Placebo (band)

This article is about the British rock band. For the Belgian jazz band, see Marc Moulin.

Placebo
Placebo in 2009. From left: Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Steve Forrest
Background information
Also known asAshtray Heart
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active1994 (1994)–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Websiteplaceboworld.co.uk

Placebo is a British alternative rock band, formed in London in 1994 by vocalist–guitarist Brian Molko and bassist–guitarist Stefan Olsdal, and in late 1994 Robert Schultzberg joined as drummer. Molko was born in Belgium and Olsdal and Schultzberg in Sweden; Molko and Olsdal grew up in Luxembourg before separately relocating to London and becoming British citizens. Schultzberg left the band in 1996 shortly after the release of the band's eponymous debut album due to conflicts with Molko, and was replaced the same year by Steve Hewitt.

Following the release of a demo, a split single, and their eponymous debut album, Placebo gained exposure in 1997 after the single "Nancy Boy" became popular in the UK, a song notorious at the time for its gender-bending content. The band stood out amongst the Britpop scene they were associated with at the time for their androgynous appearance and musical content,[4] as well as Molko's distinctive voice and lyrics which openly discussed sexuality, mental health, and drug use.

Hewitt left Placebo in 2007, due to personal and musical differences. He was replaced the following year by Steve Forrest.[5] Placebo released two albums with Forrest, who left in 2015 to pursue his own musical career. Since 2015, Placebo are officially a duo, though augmented with additional musicians.

Placebo have collaborated with various artists over the years, including David Bowie, Justin Warfield, Michael Stipe and Alison Mosshart. Placebo have released eight studio albums, all of which have reached the Top 20 in the United Kingdom, and have sold around 14 million records worldwide.[6]

  1. ^ Leonelli, Andrea. "Placebo to distribute back catalogue through Kobalt Label Services". rockol.com.
  2. ^ "OFFICIAL PLACEBO INSTAGRAM. on Instagram: "A HISTORIC MOMENT: PLACEBO ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT ALBUM 8 WILL BE RELEASED BY @sorecordings, HOME TO @bandofskullsofficial,…"". Instagram.com. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  3. ^ "*Artist* Placebo".
  4. ^ Neugebauer, Delvin. "TrouserPress.com :: Placebo". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Be Infected by Steve Forrest's Optimism". Popspoken.com. 29 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Dunlop Manufacturing :: Artists :: Placebo". Dunlop. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2013.