Sunday, January 14, 2018

Dave Tong about Brian Molko and Placebo back in the 1990's


Photos by Dave Tonge




Dave Tonge Brighton/London based photographer. All the images here were taken by him. 
ALL IMAGES ARE FOR SALE £65 FOR UP TO A3 PRINT SIGNED BY HIMSELF


Teenage kids sometimes u just want to shake them and shout , "Just don't do it, please!!!" Sorry where was I ......

Photo by Dave Tonge

Colorado, late 1990's I'd been sent out to shoot a cover story for the NME
Brian wasn't playing ball though, sun glasses on, scathing and bitchy to all around him, fuelled by the fact the Times journalist we were travelling with insisted on calling him place-boo. 

I'm sure it was as genuine mistake to begin with, then trying to style it out, he continued throughout the time we were with him. "He loves it, he likes people taking the piss!" Was his drunken reply to me, later that day in the bar, after a shit day trying to get a story, I wasn't convinced.

Photo by Dave Tonge

Photo by Dave Tonge

Photo by Dave Tonge


I'd heard a couple of tracks, I quite liked them, so I was looking forward to the gig. 

Not a big venue, that's always good and it was packed even better. There was a solemn mood in the dressing room, it's often the case before a gig. 

Personally it's the thing of nightmares for me, performing, but hey. A grabbed a couple of snaps, see previous post and the lead shot in this post. 

I saw Brian properly for the first time, yes the dark glasses had gone, but he was vulnerable, alone. I started thinking that the timing of his rise couldn't of been worse. Apes like Liam Gallagher were lurching around, desperately trying to look hard, championing laddism, while this nasaly sounding little Goth, openly bi sexual, tried his best to impress a football and stella obsessed music press, he had no chance! 

He strolled off meekly to the stage and strangely i had a brief pang of concern for him, I hoped he'd be OK, wtf!

Photo by Dave Tonge

Photo by Dave Tonge

Photo by Dave Tonge

They blew the top of the place, absolutely burnt the house down, are they normally good, or was I drunk? 

The energy backstage fizzed in the air as me and the journo Roger Morton, joined them to drink it in. 

Poor old Roger tried doing an interview of sorts, but said something that offended and got shouted down ( see pics), as I flirted with Stefan, damn that man was sexy!

Photo by Dave Tonge

Photo by Dave Tonge

Probably half an hour in total and we got everything we needed, nothing from the previous 2 days got used.
One of these shots was the cover, there's a challenge!

Sources & Photos: Dave Tonge IG   / Storywww.davetonge.com