Placebo (band)
Placebo is a British Alternative Rock band formed in 1994 in London. It consists of Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal, and former members include drummers Steve Hewitt and Steve Forrest. The band has achieved considerable success since their recording debut in 1996, selling over a million copies of their records in the UK. United Kingdom and over eight million worldwide.
Biography
Beginnings (1994-1998)
Placebo was created by Brian Molko, who after trying to break into a career in theater happened to meet Stefan Olsdal at South Kensington Station on the London Underground in 1994. Molko and Olsdal had gone to the same school in Luxembourg, but curiously they never exchanged a word until that meeting in which they realized that they shared musical tastes, that's when they decided to form a band.
The band's first name was Ashtray Heart but before long they opted for the name Placebo. Molko's first choice to complete the group was drummer Steve Hewitt, another acquaintance of his who immediately became interested in the project, but at that time Hewitt was already with the London group Breed, for which Robert Schultzberg initially alternated with Hewitt the drummer place in the group, however Hewitt was already actively involved with Placebo. When they got their first contract in 1996 Hewitt was not listed as a member. Instead Schultzberg recorded together with Molko and Olsdal the group's first album, the self-titled Placebo from that same year. Shortly after Molko and Olsdal began to have differences with Schultzberg who left the band. This is how Hewitt became the third member of Placebo before the end of 1996. The New York Times compares the group to the formations of the first wave of post-punk, especially New Order, The Cure, Siouxsie And The Banshees, in U2 first period and the Talking Heads.
1997 —a year after releasing their first album, Placebo— was a very active season for the band, which reaffirmed its good start with details such as participation in the 50th tribute concert Bowie's birthday at Madison Square Garden; the inclusion of the single Nancy Boy in the film Airbag, by Juanma Bajo Ulloa; single that would later reach fourth position on the UK charts, where they would also go on their own tour to end up opening for U2 at some of the "PopMart" concerts around the old continent, such as at the one in Madrid.
In 1998 they recorded their second album, Without You I'm Nothing, which launched them outside England thanks to the song "Every Me Every You" —part of the soundtrack of the film Cruel Intentions— and the participation of David Bowie singing along with Molko the song that gives the album its name. Also in that year they recorded a version of "20th Century Boy", an original song by the group T. Rex, for the soundtrack of the movie Velvet Goldmine in which, in addition, they appear. The following year they appeared at the Brit Awards performing "20th Century Boy" along with David Bowie. David Bowie is now considered the godfather of Placebo, due to the support he has given them since they began their career.
On the other hand their musical merits have positioned them as an eclectic group, incorporating everything from a strong unique guitar sound influenced by Sonic Youth to piano and even electronic elements. However, English critics have not always had favorable opinions of the group, mainly due to the eccentric personality of Brian Molko.
Consolidation (2000-2007)
For their next album, 2000's Black Market Music, Placebo's sound did a 180-degree turn. Leaving behind the melancholic and decadent ballads for a livelier, more energetic record. Dealing with issues such as love, drugs, the decline of the person. Love trios, voyeurism shows, the complexity of his lyrics reaches the zenith. He abandons that nasal voice to drop the notes in more mature chords, leaving the meows of his beginnings for more real textures.
The group's next album, 2003's Sleeping With Ghosts, was more adventurous in experimenting with electronic music influences, but at the same time retained Placebo's distinctive sound. Additionally, the album also appeared in a special edition, containing a second disc with all the versions they had recorded up to that moment.
The following year Placebo released their first collection of singles titled Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996-2004 and played live at Wembley Stadium. Robert Smith played two songs with them, Without You I'm Nothing and a version of Boys Don't Cry, an original song by The Cure. They also participated in the massive concert Live 8 playing at the Palace of Versailles.
In September 2005, Placebo finished recording their latest album, Meds, which was released on March 13, 2006. The producer is Dimitri Tokovoi, who is a friend of the group and has already he had produced a couple of covers in the past, The Ballad of Melody Nelson and Running Up That Hill. The album also features the participation of two musicians on two songs, Alison Mosshart from The Kills and Michael Stipe from R.E.M.. According to Molko, the album is a return to the roots of Placebo, with a sound closer to that of their first album.
In September 2006, in order to commemorate 10 years of the band, Placebo decided to re-release their first album, Placebo. The album was released on the 25th of that month and has the songs from the first album including rarities from that time, which were a great success, as well as a DVD containing various Placebo presentations with themes from said album.
During 2007, they joined Projekt Revolution, led by Linkin Park.
News (2008-2009)
The band returns to the studio again in the summer of 2008 repeating producer (James Brown) and counting on Steve Hewitt's substitute drummer (in the band between 1996 and 2007), Steve Forrest, component of Evaline, opening band for Placebo on tour of the United States in October 2006.
On June 8, 2009, he released his new production, an album called Battle for the Sun. The singles carried the name of For What It's Worth, The Never–Ending Why, exclusive to the United Kingdom and Norway (September 14), Ashtray Heart (September 21) and Bright Lights (December 1), exclusive to his fans through his website, available worldwide for 2010.
The band's second live DVD, We Come in Pieces, was recorded at Brixton Academy and released on 31 October 2011.
In 2013 they released their album "Loud Like Love", considered by Brian Molko himself as their best work to date. In 2015 Steve Forrest leaves Placebo, to focus on personal projects.
Upcoming eighth album (2019 – present)
On July 25, 2019, Stefan Olsdal revealed that Placebo is working on their eighth studio album.
In January 2020, Placebo announced a new tour, which includes festivals from June to July 2020 in Greece, Spain, Belgium, Ukraine and Russia. In March 2020, via a post on his official Instagram, Stefan announced that he and Brian were going to have to put the completion of their eighth studio album on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for security reasons. and that London was on lockdown. On September 15, 2020, Dave McLean, one of Placebo's managers at RIVERMAN, tweeted that his eighth studio album would be released in early 2021.
Although the album was not released in 2021, the first single "Beautiful James" was released in May of that year, followed by the second single "Sorrounded by Spies" 3. 4; along with the confirmation that his eighth album would be called "Never Let Me Go", a phrase that we can hear in the lyrics of "Beautiful James", and that its release date would be this March 25, 2022.
Musical style, influences and lyrics
Placebo's music has typically been labeled alternative rock. However, they have also incorporated different sounds into their music throughout their career. Critics have also described the band's sound as pop punk, industrial rock, Britpop, glam rock, gothic rock, electronic rock, post-punk revival, and rock experimental. Also denoted elements of progressive rock, grunge, and punk rock.
The group has drawn inspiration from acts such as David Bowie, Can, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Sonic Youth, The Cure, Pixies, Nirvana, The Smiths, PJ Harvey, Depeche Mode, and Nine Inch Nails. Other influences include Girls Against Boys, Sebadoh, Dead Kennedys, and the Velvet Underground.
Lyrically, Placebo's music contains many references to recreational drugs and LGBT themes. The title song "Special K", for example, is synonymous with ketamine. Molko has been open about his recreational drug use, in a 1997 interview with Kerrang! admitting that heroin was "probably the only drug on this planet I haven't tried&# 34;. However, he later admitted to using heroin as well. In turn, references are made to pharmaceutical drugs, as evidenced by the name of the band and the album Meds. Molko admitted in 2003 that many of his initial excesses were due to his mental problems, having been diagnosed with major depressive disorder in his early twenties. The singer claimed in 2016 that he quit drugs completely after recording and releasing of Meds.
Themes of the fringe are also explored, as evidenced by lyrics like "the back of the class is where I'm from": "la parte de atrás de la clase It's Where I'm From" in "One of a Kind" and "I'm forever black-eyed / a product of a broken home": siempre seré el de los ojos negros / el producto de un hogar destrodado" en “Black-Eyed". Molko has been quoted as calling the band "for outcasts, by outcasts".
Members
Timeline
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)
- Loud Like Love (2013)
- Never Let Me Go (2022)