Placebo
are Brian Molko (vocals, guitar), Stefan Olsdal (bass, guitar and keyboards)
and Steve Hewitt (drums). One American, one Swede and one Englishman. There
is no common background, although Molko and Olsdal have known each other
since early schooldays in Luxembourg.
Molko
came to London when he was 17-years-old, studying drama at Goldsmith's
College. Olsdal, meanwhile, moved to school in Sweden. It was thus by sheer
accident that they were later to meet on the streets of London: Olsdal
had followed his parents to England, and was studying guitar at the Musicians
Institute in the East End. By that time Molko was also working on his own
musical ambitions, writing songs as well as playing occasional gigs with
a drummer called Steve Hewitt.
Molko
and Oldsal decided to form a band. Steve Hewitt - whom Molko
had met through a mutual friend at Goldsmith's - was also involved
with another band called Breed, but contributed to Placebo's
intial demos when time permitted.
In
the peculiar alchemy of natural bands, the trio quickly found
their own voice and vocabulary, owing very little to the then -
burgeoning trends of 'Britpop'. Rather, their music had much
more in common with the possibilities explored by Sonic Youth,
mixed with the aspiration to match the nakedly confessional qualities of,
say, PJ Harvey and the emotional edge which informs Tom Waits' best work.
The result, however, was utterly original and compelling; there really
wasn't another band quite like Placebo.
Because
of his conflicting commitments with Breed, Hewitt was replaced in Placebo
by a Swedish drummer called Robert Schultzberg. It was the original chemistry,
however, which eventually proved to be the most enduring, and Hewitt was
to permanently re-join Placebo in 1996.
By
that time the band had already made an extraordinary impact. Startring
with their live debut at London's Rock Garden in January 1995 - Placebo
rapidly aquired a dedicated audience, which clearly not only identified
with the sheer power of the band, but also their manifest contradictions.
Placebo
made their recording debut with Bruise Pristine, released on the Fierce
Panda indie label in 1995. The band were also constantly on the road, playing
club gigs and support spots in order to properly hone their music. Indeed,
at the end of the first year Placebo had their first taste of tangible
success when Come Home a single recorded for the Deceptive label, reached
number three in the indie chart.
In
January 1996, Placebo signed a deal with Hut Recordings. Around the same
time, the band's demos came to the attention of David Bowie who, deeply
impressed by their remarkable verve and dexterity, invited Placebo to support
him on several of his European concert dates. Given Bowie's own enigmatic
history, perhaps there was a certain piquant symmetry in the billing.
Placebo's
first album was recorded in Dublin during the spring of 1996. The 10 tracks
were mostly about sex, with new versions of Bruise Pristine and Come Home
together with Hang On To Your IQ, a song which had its roots in Placebo's
very first demo sessions, recorded with Steve Hewitt at the start of the
band.
The
eponymously-titled debut album was released in the summer of 1996 and went
on to achieve gold status. Placebo then returned to the road, re-tracing
their touring schedule of the previous year, this time playing to packed
houses throughout the country. The band also embarked on a series of international
tours - in America, Germany and France - by which time Steve Hewitt had
replaced Schultzberg on drums.
The
band were clearly visible throughout much of the year, headlining their
own UK tour, culminating with a show at London's Brixton Academy - before
supporting U2 on many of the Popmart European dates.
Placebo
were also invited by executive producer Michael Stipe to play parts alongside
Ewan McGregor and Eddie Izzard in the forthcoming film Velvet Goldmine,
due out to be released in the autumn of 1998.
The
time had come for Placebo to record their second album. At the begining
of 1998 the band started work at Real World Studios in bath, with Steve
Osborne - whose past credits include U2 and The Happy Mondays - as producer.
Due
to be unveiled in October 1998, the new album is a collection of twisted
love songs which deal, in one form or another, with heartbreak and loneliness.
All this is fuelled by a powerfull new sonic identity; there's now sex
in the groove, the result of Steve Hewitt's obsessions with funk and hip-hop.
Despite
being out of the public eye and in the studio for months on end August
1998 saw Pure Morning, the first single from the second album, go straight
to number four in the UK charts.
Official
Bio from Virgin Records
"We
like to provoke strong reactions in people," admits 24-year-old bassist
Stefan Olsdal. "Indifference is something we try to avoid. Sometimes that
leads to confusion, or anger, or interest -- but you can never really predict
the outcome."
Now
Olsdal and his bandmates -- 25-year-old vocalist Brian Molko and 27-year-old
drummer Steve Hewitt -- take that provocative stance to new heights. Without
You I'm Nothing, their Virgin debut, expands upon the sound of Placebo's
earlier eponymous disc (released in America on Caroline Records) and shows
the London-based trio thriving on ambiguity, uncertainty, and pure glorious
noise.
With
its crushing groove and instantly identifiable vocals, debut single/video
"Pure Morning" (which debuted on the UK singles charts at #4) introduces
the album on a bold note. Through a dozen tracks, the mood varies from
bruisingly confrontational (e.g. "You Don't Care About Us," "Every You
Every Me," "Scared Of Girls") to wistfully introspective ("Ask For Answers,"
"Summer's Gone").
Molko
readily acknowledges the personal nature of his lyrics, delivered with
a variety of thematic twists: "Most of these are love songs where I'm trying
to come to grips with relationships. They're frequently told from the point
of view of ex-lovers, so at first it may seem like I'm being arrogant,
but actually I'm eating humble pie. I'm cutting open a vein and letting
it bleed for you."
Without
You I'm Nothing represents a thematic progression from the group's auspicious
debut. "The first album was a very sexual record," says Molko, "packed
full of youthful vigor and lust. The new album is introverted, more of
a post-coital depression: the comedown. It deals with an ever-pervading
heartbreak and loneliness that seems to be in the air. The morning after
is usually more analytical than the night before, and it's often more painful."
More
importantly, Without You I'm Nothing shows the group realizing the huge
potential demonstrated so powerfully on 1996's Placebo. The growth process
has been punctuated by live shows: Tackling a busy schedule of international
touring throughout late 1996 and 1997, Placebo's itinerary included numerous
European dates supporting U2 on the Popmart Tour. The group's U.S. touring
was highlighted by a January 1997 show at New York's Madison Square Garden
as special guest on the bill of David Bowie's 50th birthday party.
Beyond
music, Placebo's members were invited by executive producer Michael Stipe
to play parts alongside Ewan McGregor and Eddie Izzard in the upcoming
film "Velvet Goldmine" due for release later in 1998.
On
Without You I'm Nothing, the trio attacks their musical pursuits with renewed
focus and energy. "There's two years between the two albums, and there's
been a hell of a lot of living going on during that time," admits Molko.
"In many ways it feels like a different band. This is our first album with
Steve on drums, and the band dynamic has changed. It can seem a bit schizophrenic,
but we're just trying to take it as far as possible in each direction:
stretch it, and aim for a wider scope."
In
the Without You I'm Nothing -creative process, Molko writes the lyrics,
and all three bandmembers contribute to the sonic flow. "The first album
was pretty much written by Brian in his bedroom," nods Olsdal. "This album
has been a three-way collaboration."
"Pure
Morning" typifies Placebo's approach: "It started out as literally about
five seconds of music," says Olsdal, "and by the end of the day we had
a full song. It felt like it was handed to us on a plate." "It was purely
accidental," laughs Molko; "we went in to do some b-sides after the album
was already completed and delivered. Suddenly we had a new song -- it happened
before we even had time to think about it."
The
balance of raw spontaneity and sharp introspection infuses each track on
Without You I'm Nothing -- and reveals yet another layer of delicious ambiguity
which surrounds Placebo and its music.
Placebo's
Brian Molko explains a few of the key tracks on Without You I'm Nothing:
"Pure
Morning" -- "It's a celebration of friendship with women, kind of immortalizing
a couple of my friends. It's also about that time of the day when the sun's
coming up and you're coming down; and everybody else is getting ready to
go to work and you're feeling incredibly dislocated from the rest of the
world; and all you really want is for a friend to be there to put their
arms around you and help you ease into sleep."
·
"You Don't Care About Us" -- "It's about an ex-lover having a furious rant
at me for not caring and being wrapped up in my own head. Unfortunately,
that's how I used to conduct my relationships: I was always imagining the
end just as it was beginning."
"Brick
Shithouse" -- "A disembodied soul floats overhead, observing the living.
It's a ghost story, about somebody watching their lover make love to the
person who killed them."
"Scared
Of Girls" -- "It's an investigation into male heterosexual promiscuity.
Do male flirts do it because they really love women or actually because
they're actually scared with women and themselves. I'd say that they are
scared of girls."
