Placebo

Placebo (/pləˈsiːboʊ/ plə-SEE-boh) are a British alternative rock band, formed in London in 1994 by vocalist-guitarist Brian Molko and bassist-guitarist Stefan Olsdal, who have remained the two constant members, albeit with three full-time drummers throughout the band's existence.

Molko and Olsdal were joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg for a demo, a split single, and their eponymous debut album in 1996. Shortly after the album's release, Steve Hewitt replaced Schultzberg on drums. Placebo gained exposure in 1997 after the single "Nancy Boy" (a song notorious at the time for its gender-bending content) became popular in the UK. The band stood out amongst the Britpop scene of the time because of their androgynous appearance and musical content, as well as Molko's distinctive voice and lyrics which openly discussed sexuality, mental health, and drug use. Their 1998 album Without You I’m Nothing was a massive international breakthrough, going platinum in the UK and gold in France. It spawned a pair of UK top-ten singles for the band, "Pure Morning" and "You Don't Care About Us", as well as the No. 11 hit "Every You Every Me".

Hewitt left Placebo in 2007 due to personal and musical differences. He was replaced the following year by Steve Forrest. Placebo released two albums with Forrest, who left in 2015 to pursue his own musical career. Since 2015, Placebo are officially a duo, though augmented with additional studio and live musicians.

Placebo have collaborated with various artists over the years, including David Bowie, Justin Warfield, Michael Stipe, and Alison Mosshart. Placebo have released eight studio albums (all of which have reached the Top 20 in the UK), recorded 15 top-40 singles in the UK, and have sold around 14 million records worldwide.