British band Placebo are probably as well known for the androgynous image of their make-up wearing frontman Brian Molko and their drug fuelled excesses, frequently chronicled in their songs, as they are for their music. It's Molko's distinctive, nasal vocals that catch the attention when listening to Placebo for the first time. Some are also interested in the band members' sexualities -- Stefan Olsdal (guitar) is homosexual, Steve Hewitt (drums) is heterosexual and Brian Molko (lead vocals, guitar) is bisexual.
The alternative rock band formed in 1994 when Molko and Olsdal, former classmates from the American International School of Luxembourg, accidentally ran into each other years after leaving school. They released their debut self titled album in 1996, which proved to be a great commercial success topping out at No.5 on the UK album chart. Placebo followed that with the Top 10 hit Without You I'm Nothing in 1998, Black Market Music in 2000 and Sleeping with Ghosts in 2003. All saw various degrees of commercial success as well as conflicting reviews from the press, however the band have always maintained a very strong fanbase particularly in the UK and Europe. In 2006 they released their first studio album in three years, Meds. Although it was first leaked on the internet days before release, it still managed to reach the Top 10 in most European countries.
