Placebo are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1994, consisting of Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Steve Forrest. To date, they have released five studio albums, six EP and twenty-seven singles. The band have gained a considerable amount of international recognition, including non-English speaking countries. 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". The band's style has varied greatly over the years. Over time, they have changed to a softer sound after the raw sound of their first album and then began to experiment with synthesizers and other, less traditional, modes of sound production.The band 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.

History

Formation (1994-1996)

Placebo was formed by singer/guitarist Brian Molko and bassist Stefan Olsdal. Earlier, both had attended the American International School of Luxembourg, but didn't cross paths properly until 1994 in London, England; the two met by chance at South Kensington tube station and Molko invited Olsdal to watch him perform at a local bar. On the strength of Molko's performance, Olsdal decided that they should form a band.The band could not decide on a drummer at first. Molko had been playing occasional gigs with Steve Hewitt whom he had met outside of Burger King in 1991, through Hewitt's then girlfriend. Hewitt was the ideal choice for the position of drummer but only played on occasional demos, because he had other commitments to the London band Breed. This led to Robert Schultzberg assuming the position of drummer when the band signed its contract with Caroline Records. Schultzberg had known Olsdal from school in Luxembourg as well as from an earlier Swedish band that they had both been members of.While briefly known as "Ashtray Heart", from a Captain Beefheart lyric, the band quickly settled on the name Placebo. At the time of the band's formation, many other bands were naming themselves after drugs and Placebo's name is a loosely a satirical reflection of that theme. When asked about naming a band, Molko said: "It’s a complex question to answer, really. As musicians you try to find a name for your band that represents you and you never really, because, basically, names for bands lose their meaning after a while. They become a series of sounds that you associate with people in music. The most important thing for a name is that you can imagine forty thousand people screaming it in unison."

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 if one includes the hidden bonus track "Hong Kong Farewell"). 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. tour. He did two more shows with the band in Paris after the U.S. tour at the manager’s request, the last one being 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.

Without You I'm Nothing and Black Market Music (1998-2003)

In 1998, Placebo switched to the major label Virgin Records, and issued their peak album Without You I'm Nothing in November. The album was another large seller in England and initially appeared to be the group's breakthrough in the U.S., where MTV embraced the album's lead single "Pure Morning", but subsequent singles/videos failed to match the success of its predecessor.The singles "Nancy Boy", from Placebo (1996), and "Pure Morning", from Without You I'm Nothing, were the peak of their British success, both charting in the top ten. Since Without You I'm Nothing, the band have received less positive coverage from the British music press whom, on occasion, have mocked the perceived pretentiousness of front-man Molko. However, the band retained a huge popular and critical following in continental Europe. By way of their English-accented fluent French, France has become their very first target market in Europe, which has led to them gaining huge popularity there, even in excess of their British fan base.The band's third release, Black Market Music, added hip-hop and disco elements to the band's tense rock sound. The U.K. saw a release date in early 2000; U.S. fans were treated to a re-sequenced version that autumn. The U.S. version featured a slightly different track listing, adding the aforementioned Bowie version of "Without You I'm Nothing" and the band's cover of Depeche Mode's "I Feel You". The recording spawned additional U.K. hits such as "Taste in Men" and "Slave to the Wage".Placebo encountered resistance from the British music industry upon release of the single "Special K" due to its use of a ketamine high as a simile for love. The song was released in Australia as a single before eventually being made available in the U.K. as an EP featuring the b-sides and remixes that would have filled out a conventional two-disc single release. At the time the band claimed this was due to dissatisfaction with the two-disc single format, a claim somewhat undermined by their subsequent single releases all being made available in two-CD formats accompanied by a 7" vinyl.Their style altered little from Placebo through Black Market Music, based around fairly straightforward guitar playing, often influenced by the style of 1970s British and American rock, and Molko's high-pitched vocals. The first single for the album, "Taste in Men", was one of their most popular, with a trance synthesizer in the background and wailing distorted guitars. Black Market Music did not receive the same level of long term recognition and media hype as Without You I'm Nothing did, but its peak sales out performed those of its predecessor, in both the U.K. and France.

Sleeping With Ghosts and Once More With Feeling (2003-2006)

]]In spring 2003, Placebo showcased a harder edge with the release of their fourth album, Sleeping with Ghosts. The album went Top Ten in the U.K. and sold 1.4 million copies worldwide. Australian tour dates with Elbow and U.K. shows with Har Mar Superstar followed in 2004. Sleeping with Ghosts was more adventurous than Black Market Music, experimenting with dance tunes, electronic music influences and a less rocky, more polished guitar sound, though keeping the traditional sound for several songs, including the first single "The Bitter End".In autumn of 2004, Placebo's singles collection, Singles 1996-2004 (on both CD and as a DVD featuring the band's videos) was released. The 19-song compilation included their biggest U.K. hits and the new track "Twenty Years". That same year, they played a one-night-only gig at Wembley Arena. Robert Smith of The Cure guested with them on two tracks, "Without You I'm Nothing" and a cover of the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry". This performance was to be their last U.K. gig until 2006. After the Wembley gig, Placebo went on a short Once More With Feeling tour in South America. On 2 July 2005, the group performed "Twenty Years" and "The Bitter End" at the Live 8 concert, at the Palais de Versailles in France (see Live 8 concert, Paris). Their 2006 tour of the U.K. sold out in one weekend.There was a bit of controversy while the band was on their promotional South American Tour. As revealed on the Once More With Feeling DVD Extras, whilst on tour in South America, Placebo and Limp Bizkit played on the same evening. Trouble occurred when Placebo's manager would not let Fred Durst on stage as he did not recognize him and thought he was simply a fan trying to get an autograph. After eventually getting on stage, Durst began the chant "Placebo sucks". Placebo roadie Adam Okrasinski was later charged with aggravated battery when he allegedly punched a member of Durst's entourage in an altercation that took place after the show between members of both band's camps. Charges were later dropped in lieu of community service.

Meds and lineup change (2006-2009)

In September 2005, the band finished the recording phase of Meds with Daniel Waite, formerly of K.D.E., which was released on 13 March (delayed in U.S. until April 4). The first single on the new album to be released in the U.K. was "Because I Want You". "Song To Say Goodbye" was the first international single (released simultaneously with "Because I Want You"). The album was remastered from October to January. Two songs, recorded on the album, feature duets with American singers: "Meds" with Alison Mosshart of The Kills and "Broken Promise" with Michael Stipe of R.E.M.. Frenchman Dimitri Tikovoi (Goldfrapp, the Cranes) whom mixed select songs on Once More with Feeling, produced Placebo's fifth effort. The band has stated that the album is an attempt to capture the feel of a first album, though the album has not forgotten many of the techniques used in their previous ones.Meds was leaked over the Internet on 17 January 2006. The official release date of Meds was 13 March 2006, making the leak almost two months early. It was projected by the band's record label to potentially cause a very dangerous loss of profit upon the album's release; nevertheless in most countries the album debuted relatively well, at #4 in Australia and #7 in the U.K. The second single from Meds was "Infra-Red". It was released on 19 June 2006 in the U.K.In 2006, Placebo switched labels to Astralwerks and re-released several revisions of their earlier works. In October their debut album Placebo was digitally remastered and re-released with the title "10th Anniversary Collectors Edition"; the box set also includes a DVD containing music videos, concerts and TV performances. Three additional songs: "UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU", "Lazarus", and "Running Up That Hill" were added to the U.S. Version of Meds (and the song "In The Cold Light of Morning" was taken off of the album).Placebo joined Linkin Park and various other acts, including My Chemical Romance, Julien-K, HIM, Saosin and Taking Back Sunday for 2007's Revolution tour. The tour is an annual event and, in 2007, Linkin Park decided to make the tour ostensibly "green" by donating $1 of every ticket to American Forests through their charity Music for Relief.variety.com, Music: Linkin Park's hybrid theories, Retrieved on July 26 2007In 2007, after the tour "Projekt: Revolution" had been scheduled, Virgin released the Extended Play '07 EP as a simple introduction for new fans to the band's past decade of music. The compilation features eight songs, namely: "Nancy Boy", "Every You Every Me", "Taste In Men", "The Bitter End", "Meds", "Pure Morning", "Infra-Red" and the cover "Running Up That Hill".On 1 October 2007, Steven Hewitt left Placebo due to musical and personal differences. Brian Molko commented "Being in a band is very much like being in a marriage, and in couples—in this case a triple—people can grow apart over the years. To say that you don't love your partner anymore is inaccurate, considering all that you've been through and achieved together. There simply comes a point when you realize that you want different things from your relationship and that you can no longer live under the same roof, so to speak." In mid-2008, the band acquired new drummer Steve Forrest.Molko gave two performances in 2008. The first was in late October, when he performed on the Serge Gainsbourg tribute show that was recorded and posted on the Internet; this was the only video of any Placebo member since Projekt Revolution ended in 2007. The second was with the rest of the band, when they gave one live performance in 2008, as part of an MTV EXIT event, a campaign against human trafficking held in Angkor Wat in December 2008.

Battle for the Sun (2009-present)

In January 2009, Placebo confirmed that they had finished working on the follow-up to 2006's Meds and plan to release it in June 2009. It is the first album featuring the new drummer Steve Forrest, which has concerned some fans, considering the serious change in style accompanying the Schultzberg Hewitt switch. The London-based alternative trio will release Battle For The Sun in June through the PIAS Entertainment Group. The new album was remastered in Toronto, Canada. The producer for the new album was David Bottrill (the man behind Tool’s Ænima, Salival and Lateralus albums, Silverchair’s Diorama and dEUS’ The Ideal Crash). Engineering the album is James Brown whom worked with the band on Meds.In a statement frontman Brian Molko said: "We were very lucky to have so many great labels interested in signing us, it means a lot, especially after twelve years of releasing records! But we now feel we have the right partner for Europe in these ever-changing times to continue this crazy adventure and to scale even dizzier heights with our new record."On March 15, the band's official website stated the album's name will be "Battle For The Sun", due to be released June 8, 2009.The band released the first single off the album for the song "Battle for the Sun", after it debuted on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show at 7:00pm GMT on March 17, 2009. After the world premiere, it became available for free download on the band's official site.On March 17th they played a secret gig in London,performing most of the material for the album including the tracks ‘Ashtray Heart’, ‘Julian’, ‘Kitty Litter’,‘Speaking In Tongues’ and ‘Devil’s In The Details’. They also covered Nik Kershaw’s 1984 hit ‘Wouldn’t It Be Good’.In their review for the gig Rock Sound wrote that the new album is a heavier-sounding record compared to its predecessor ‘Meds’ and is a return to the earlier sounds from ‘Without You I’m Nothing’. There are also string arrangements present on the new tracks that give it a more experimental and epic direction.

Lyrics

Humanity and emotions

Placebo are known for addressing various emotional issues, primarily regarding failed romantic relationships. In general, their intent is to address "the human condition". Often the roles that Molko takes on in Placebo's songs are based on the experiences, and corresponding psychological sicknesses, of both himself and others whom he is acquainted with. When addressing Placebo's second album, Without You I'm Nothing, Molko said: "Most of these are love songs where I'm trying to come to grips with relationships. They're frequently told from the point of view of ex-lovers, so at first it may seem like I'm being arrogant, but actually I'm eating humble pie. I'm cutting open a vein and letting it bleed for you."Their name draws attention to the psychology aspect of the humanity, because it refers to a drug that has no verifiable therapeutic effects, i.e. its effects are psychological, by definition (see placebo effect). In other words, there is a tacit reference to the fact that one's reaction to something can be completely determined by a psychological predisposition, which justifies Placebo's heavy emphasis on the topic within their lyrics.

Gender

Another objective of Placebo is to challenge gender norms. One of their most popular songs, "Nancy Boy" (a slang term for an effeminate male), is an example of this. The song displays Molko's "nancy boy" like tendencies, in an attempt to encourage teenagers, with a similar predispositions, to be more comfortable with themselves. Molko's androgyny is partially explained in this way.The song "Nancy Boy", however, is not the only example of the band's continuous promotion of various alternative lifestyles. Molko, himself, is openly bisexual and guitarist/bassist Stefan Olsdal is gay. In addition, numerous other Placebo songs, besides "Nancy Boy", have addressed alternative lifestyles within their lyrics, including homosexuality.

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 are: Bill Lloyd (1999-present) – guitar, bass guitar (touring and studio) Fiona Brice (2008-) – violin (MTV Exit show)

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 Alex Lee (2006-2008) – keyboards, guitar (touring)

Notes

External links

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