Placebo’s 2006 album Meds should have been their masterwork. Their bare-boned fifth effort had all the markings of a classic. It had the condensed sound, the sales, the mammoth touring schedule; it was the hinge on a new door.
But behind closed doors, explains the ever-articulate Brian Molko, the trio – at that point Molko, bassist and song-writing partner Stefan Olsdal and drummer Steve Hewitt – were close to melting point.
“We were existing in quite a difficult place,” he tells MAG. “A place that had ceased to even resemble being fun.
“I feel Meds was an excellently executed record,” he continues. “It was a really strong album and told a very powerful story. However, there were moments on that record that were perhaps the darkest in our career; it felt claustrophobic and had a suffocating atmosphere.”
When it comes to the fate of his band of the last 15 years, who release epic sixth studio album Battle for the Sun this month, Molko doesn’t mince his words. He and Olsdal’s relationship with Hewitt was at its end. “It gets to this point where you look at the person you’ve been in a band with all these years, and go ‘who the fuck is this stranger?’” he says. “When Steve Hewitt joined the band, we were united through substance abuse. But when myself and Stefan began to calm down, it became apparent we no longer had a great deal in common and that our priorities – in terms of what we wanted from the band – were really different.”
It’s difficult to believe, considering the trio’s string of accomplished, highly focused recordings and sustained success. Since first coming together in London in 1994, the trans-national ensemble (Molko is of Scottish/American heritage, Olsdal’s from Sweden) have made a name for their singular take on glam-tinged, gender-twisting, hard-edged rock. Crafting a sound from a palette of classic no-wave, grunge and alt-rock reference points – think Pixies, Nirvana and Sonic Youth – but with their own angular, sexualised inclination, the band garnered fans in the most lavish of circles, right from the outset.
A year after their self-titled 1996 debut hit the charts, the trio accepted a personal invite from admirer David Bowie to perform at his 50th birthday party in Madison Square Garden. Salacious 1998 follow-up Without You I’m Nothing, and third record Black Market Music (2000) only solidified their distinctive sound, while 2003’s Sleeping With Ghosts unleashed the group to a new audience, going top 10 in the UK and selling over 1.4 million internationally.
“I feel we’ve always been unconcerned with what’s trendy, or hip in music,” reflects Molko. “It’s been about following our own singular vision and having the courage to do that – follow your own rules, and be prepared to be in and out of fashion all the time.”
It was in the wake of Meds – their most commercially successful record to date – that Molko realised the sheer scale of their issues. “Being in a band is dangerous,” he reflects. “It amplifies issues that might already exist.”
Featuring 22-year-old Californian drummer Steve Forrest, new album Battle for the Sun is a reinvention. Recorded with Canadian producer Dave Bottrill (known for his work with Tool) and released on their own label, the record tilts and buckles amid a multiplicity of divergent styles.
The layered riffs on cuts like Kitty Litter and the title-track book-end the minor key pop-punk of Ashtray Heart, while the anthemic chorus horn section of For What it’s Worth and minimalist electronics of Julien are a revelation. As Molko happily concurs, it’s a world away from the untreated rock of Meds. “If you imagine Meds as a kind of grainy, black and white film, we wanted to do something in 70mm glorious hyper-colour this time,” he laughs.
“When we make a new record, we always react vociferously to the previous one. The characteristics of the previous album have a big influence on the next one,” he continues. Having the ‘fresh blood’ of young Forrest on board exaggerated the change. “There was this incredible sense of enthusiasm and optimism, that had been lacking. The potential for jadedness still exists at every turn, so we wanted that childlike wonder and that youthful exuberance to rub off on us.” Indeed, if there’s one thing that Placebo are determined to avoid, it’s stagnation. “It’s all about continually evolving,” poses Molko. “And if we can shock a few vampires along the way, that’s not a bad thing.”
Battle for the Sun is released June 5 via Shock.
