He is a gifted musician renowned for his distinctive voice and unique sound, which has produced some of the most epic music.
= Born December 10, 1972, in Brussels, Belgium, to an American father and a Scottish mother. He lived in multiple countries due to his father's work, including Liberia and Lebanon.
= Brian Attended the American International School in Luxembourg, where he discovered a passion for music. Later he studied drama at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he honed his artistic expression.
= Although Molko was brought up in a strict household that disapproved of artistic expression, he rebelled by assuming an androgynous image, wearing nail polish, lipstick, and eyeliner, and listening to punk music. He was officially diagnosed with major depressive disorder in his late twenties.
= Brian met Stefan Olsdal by chance at the South Kensington tube station in 1994 in London, England (Although both of them studied at the same time at the American International School in Luxembourg). At the time, Olsdal was taking guitar lessons and was on his way home when he met Molko. Molko, observing that Olsdal had a guitar strapped to his back, invited Olsdal to watch him perform at a local gig.
= On the strength of Molko's performance, Olsdal decided that they should start a band. The two formed as "Ashtray Heart", named after the Captain Beefheart song of the same name.
= Originally, the two were unable to decide on a drummer. They played for a while with Steve Hewitt, a friend of Molko, but Hewitt had prior commitments to local band "Breed". Robert Schultzberg assumed the position of drummer in late 1994.
= The band eventually chose the name "Placebo", due to its meaning in Latin, "I shall please".
= In 1996 "Placebo" were signed with Caroline Records. Their debut album, self-titled "Placebo", was released on 17 June 1996. The album was produced by Brad Wood and was influenced, by Sonic Youth and Depeche Mode. The album peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart at the height of the Britpop era, specially due to hit single "Nancy Boy".
= The song attracted the attention of David Bowie, who invited the band to open several of his concerts in early 1996. In the following January, Bowie invited them to play at his 50th birthday celebrations at New York's Madison Square Garden. Those performances generated a lot of exposure and attention from new audience and were the breakthrough for the band.
= During the tour of the album the band fired Robert and replaced him with Steve Hewitt who played with the band back in 1994.
= "Placebo" were heavily criticized by the media due to their unorthodox attitude and Brian Molko's androgynous appearance. Brian was also very opened about being bisexual and has been candid about his experiences, which resonate deeply with fans.
= In 1998, "Placebo" switched to the major label Virgin Records, and issued their follow-up album "Without You I'm Nothing" on 12 October. The album was another large seller in the UK; the US market embraced the album's lead single "Pure Morning", which appeared on MTV and reached number 20 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, making it to be the band breakthrough album to mainstream.
= In 2000 the band's third album, "Black Market Music", was released. It was produced by Paul Corkett and further experimented with genres outside of regular rock sound. "Placebo" collaborated with Justin Warfield on "Spite & Malice" and sampled Pavement's "Texas Never Whispers" on "Slave to the Wage". The album created additional UK top 20 hits in "Taste in Men" and "Slave to the Wage", which reached number 16 and 19 in the UK Singles Chart, respectively.
= In 2003 the band released their fourth album "Sleeping with Ghosts" produced by Jim Abbiss. The sound of the album was described as being infused with "edgy electronic flourishes". The album went to No. 11 in the UK and sold 1.4 million copies worldwide. The first single "The Bitter End" peaked at number 12 in the British single chart.
= In 2006 they released their fifth album "Meds" which was produced by Dimitri Tikovoi. The album was also released in a limited edition, containing a documentary, the lyrics, live videos, three demo versions and the song "Long Division". The version released in the US had two bonus tracks, "Running Up That Hill" and "UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU". The album contains two duets, "Meds" with Alison Mosshart of "The Kills" and "Broken Promise" with "R.E.M.'s" Michael Stipe.
= In 2009 the band released their six album "Battle Of The Sun" produced by David Bottrill and feature new drummer Steve Forrest. Molko described the album as "the sound of a band trying to find a new identity, to find out who they were again".
= Their seventh studio album, "Loud Like Love", was released in 2013. Produced by Adam Noble, it was released in five different formats. On the same day, "Placebo" streamed live a 90-minute show, "Loud Like Love TV", on their official YouTube channel. The show featured interviews with the band and their collaborators, live performances and behind the scenes content.
= On 19 August 2015, "Placebo" performed an "MTV Unplugged" concert in London. The setlist for this performance consisted of many older "Placebo" songs, some of them not played live in a decade. On 27 November 2015, "MTV Unplugged" was released on CD, DVD, Blu-ray and vinyl.
= In 2021 they issued their eight album "Never Let Me Go". It is the band first studio album in over eight years. It is also their first album to be recorded as a duo, following the departure of drummer Steve Forrest in 2015. The album achieved strong chart performance, peaking at # 1 in the UK Indie Chart, # 1 in the Austrian, Dutch, and German album charts, and # 3 in the UK Albums Chart.
We personally think that this is the band's best album and one of the most amazing creation in it's career.
= The band is renowned for its rigorous touring schedule, embarking on tours following each album release and traveling to distant regions such as the Nordics, the Middle East, and the Far East. In live shows, Molko has showcased his skills on various instruments, including the guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica, and saxophone.
= Drugs were an integral part of Brian's life, affecting his ability to perform and create music for many years. He stated that there wasn't a drug on Earth he hadn't tried. In 2016, he announced that he was clean and no longer using drugs.
= Brian is an activist and social commentator who has increasingly spoken out on societal issues, such as LGBTQ+ rights and mental health awareness, utilizing his platform for advocacy.
= He collaborated with many different artist including: "The Cure", Timo Maas, "Blackfield" and many more.
We really urge you to listen to "Placebo's" latest album "Never Let Me Go" on: Spotify, Apple Music
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