More about: Placebo
The Placebo discovered band drop another future classic
Being given the seal of approval by Placebo is great way for any band to kickstart their career, but not only were The Mirror Trap discovered by Brian Molko and co in their native Scotland, but were invited on the road with them. A huge boost it may have been, but the truth is that the power and passion behind The Mirror Trap's music ranks them as special in their own right. Now is their time to seize the spotlight.
Watch their new video for 'Piranhas' on Gigwise first below
"'Piranhas' is a song about fear," says frontman Gary Moore of the track. "I had a job I hated, and I got drunk to try and forget about it. I felt numb and helpless. I'm sure it's a similar story for many people. I knew that it would never be any of life’s great wonders that pulled me down, just all the little meaningless things, all the small bites, the circling piranhas pulling at my flesh. This song is a scream of frustration and the starting point on a road to change.
"The video for 'Piranhas' was the brain child of director Stuart Breadner. There have been mixed reactions to early viewings, some people thought it was a bit too extreme, and that its violent conclusion goes too far, while others, including myself, found it to be the perfect visual accompaniment to the song."
He continues: "We live in a society where the piss stream of neo-liberalism flows unchecked into every aspect of life. Competition is encouraged and forced upon us. It is survival of the fittest. We have to compete in schools, at work, in love, there is no place for compassion or community. The weak are to be mercilessly crushed.
"I think this video is a sort of ultimate conclusion of that idea. The youngest son must fight to death while the blood thirsty family looks on, it's not dressed up or subdued in any way, if the world must be organised like this then let's show it in its purest and most brutal form."
The Mirror Trap release their debut album Simulations on 11 July.
For more information, find them on:
Facebook
Twitter
Official website
Youtube
The band's upcoming tour dates are below.
May 1 - Stag and Dagger in Glasgow
May 5 - Madhatters Inverness
May 7 - Buskers Dundee
May 19 - Downstairs Aberdeen
May 28 - Mash House Edinburgh
May 29 - Upstairs at The Garage
Other summer shows include Ten Tons Moscow, Y NOT in the UK and Summersonic in Japan. More shows to be announced very soon.
15. 'Twenty Years': A criminally-underrated one-off from their greatest hits, displaying Molko at his most elegiac - showing a Cure-esque gothic marriage of misery and melody. Beautiful.
14. 'Too Many Friends': The band finding new relevance , with a scorching critique of finding meaning in the age of social media.
13. 'This Picture': One of many gems from the Sleeping With Ghosts era, Molko creates a modern, hedonistic take on a reverse Dorian Gray - looking back on eternal youth and wincing at the ageing horizon. Something we can all relate to, especially as everybody knows 'the ashtray girl'.
12. 'Black-Eyed': Placebo at the peak of their powers, preaching how a twisted youth and broken home can raise a generation of freaks and other.
11. 'Slave To The Wage': If there's one thing that Placebo are masters of, it's portraying that anxiety of modern life - a nine to five that's little more than a race for rats to die.
10. 'Nancy Boy': Embodying the band's entire liberal ethos and manifesto, as well as acting as a springboard to stardom and an instant classic. Few bands could better such an early peak, but Placebo are no ordinary band.
9. 'Loud Like Love': The title track from their latest LP, this is a refreshing, bolder than brass statement of intent - a timeless reminder that Placebo aren't going anywhere: "For all of our youth, we have craved them - their beauty and their truth - breathe, breathe, believe."
8. 'Meds': Another twisted tale of a mind torn inside out through living on the heavy side, and featuring VV from The Kills on guest vocals, this makes for the perfect, heart-racing anthem for anyone who's been on the dark side of 'the sex, and the drugs, and the consequences'.
7. 'B3': A pulsing, futuristic rocker that sadly seems to have slipped under the radar of the mainstream, but now standing towering a not only a highlight of their live set but an utterly enthralling battle cry and call to arms.
6. 'Come Home': From that slapping echo snare drum and choppy guitar intro to Molko's first emaciated squeal, this old friend will take all Placebo fans of a certain age back to a halcyon 90s haze, but its desperation and angst transcends age. Some things you just don't grow out of.
5. 'Without You, I'm Nothing': The combination of Placebo and David Bowie was never going to be anything short of historic, but who could have known that the product would be such an achingly raw and beautiful ode to obsession, loneliness and despair?
4. 'Every You, Every Me': Another monumental moment in modern rock history that sees Molko and co shoulder to shoulder with the greats, you'd struggle to find a more raucous and universal open-heart view into two misfits, bound together.
3. 'The Bitter End': Oof, that intro.
2. 'Pure Morning': Arguably Placebo's most internationally recognisable and beloved song, it's such a rich, textured modern rock staple.
1. 'Taste In Men': Placebo may not always get due credit for the sheer breadth of ground and sounds they've covered, which is why it's fitting that this bubbling, space-age blast of howling, claustrophobic electro-rock should prove a career highlight. Menacingly majestic, it contains all that's great about this band: gazing on in horror, but always on top.
More about: Placebo
Photo: WENN
