Placebo have issued a statement addressing complaints over their St Gallen Festival performance – and told critics to “get a life”.
The band were booked to perform a high profile slot at the Swiss festival, appearing on a bill alongside the Chainsmokers and Queens Of The Stone Age. During Placebo’s set the group seemed to suffer from technical issues, causing them to end earlier than planned.
The rancour around this spread to social media, creating a bubble of negativity. Frontman Brian Molko elected to burst this, sharing a fiery statement that reaffirmed the band’s commitment to playing live without track, while also telling critics to “get a life”.
Placebo write…
“We have been noticing a great deal of discussion, arguments, accusations & skirmishes between our fans in relation to our truncated concert at St Gallen festival. We have also been on the receiving send of many (unimaginative & entitled) insults. So we would like to offer some clarity on what happened during our concert at St Gallen festival.”
“Shortly into the set, Stefan [Olsdal] began to have technical issues until finally 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.”
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Continuing, the band broke down the way in which they approach live performances:
“Placebo use no recordings onstage. Everything is 100 per cent live. It appears obvious that this is still insufficient for certain entitled & 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.”
Molko continued: “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.”
Coming to a swinging conclusion, Brian Molko told critics to take a hike: “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.”
Check it out below.
Placebo’s latest album ‘Never Let Me Go’ landed in 2022; new documentary This Search For Meaning airs later this year.
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