepop scene which they practically help build in the 90′s. Released in January 2009, Rocket Science is probably one of the best albums to come out this year and also one of the most underestimated. It’s filled with powerful tracks, like Black vs. White, The State of Your Heart – Shit End of the Deal, Trash or Shadow. But, to respect the band’s choice, I’ll recommend for starters their first single off of Rocket Science, Apollo (Live On Your TV). If released by any mainstream band, this song would have most likely became one the biggest hits this year. The catchy keyboards and the energetic guitars would make anyone instantly start jogging. And smile while doing it. And when say ‘anyone’, I mean anyone, but old Apop fans, who are mostly disappointed with Stephan Groth’s new pop direction. Also, Good Charlotte fans should know that Benji Madden makes a vocal cameo on Apollo (Live On Your TV).

And P.S. Despite rumours, Stephan Groth is not Brian Molko’s older brother…

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR Apollo (Live On Your TV)

Placebo’s Brian Molko has confirmed that the next single off of Battle for the Sun will be the three and a half minutes The Never Ending-Why, which is already a live favourite. The video has been shot and the official release date will be September 7. Considering that the first single from their sixth album was the dance-indie friendly For What It’s Worth, this choice sadly confirms that Placebo aren’t too brave when it comes to singles. After repeatedly stating that Battle for the Sun is a dramatic change in their evolution, more upbeat and optimistic tracks like Bright Lights or Kings of Medicine would have been an appropriate way to back those statements, singles-wise.

The Never Ending-Why, just like For What It’s Worth, will be pleasing the band’s niche, but not necessarily their faithful fanbase, as many music critics would think. The fans already own the album and for them a single is not an encounter with new material. They already have their favourites and an opinion on the whole thing. So, The Never Ending-Why, which is quite a great rock song by the way, is more about pleasing that segment which stands in between: they are acquainted with Placebo, but know only the singles (and maybe this time they’ll buy the album). In all probability, this song will not be a turning point in the band’s history and will not win them a lot of new followers. Songs like the two mentioned before or Speak in Tongues are reaching to a wider audience and could display the more complex side of Placebo, if released as singles. The future is wide open.

SEE PLACEBO PERFORM The Never-Ending Why LIVE