Shropshire Star

Placebo's Brian Molko talks the bands rise to fame, working with David Bowie and the future of Placebo ahead of their Birmingham Barclaycard Arena show

Known for their androgynous image and angst-ridden odes to teenage frustration, Placebo have been the epitome of cool for more than 20 years.

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Since their formation in 1992, the band have released seven studio records, all of which have entered the UK Top 20 album charts and have sold more than 11 million copies worldwide.

At the forefront of this success is debut self-titled album Placebo that gave birth to several successful singles including smash hit Nancy Boy.

Placebo is still their highest-charting album to date, peaking at No5 in the UK album charts, and this year the band are celebrating its 20th anniversary with a UK and European headline tour that features a date at Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena on Thursday.

Guitarist and frontman Brian Molko, who has one of the most distinctive vocal styles in all music, describes the album as the moment their band and goals changed forever: "We were happy to just play music and have a roof over our head when Placebo began," he said.

"We were very conscious when we released our first record, we were a very young band and were were only just establishing our sound, then when we released the record it did better than ever intended. It threw us from nothing into the world of rock 'n' roll and that was overwhelming.

"It completely changed our ambition and goals as a band and started to shape everything we do now."

Placebo the album is a testament to a raw and visceral youth and a band determined to stand for something that mattered. Placebo still does exactly that, pushing the boat out not just out for their live show, but dragging it into the deep, dark depths of the abyss.

For this anniversary tour the band aimed to do something they have no previously done that many, many bands have: play fan favourites they have sworn never to play live again.

So why the sudden change of heart? Molko explains that "we've purposely tried to stay away from saturating out sets with our hits. We are more than just our hits and our true fans appreciate that, we want to appeal to them.

"For a long time our record company have battled with us on this subject, and finally we decided to just let them win," Molko jokes. "It just seemed like the right time to resurrect them, I don't know why, but this may be the first and last time that fans will be able to hear some songs live.

"We let our fans have a great deal of input with our setlist and they have really helped shaped this tour. These performances will bring together both our idea of our best live performance and also the fans."

When Placebo first toured their self-titled album they opened shows in Italy, France and Switzerland with the late David Bowie, which needless to say was a very exciting highlight in the band's career which they nostalgically look back on:

As Placebo are influenced, Placebo as a band have influenced a plethora of musical acts such as My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco, but it's a hard concept to process for Molko being part of an influential act: "This isn't false modesty, but I really can't process being cited as an influence, I really don't see myself like that.

"Of course it's a massive complement to be called influential but it's hard to explain how that feels when you can't get your head around it!"

Through this conversation, it had already dawned how much Placebo had gone through and achieved in just 20 years. Molko has used his music to highlight themes within the LGBT community and convey his personal struggles with drug addiction to help others.

These 20 years have taught him a lot, but most of all to not regret it: "Since being in Placebo a lot of things have happened to me and I've done a lot of things.

"Some of these times were very dark for me but I'm not the person that I was back then, thankfully. I'm very glad I'm not that person anymore, but I don't regret anything that has happened.

"If I could go back and talk to my younger self when we started Placebo, I would tell him that. I'd probably also tell myself I need to shut my mouth a little more."

Excitement buzzes around Placebo's self-titled tour which looks to be one of their most ground-breaking yet. They are known for not just peppering their live sets with the hits everybody knows, but they are breaking their own rules this time around as a celebration of their career. Despite this, the band are already looking to the future: "I can't wait to record new music, I'm already excited, but we have a lot of shows to get through first. The future for Placebo at the moment definitely lies in these shows".

Nothing sums up Placebo more than this, always looking to move forward, to progress their music, their fans views and their message to keep the passion and raw edge that is Placebo alive.

Placebo shot into the stratosphere of rock and roll quickly and threatened self-destruction, yet they overcame the dark and dangerous times and told the tale through their music both recorded and live. A feat that I find incredibly admirable, and one that has uplifted and saved many of their fans.

By Becci Stanley

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