Placebo
Created | Updated May 12, 2002
Two decades after the 'death of glam' a small man named Brian proved that a cock in a frock could still cause outrage.
The multinational trio that make Placebo: Brian Molko (guitar / vocals), Stefan Olsdal (bass) and Steve Hewitt (drums), epitomise the triptych of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Molko makes no secret of his penchant for Class A pharmaceuticals and filthy sex with whoever happens to be around, at one point declaring to have left a "trail of blood and spunk across the country." When a band fields more questions about their sexualities (incidentally it's bi, gay and straight) than their music it's worth asking if they actually 'do' music, or just the lifestyle? With Placebo, it's both.
1996 marked the release of their eponymous debut album and their "keep 'em guessing" anthem, 'Nancy Boy', which, like the rest of the album was a hedonistic flight of fancy. Following this, a change of drummer (Hewitt replaced the original Robert Schultzberg) due to, what is understated as, a difference in opinions with Molko.
'Without You I'm Nothing', Placebo's second album, was clearly the post-coital come-down that follows every hedonist's paradise and produced the blazing "Every You Every Me". Their reign continued with the 2000 release of 'Black Market Music', which was neither a return to excesses of 'Placebo' nor a carbon copy of 'Without You I'm Nothing', yet it was undeniably Placebo.
Aside from their own music Placebo made a foray into acting in Todd Haynes' homage to glam rock 'Velvet Goldmine' as the Flaming Creatures, also covering the T. Rex classic '20th Century Boy' for the soundtrack. A track they later performed at the Brit awards with icon David Bowie.
Whatever the future holds for Placebo, it doesn't look like we'll be free of the "trail of blood and spunk" any time soon, thankfully.
The multinational trio that make Placebo: Brian Molko (guitar / vocals), Stefan Olsdal (bass) and Steve Hewitt (drums), epitomise the triptych of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Molko makes no secret of his penchant for Class A pharmaceuticals and filthy sex with whoever happens to be around, at one point declaring to have left a "trail of blood and spunk across the country." When a band fields more questions about their sexualities (incidentally it's bi, gay and straight) than their music it's worth asking if they actually 'do' music, or just the lifestyle? With Placebo, it's both.
1996 marked the release of their eponymous debut album and their "keep 'em guessing" anthem, 'Nancy Boy', which, like the rest of the album was a hedonistic flight of fancy. Following this, a change of drummer (Hewitt replaced the original Robert Schultzberg) due to, what is understated as, a difference in opinions with Molko.
'Without You I'm Nothing', Placebo's second album, was clearly the post-coital come-down that follows every hedonist's paradise and produced the blazing "Every You Every Me". Their reign continued with the 2000 release of 'Black Market Music', which was neither a return to excesses of 'Placebo' nor a carbon copy of 'Without You I'm Nothing', yet it was undeniably Placebo.
Aside from their own music Placebo made a foray into acting in Todd Haynes' homage to glam rock 'Velvet Goldmine' as the Flaming Creatures, also covering the T. Rex classic '20th Century Boy' for the soundtrack. A track they later performed at the Brit awards with icon David Bowie.
Whatever the future holds for Placebo, it doesn't look like we'll be free of the "trail of blood and spunk" any time soon, thankfully.
