Placebo was born out of a band called "Ashtray Heart", which consisted of Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal and was formed in 1994 after the two met purely by chance outside a tube station in London. They had both attended the same school, for Americans in Luxembourg (!), but been far from friends, Brian being more of a loner. However, they soon put their differences behind them and after Stef had seen Brian play his guitar live they decided to form a band.
They then needed a drummer, a problem solved by another chance meeting - how convenient you might well be thinking - this time outside Burger King in Lewisham. Brian was a fan of a band called "Breed", of which Steven Hewitt was the drummer, and when the two met he had no hesitation in inviting Steve to join his band, and offer which was accepted. Soon after Placebo was decided upon as the name for the band and they started making some demos.
However, despite Steve playing the drums on many of the demos, he had to quit the band due to other commitments and so Robert Schultzburg, a friend of Stef's, was drafted in as percussionist. Thus the original line-up of Placebo was formed and they stayed this way until 1996, releasing one record. That was a double A side with a band called Soup, featuring "Bruise Pristine", on the Fierce Panda label.
The band then parted company with Robert and Steve was reinstated as drummer, along with the signing of the band to Hut recordings - a subsidiary of Virgin Records - in early 1996. The band were soon churning out singles and a first album came soon after, their self-titled offering earning them rave reviews and adding to an already large fanbase in many countries. The bands multi-national support was possibly born from their different backgrounds - Brian being born in Belgium and brought up in Luxembourg, with one Scottish and one American parent, Stefan being Swedish and Steve English.
The band continued to stay in the public eye what with Brian's wearing of dresses and make-up on stage and the constant press uproar over Placebo's drug habits and the fact that they are 50% gay - Stef being gay, Brian bisexual and Steve straight. This could only help increase the fan's anticipation of a second album and they were not disappointed when "Without You I'm Nothing" was released in 1998. A number of fantastic singles were released from the album and it was another success for the band, who carried on touring the world and playing to reciprocating audiences.
Then work began on a new album, "Black Market Music", which was released in late 2000 and was also a success, proving that Placebo can keep on making top records. The release of "Special K" in March 2001 brings us fully up to date, and now Placebo are embarking on a heavy summer of festival dates all over Europe, starting in Russia on June 20th.