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Placebo tell critics to "get a life" after truncated show row
10 July 2024, 11:57 | Updated: 10 July 2024, 12:07
Brian Molko hits back at social media snipes following technical issues at a show in Switzerland last week.
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Placebo have hit back at critics over a recent European show, telling them to "get a life" after receiving a number of "unimaginative and entitled insults".
The singer also insisted that the band play live, adding "It appears... this is still insufficient for certain entitled and demanding individuals."
The band received a number of critical posts after a show at the OpenAir St Gallen festival in Switzerland on 30th June, which was hit by technical issues.
The show had to be stopped after the twelfth song, Went Missing, after which the band had to return to play an abbreviated version of the rest of the set, which included their hit Nancy Boy.
Frontman Brian Molko posted a statement titled "Public Service Announcement" on Instagram yesterday (9th July) after seeing a number of "arguements, accusations and skirmishes" between Placebo fans regarding the "truncated" show.
Molko explained: "Shortly into the set, Stefan [Olsdal] began to have technical issues until finally his guitar system ceased to function completely. So he could no long play any songs where he plays guitar. Every effort to remedy the problem by our world-class crew was taken but to no avail.
"We had the option to walk off and not come back, but we decided to take back to the stage and finish playing what we physically could: the songs where Stefan plays bass.
"We made several announcements from the stage (in German) to explain that we were experiencing temporarily unrepairable technical issues. We made this very clear from the stage several times."
He went on: "Placebo use no recordings onstage. Everything is 100 per cent live. It appears obvious that this is still insufficient for certain entitled and demanding individuals. Technical issues and truncated sets are a part and parcel aspect of live performance. And it is something no band has control over.
“If the idea of this unavoidable situation continues to enrage you regardless, we suggest that you go watch bands where most of the music coming from the stage is recorded. We also suggest you get a sense of perspective and try to take a look at this situation from a point of view that isn’t yours - if you are at all capable. This is a polite way of saying - get a life."
Placebo - Nancy Boy (Official Music Video)
Molko reminded gig-goers it is their "individual choice" whether they watch Placebo live or not.
He added: "Most aspects of our lives, in general, are actually out of our own control and though we are strong, unfortunately electricity is much more powerful than us. We are not forcing you to come to any of our shows - it’s your individual choice. Please feel free to exercise this choice in the future and please stop insulting our loyal fan base in the virtual world."
