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Placebo
Placebo at the Radar Festival, Zagreb, 2007.
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genre(s)	Alternative rock, indie rock
Years active	1994–Present
Label(s)	EMI Virgin Records (current), Hut Records, Caroline Records
Associated acts	Hotel Persona
Website	Placeboworld.co.uk
Members
Brian Molko Stefan Olsdal
Former members
Robert Schultzberg (1994–1996) Steve Hewitt (1996–2007)

Placebo is an alternative rock band formed in London in 1994. The band currently is comprised of Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal. The band formed when Molko and Olsdal, who went to the same school but apparently never spoke, met again by chance in London and subsequently formed 'Ashtray Heart'. Drummer Steve Hewitt left the band on October 1, 2007, citing "personal and musical differences".^[1] A placebo is a treatment which doctors suppose to have no intrinsic therapeutic value, but administer as if it were a therapy. ... Location of Zagreb within Croatia Coordinates: , Country RC diocese 1094 Free royal city 1242 Unified 1850 Government  - Mayor Milan Bandić Area [1]  - Total 641. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation). ... Virgin Records was a British recording label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972. ... Hut Records was started in 1990 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virgin Records. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Brian Molko (born December 10, 1972, in Belgium) is a songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Placebo. ... Stefan Olsdal (born Stefan Alexander Bo Olsdal) is the bass guitar player of the band Placebo and is part of the musical act Hotel Persona. ... Robert Schultzberg was the original drummer for rock band Placebo. ... Steve Hewitt (born 22 March 1971) was the drummer for the band Placebo between Mid-1996 and October 1st 2007. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Band may mean: A musical band A band (electronics) is a range of frequencies or wavelengths between two given limits In anthropology, a band society A Rubber band In solid-state physics, an energy band The Band, a particular musical band See also: bandana This is a disambiguation page — a... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Brian Molko (born December 10, 1972, in Belgium) is a songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Placebo. ... Stefan Olsdal (born Stefan Alexander Bo Olsdal) is the bass guitar player of the band Placebo and is part of the musical act Hotel Persona. ... Steve Hewitt (born 22 March 1971) was the drummer for the band Placebo between Mid-1996 and October 1st 2007. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

History

Early years

Placebo was founded when former Luxembourg schoolmates Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal met by chance at South Kensington tube station in 1994; they had previously attended the American International School of Luxembourg together (and Molko had also attended the European School of Luxembourg). Molko was performing at a local bar and invited Olsdal to watch him one night. On the strength of Molko's performance, Olsdal decided they should form a band. Brian Molko (born December 10, 1972, in Belgium) is a songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Placebo. ... Stefan Olsdal (born Stefan Alexander Bo Olsdal) is the bass guitar player of the band Placebo and is part of the musical act Hotel Persona. ... Located on Cromwell Road in South Kensington, London, South Kensington tube station is the closest London Underground station to the Natural History, Science and Victoria and Albert Museums, as well as to Imperial College. ...

While briefly known as Ashtray Heart,^[2] the band quickly settled on the name Placebo - when they were choosing a name for the band, they noticed that many bands at this time had a drug name. They decided to name the band after a drug with no effect. The band could not decide on a drummer at first with Steve Hewitt and Robert Schultzberg alternating on the spot. While Hewitt was the preferred choice, he also had other commitments as drummer for London band Breed, leading to Schultzberg being the drummer when the band signed its contract with Caroline Records. The band officially says "personal demons" were the reason for his absence. As Molko was having difficulty getting on with Schultzberg, they persuaded Hewitt to rejoin the band in 1996.^[3] Steve Hewitt (born 22 March 1971) was the drummer for the band Placebo between Mid-1996 and October 1st 2007. ... Robert Schultzberg was the original drummer for rock band Placebo. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Hewitt returned to the band after the departure of Schultzberg. The band gained some measure of notoriety for the sexualities of its members (Olsdal is homosexual, Hewitt is heterosexual and Molko is bisexual) as well as for their excessive lifestyles and Molko's androgynous image, which were often referred to in their songs. Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... One version of a Heterosexuality symbol Heterosexuality is sexual or romantic attraction between opposite sexes, and is the most common sexual orientation among humans. ... Bisexual redirects here. ... For other uses, see Androgyny (disambiguation). ...

Middle years

The singles Nancy Boy, from Placebo (1996), and Pure Morning, from Without You I'm Nothing (1998), 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, who on occasion have mocked the perceived pretentiousness of frontman 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 them to gain huge popularity there, in excess of even their British fan base.^[4] This page is a candidate for speedy deletion, because: Nonsense If you disagree with its speedy deletion, please explain why on its talk page or at Wikipedia:Speedy deletions. ... Placebo is the self titled debut album by British rock band Placebo, released on the Virgin Records label on July 16, 1996. ... Pure Morning was a single by British rock band Placebo, taken from their second album Without You Im Nothing. ... Without You Im Nothing is the second album by British rock group Placebo, released in 1998. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

Their style altered little from Placebo through Black Market Music (2000), based around fairly straightforward guitar playing, often influenced by the style of 1970s British and American rock, and Molko's high-pitched vocals. Sleeping with Ghosts (2003) was more adventurous, experimenting with dance tunes, electronic music influences and a less polished rocky guitar sound, though keeping the traditional sound for several songs, including the first single The Bitter End. Placebo is the self titled debut album by British rock band Placebo, released on the Virgin Records label on July 16, 1996. ... Black Market Music (2000) is an album by the rock group Placebo. ... Sleeping with Ghosts is the fourth album released by European band Placebo in 2003 (see 2003 in music). ... The Bitter End 10. ...

The band was asked to play at David Bowie's fiftieth birthday party at Madison Square Garden. Placebo played "20th Century Boy" live with David Bowie at the BRIT Awards show in 1997. The band's glam connections continued in 1998 when they recorded a cover of T. Rex's "20th Century Boy" for the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack. The band also appeared in this film. In the same year, their peak album Without You I'm Nothing was recorded and released. The song Without You I'm Nothing from this album has had a version released in which David Bowie duets with Molko. David Bowie (pronounced ) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English musician, actor, producer, arranger, and audio engineer. ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City. ... The Brit Awards are the annual United Kingdom pop music awards founded by the British Phonographic Industry. ... T. Rex (originally known as Tyrannosaurus Rex, also occasionally spelled T Rex or T-Rex), were an English rock band fronted by Marc Bolan. ... Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 film directed and co-written by Todd Haynes. ... Without You Im Nothing is the second album by British rock group Placebo, released in 1998. ... Without You Im Nothing was a single by British alternative rock band Placebo. ...

Molko has been open about his use of recreational drugs; in a 1997 interview with New York Doll, admitting at one point that heroin was "probably the only drug on this planet I haven’t tried".^[5] However, he later admitted to experimenting with heroin as well. ^[6] Heroin (INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. ...

Placebo encountered resistance from the British music industry upon release of the single "Special K" from their third album Black Market Music (2000) due to its use of a Ketamine high as a metaphor for love. The 'single' was released in Australia before eventually being made available in the UK 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 7inch vinyl. Black Market Music (2000) is an album by the rock group Placebo. ... Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic for use in human and veterinary medicine developed by Parke-Davis (1962). ...

Recent years

Stefan Olsdal performing in Collegno

In the autumn of 2004, Placebo released the Singles Collection Once More with Feeling (on both CD and as a DVD featuring the band's videos) and 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 UK gig until 2006. After the Wembley gig, Placebo went on a short "Once More With Feeling" tour in South America. On July 2, 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 UK sold out in one weekend. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (700 × 700 pixel, file size: 123 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Placebo (band) Metadata... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (700 × 700 pixel, file size: 123 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Placebo (band) Metadata... Country Italy Region Piedmont Province Province of Turin (TO) Mayor  ? Elevation m Area 18. ... Once More with Feeling is a 2004 compilation album by Placebo, featuring mainly their greatest hits. ... Wembley Arena at Night (Taken at a live WWE Show). ... This article is about the English rock band. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official Live8 DVD, released in November 2005 Live 8 was a series of concurrent benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. ... The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles, France. ... On 2 July 2005, a Live 8 concert was held at the Palais de Versailles, Paris, France. ...

In September 2005, the band finished the recording phase of their new album with Daniel Waite formerly of K.D.E, which was released on March 13 (Delayed in U.S. until April 4th). The first single on the new album to be released in the UK on March 6th was titled "Because I Want You". The album was mastered from October to January.

Two songs feature duets with American singers. "Meds" with Alison Mosshart of The Kills and "Broken Promise" with Michael Stipe of REM. The Kills are a garage rock band formed by American vocalist Alison VV Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hotel Hince. ... The Kills are a garage rock band formed by American vocalist Alison VV Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hotel Hince. ... REDIRECT Template:Infobox Musician John Michael Stipe (born January 4, 1960 in Decatur, Georgia) is the lead singer of the American rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known (and occasionally parodied) for the mumbling style of his early career and for his complex, surreal lyrics, as well... R.E.M. is a rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Michael Stipe (vocals), Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), and Mike Mills (bass). ...

The band's fifth album Meds was leaked over the Internet on January 17, 2006. No details are available on how the album was leaked. The official release date of Meds was March 13, 2006, making the leak almost two months early. The video for the single "Because I Want You" was shot on the 24th of January at Koko in Camden, London. The leak was projected by the band's record label to potentially cause a very dangerous loss of profit upon the albums release, nevertheless in most countries the album debuted relatively well, at #4 in Australia, and #7 in the UK. The second single from Meds was "Infra-Red", it was released on June 19, 2006 in the UK. Meds is Placebos fifth album. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Camden Palace Theatre 2004 The Camden Palace was a nightclub in Camden, London, at the bottom of Camden High Street close to Mornington Crescent tube station. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

With Meds being the last album on Placebo's contract with Virgin Records and the title track said to be the last single it is rumoured that a B-Side album is to be released due to the sudden release of 2 brand new B-Sides (Lazarus and UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU, being the only B-Sides to be released since Detox-Five in 2004). Placebo are currently looking for a new record label.

In October 2006, their debut, self titled first album Placebo was digitally remastered and re-released with the title "10th Anniversary collectors edition". The box set includes a DVD containing music videos, concerts and TV performances. Placebo is the self titled debut album by British rock band Placebo, released on the Virgin Records label on July 16, 1996. ...

End of March 2007, Placebo announced they were recruiting fans to star in the video for their newest single Running Up That Hill, a cover of the famous Kate Bush song.^[7] Placebo joined Linkin Park and various other acts, including My Chemical Romance, Julien-K, HIM, Saosin, and Taking Back Sunday for 2007's Projekt: Revolution tour. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) was the first single from Kate Bushs 1985 album Hounds of Love. ... Kate Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. ... My Chemical Romance are an American rock band formed in 2001. ... Julien K is a musical band who are known for performing the theme song This Machine for Team Dark in the Sega game Sonic Heroes and Waking Up in Shadow the Hedgehog. ... This article refers to the Finnish band. ... ‹ The template below (Citations missing) is being considered for deletion. ... Taking Back Sunday is an alternative rock band from Amityville, New York, Long Island, New York. ... Projekt Revolution is a tour that Linkin Park started. ...

On 1 October 2007, Steve Hewitt left Placebo due to personal and musical differences. Placebo have stressed that the parting with Hewitt was amicable, but that the band members "can no longer live under the same roof, so to speak...Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal will begin work on Placebo’s 6th studio album next Spring 2008, and are in no rush to find an immediate replacement for Steve".^[8] is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

Members

Current members

As of 2008, the band consists of:

• Brian Molko (1994-present) – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, saxophone
• Stefan Olsdal (1994-present) – bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals

Additional live lineup members are: Brian Molko (born December 10, 1972, in Belgium) is a songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Placebo. ... Harry Belafonte singing, photograph by C. van Vechten Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with speech. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... A harmonica is a free reed wind instrument. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... The saxophone (colloquially referred to as sax) is a conical-bored musical instrument usually considered a member of the woodwind family. ... Stefan Olsdal (born Stefan Alexander Bo Olsdal) is the bass guitar player of the band Placebo and is part of the musical act Hotel Persona. ... A sunburst-colored Fender Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass[1][2]; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... A backup vocalist or background singer (or, especially in the U.S., backup singer or sometimes background singer) is a singer who sings in harmony with the lead vocalist, other backing vocalists, or alone but not singing the lead. ...

• Bill Lloyd – guitar, bass guitar
• Alex Lee (from 2006) – keyboards, guitar

Alex Lee (born March 16, 1970 in Bristol, England), is a British musician. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Former members

• Steve Hewitt (1996-2007) – drums, percussion
• Robert Schultzberg (1994-1996) – drums, percussion, didgeridoo
• Xavior Roide (2003-2005) (touring member) – keyboards, backing vocals

Steve Hewitt (born 22 March 1971) was the drummer for the band Placebo between Mid-1996 and October 1st 2007. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as a cowbell, wood block, chimes or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ... Percussion redirects here. ... Robert Schultzberg was the original drummer for rock band Placebo. ... A didgeridoo. ...

Discography

Main article: Placebo discography

• Covers originally appeared as a bonus disc on the Sleeping with Ghosts Special Edition release. It is exclusively for download on iTunes.

This is a discography of the alternative rock band Placebo. ... Placebo is the self titled debut album by British rock band Placebo, released on the Virgin Records label on July 16, 1996. ... is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Without You Im Nothing is the second album by British rock group Placebo, released in 1998. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Black Market Music (2000) is an album by the rock group Placebo. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Sleeping with Ghosts is the fourth album released by European band Placebo in 2003 (see 2003 in music). ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Meds is Placebos fifth album. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Once More with Feeling is a 2004 compilation album by Placebo, featuring mainly their greatest hits. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Covers is an album by Placebo, available exclusively as digital downloads from Apples iTunes Store. ... This article is about the day. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Extended Play 07 is a 2007 EP by Placebo, featuring five of their greatest hits. ... is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... This article is about the iTunes application. ...

Placebo tracks in film, television & video games

• "Every You Every Me" was the opening song in the movie Cruel Intentions.^[9]. The song was also on the soundtrack to the EA Sports Playstation game F1 2000.^[10]
• "Bruise Pristine" was used as a part of the soundtrack to the 1997 Playstation game Gran Turismo.^[11]

Every You Every Me was a single by British alternative rock band Placebo. ... This article is about the first movie in a series. ... current EA Sports logo EA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on sports. ... For other uses, see PlayStation (disambiguation). ... Bruise pristine was placebos first single in 1995, however it failed to chart and was re released in 1997 getting to number 13 in the uk singles chart. ... For other uses, see PlayStation (disambiguation). ... Gran Turismo Gran Turismo (commonly abbreviated to GT or GT1) is a racing game designed by Kazunori Yamauchi. ...

References

New York Doll is a film based on the life of former New York Dolls member Arthur Kane. ... // Side-line Magazine was started in 1989 by two university students David Noiret and Seba Dolimont who noticed that there was a distinctive lack of media interest in the independent music scene, and especially a lack of coverage in the darkwave, dark electro, endzeit, gothic, gothic metal and electro industrial... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... // Side-line Magazine was started in 1989 by two university students David Noiret and Seba Dolimont who noticed that there was a distinctive lack of media interest in the independent music scene, and especially a lack of coverage in the darkwave, dark electro, endzeit, gothic, gothic metal and electro industrial...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Placebo (band)

• Placeboworld Official Site
• Placebo at MySpace