Placebo are...

• Brian Molko - vocals, guitar
• Stefan Olsdal - bass
• Steve Hewitt - drums
• Robert Schultzberg - drums (left 1997)

Observe. In 1996, with the UK stuffed to the gills with stodgy leftovers from britpop, Placebo were a psychosexual freakshow of ambiguous sexuality (and, to the casual observer, gender). They were such only two years on from their debut and 12 months after their first single (‘Bruise Pristine’ on Fierce Panda, late 1995!) they squelched into the charts at Number Four with ‘Nancy Boy’ and went gold with their superbly atmospheric eponymous debut album.

In 1998, when the nod from Weller or Noel was the golden ticket to stodge-rock superstardom, Placebo were a lone beacon of narcotic glamour - hanging out with Marilyn Manson and Bowie and making cameos in the glam rock movie Velvet Goldmine. Placebo’s darkly seductive second album Without You I’m Nothing sold over a million copies and a Top 5 single with ‘Pure Morning’.

By 2000 and the triumphant, Blondie-flecked electro-punk-pop of Black Market Music’, the devout Placebo faithful were legion on all continents. Come the end of the tour in October 2001, having spent six years challenging everything from homophobia to medical thinking about drugs being dangerous and winning, Placebo had nothing else to challenge but themselves. Within a month of getting home the threesome had bought identical mini-studios and begun toying with ideas for the fourth album, circulating musical sketches on CD. Six months later they had 25 songs demo’d, and hit a string of UK studios starting with Townhouse in July 2002, recording for a total of four months with - bizarrely - UNKLE and DJ Shadow producer Jim Abbiss. One imagines the Blur/Fatboy Slim collaboration but with the ability to rock skyscrapers to the ground. From that, Sleeping With Ghosts, their fourth album, was born.

Releases

• Placebo (Collectors Edition) - album, out 25/09/2006 on Virgin. 1 review (read/post)
• Meds - album, out 13/03/2006 on EMI Records. 1 review (read/post)
• English Summer Rain - single, out 23/02/2004 on Virgin. (post review)
• Special Needs - single, out 15/09/2003 on Hut Recordings. 1 review (read/post)
• This Picture - single, out 16/06/2003 on Hut Recordings. (post review)
• This Picture - single, out 09/06/2003 on Hut Recordings. 1 review (read/post)
• Sleeping With Ghosts - album, out 24/03/2003 on Hut Recordings. 1 review (read/post)
• The Bitter End - single, out 10/03/2003 on Hut Recordings. 1 review (read/post)
• Black Market Music - album, out 09/10/2000 on Hut Recordings. 1 review (read/post)
• Without You I'm Nothing - album, out 12/10/1998 on Hut Recordings. (post review)
• Placebo - album, out 17/07/1996 on Hut Recordings. (post review)
• Carbon Kid - single. 1 review (read/post)

Past events

• Fflam Festival - Friday, Sat 14 Jul at Swansea Singleton Park. (post review)
• Sun 10 Dec at Manchester Evening News Arena. (post review)
• Sat 09 Dec at London Wembley Arena. (post review)
• Thu 07 Dec at Nottingham Arena. (post review)
• Wed 06 Dec at Glasgow SECC. (post review)
• Reading Festival 2006: Sunday, Sun 27 Aug at Reading Little John's Farm. 1 review (read/post)
• Festival Internacional de Benicassim, Thu 20 Jul at Spain Benicassim. 1 review (read/post)
• Thu 10 Apr at Liverpool University. 1 review (read/post)
• Fri 19 Oct at London Brixton Academy. 1 review (read/post)

News

• 06/07/2007: Witnness Latest
• 05/07/2007: Wails: Fflam postponed
• 27/07/2006: Placebo announce December tour dates
• 02/02/2006: Take this, sir: Placebo on tour
• 19/01/2006: Axl reckons album's almost done, plus Vines and Placebo new record news...
• 21/07/2004: Placebo to go: best of due in October
• 02/04/2004: EMI Shut Their Hut
• 27/01/2004: Fierce Panda to release star-studded decade compilation
• 09/01/2004: Placebo announce single, DVD and extra live date
• 21/08/2003: Placebo Cover Up

Features

• 06/07/2007: Carling Weekend 2006 - Sunday
• 06/07/2007: Senor BENICASSIM: Andy Interviews The Gent Behind The "BEST MUSIC FEST IN THE WORLD"
• 22/02/2007: Label Focus #2: Fierce Panda
• 19/12/2006: If Santa strapped on a Flying V...
• 15/08/2006: The Tuesday DiScussion: what's the best best-of?
• 25/03/2003: "I've saved a lot of money on psychiatric treatment"
• 12/03/2003: Placebo. Brighton/London: 'warm ups'

Links

• Placebo World - official site

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