Placebo are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1994, currently consisting of Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Steve Forrest. To date, they have released five studio albums, six EPs and twenty-seven singles.
Their sixth album is expected to be released in June of 2009. The band have gained a considerable amount of international recognition, which includes the non-English speaking world. They have sold over one million albums in the U.K. and over ten million worldwide. Thus far, Placebo are best known for hit songs such as: "Nancy Boy", "Pure Morning", "You Don't Care About Us", "Every You Every Me", "The Bitter End", "Twenty Years", "Because I Want You", "Infra-Red", "Meds" and a cover of the Kate Bush song "Running Up That Hill". Placebo's style has varied greatly. Over time, their sound has softened in intensity. The band's first album featured a raw sound and a fairly minimalistic instrumental lineup. But their proceeding albums have had a slower, more melancholy tone and they began to experiment with synthesizers and other, less traditional, modes of sound production. The band has gained some measure of notoriety for the sexualities of its members (Olsdal is homosexual and Molko is bisexual) as well as for their excessive lifestyles and Molko's androgynous image, which are often referred to in their songs (see Lyrics). In recent years, however, the band has become less sexually charged.
Debut album, lineup change and glam connection (1996-1998)
Placebo's self titled debut album was released 16 July 1996 and was a major success, peaking at five on the UK Albums Charts. Placebo is, arguably, the band's most distinctive sounding album thus far. It features ten tracks (eleven including the hidden bonus track "Hong Kong Farewell"), the most popular of which was the song Nancy Boy. In 1998 Q Magazine readers voted Placebo the 87th greatest album of all time. Due to the initial success of Placebo's first album, they remastered and reissued it on 18 September 2006 for its tenth anniversary. Tension with Schultzberg began to rise. The band initially let him go in September 1995, but he was rehired to record the first seven inch single "Bruise Pristine". After an argument in August 1996, right before doing their first TV show, Molko decided that it would be best for the band if Schultzberg left. Schultzberg suggested playing together until they finished the promotion of their first album, Placebo. Eventually, Schultzberg did indeed leave the band, as they had planned earlier. In September 1996, the band was on a United States tour. Before going on stage for their first show in New York, Olsdal informed Schultzberg that he wasn't going on the tour in Germany that was following the U.S. one. At the manager’s request, Schultzberg did two more shows with the band in Paris after the U.S. tour, the last of which was a performance on “Nulle Part Aillleurs.” Molko has said that he was "tired of being the focus of Robert’s rages against the world". Schultzberg's departure left many fans disappointed, with the band switching to a softer sound after his leaving. By this point they were able to convince Hewitt to come back on board full-time in 1996. In early 1996 Placebo opened several concerts for David Bowie in Italy, France and Switzerland as part of his Outside Tour after he had only heard one of their demos. One of Hewitt's first performances with Placebo, upon returning, proved to be a big one. Bowie invited the trio to play at his 50th birthday bash at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1997. The party also included such luminaries as Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Robert Smith of the The Cure, and Lou Reed. The band's glam connections continued. In 1998, Placebo recorded a cover of T.Rex's "20th Century Boy" for the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack, the band also having minor roles in the film. Bowie made a special appearance onstage with Placebo during a tour stop in New York. A version of the song "Without You I'm Nothing", which originally appeared on the album with the same name, featured a duet containing both Molko and Bowie. Placebo played "20th Century Boy" live with David Bowie at the BRIT Awards show in 1999.
Drugs
Molko has been open about his use of recreational drugs; in a 1997 interview with New York Doll, he admitted at one point that heroin was "probably the only drug on this planet I haven’t tried." However, he later admitted to experimenting with heroin as well. The band holds that their references to drugs within their songs reflects the nature of current times and to reduce such references, within one of their songs, would deteriorate the meaningfulness of that song.
Discography
Studio albums
* Placebo (1996)
* Without You I'm Nothing (1998)
* Black Market Music (2000)
* Sleeping with Ghosts (2003)
* Meds (2006)
* Battle for the Sun (2009)
Members
Current members
* Brian Molko (1994-present) – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, saxophone
* Stefan Olsdal (1994-present) – bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
* Steve Forrest (2008-present) – drums
Additional live lineup members
* Bill Lloyd (1999-present) – guitar, bass guitar (touring and studio)
* Alex Lee (2006-present) – keyboards, guitar
* Fiona Brice (2008-present) – violin
Former members
* Steve Hewitt (1994, 1996-2007) – drums, percussion
* Robert Schultzberg (1994-1996) – drums, percussion, didgeridoo
* Xavior Roide (2003-2005) (touring member) – keyboards, backing vocals
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