Placebo Biography

London, United Kingdom (1994 – present) There is more than one artist with this name: 1) A popular Alternative rock band from London, England which formed in 1994. 2) A Belgian jazz rock band active in the 1970’s 3) A short-lived Canadian punk band from the early 90’s 4) A short-lived British underground post-punk duo 1) The British band was founded when former Luxembourg schoolmates Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal - who never actually spoke to each other - met by accident at South Kensington, London, United Kingdom tube station in 1994. Molko invited Olsdal to one of his gigs and Olsdal was impressed by Molko’s vocals so they agreed on forming a band. While briefly known as Ashtray Heart, the band quickly settled on the name Placebo, after the drug that has no active ingredient but works because the patient believes it does. Placebo also means “I shall please” in Latin. The band could not decide on a drummer at first with Steve Hewitt (drums) 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. As the other band members were having difficulty getting on with Robert Schultzberg, they persuaded Hewitt to rejoin the band in 1996. 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.