Brian Molko

Brian Molko (born 10 December 1972 in Belgium) is a British musician and songwriter who is lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Placebo. He is known in particular for his distinctive nasal, high-pitched vocals, androgynous appearance, and unique guitar style and tuning.

Early life
Molko was born in Brussels, Belgium to an American father of Italian heritage and a British mother of Scottish Catholic descent. He has an older brother named Stuart. Molko's family moved frequently during his childhood; the family lived in Dundee, Liberia, Lebanon and Belgium, where they eventually settled in the village of Longeau near the border with Luxembourg, where Molko attended the American International School of Luxembourg (AISL).

Although Molko was brought up in a strict household that disapproved of artistic expression (his father wanted him to become a banker), he rebelled by assuming an androgynous image, wearing nail polish, lipstick, and eyeliner, and listening to punk music. He initially attended the European School of Luxembourg (ESL), but left due to excessive bullying. He attended the American International School of Luxembourg (AISL) before studying drama at Goldsmiths College in London.

Career
Although Molko and Placebo co-founder Stefan Olsdal had both attended the American International School of Luxembourg (AISL), they had not been friends. When Molko was living in London, he ran into Olsdal at South Kensington tube station and invited him to one of his gigs which he played with Steve Hewitt in a group called Ashtray Heart.

Along with Hewitt and Olsdal, Molko had a role in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine, for which Placebo performed the T. Rex song "20th Century Boy". He played Malcolm, a singer of the fictional glam rock band, "The Flaming Creatures", who resembled the early Alice Cooper band.

During Placebo's live performances Molko has played a number of instruments, including guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica and saxophone.

Personal life
Molko is openly bisexual.

In December 2012 Molko received an Honorary Fellowship from Goldsmiths College, University of London.

He has a son called Cody Molko.

Collaborations
He has performed, as a guest vocalist and with other artists on Placebo's records, on tracks by:
 * The Cure – "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" (live)
 * Justin Warfield – "Spite & Malice"
 * Losers – "Summertime Rolls"
 * Asia Argento – "Je T'aime, Moi Non Plus" (Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin cover)
 * Alison Mosshart from The Kills – "Meds"
 * Michael Stipe of R.E.M. – "Broken Promise"
 * Faultline & Françoise Hardy – "Requiem for a Jerk" (Serge Gainsbourg cover)
 * Timo Maas – "Pictures", "Like Siamese", "First Day", "College 84"
 * Kristeen Young – "No Other God" on X
 * Dream City Film Club – "Some", "Billy Chic"
 * Jane Birkin – "Smile"
 * T. Rex – "20th Century Boy" (live cover, feat. David Bowie), "Without You I'm Nothing"
 * AC Acoustics – "Crush"
 * Alpinestars – "Carbon Kid"
 * Trash Palace – "The Metric System"
 * Hotel Persona – "Modern Kids"
 * Indochine – "Pink Water 3"
 * Prova Symphonica conducted by Michel Bisceglia – "Across the Universe" (The Beatles cover), "Ne me quitte pas" (Jacques Brel cover, both live)
 * Westbam – "Sick"
 * Fiona Brice – "West End Girls" (Pet Shop Boys cover)
 * Trash Palace – "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Kylie Minogue cover, live)

Molko wrote the English lyrics to "Pink Water 3", a song by Indochine from the album Alice & June, released in 2005.

Molko was friendly with David Bowie; Bowie sang on Placebo's "Without You I'm Nothing" and on the "20th Century Boy" cover live.

Equipment
Molko uses a variety of guitars. In the Sleeping With Ghosts era, he used Gibson SGs ("The Bitter End", "Every You Every Me", "Plasticine", "Black-Eyed", "Without You I'm Nothing", "Special K", "Bulletproof Cupid", "Soulmates/Sleeping With Ghosts", "Special Needs", "This Picture"), Fender Jaguars ("Allergic", "Nancy Boy", "Bionic", "Centrefolds"), a Fender Thinline Telecaster ("Taste in Men"), a Fender Jazzmaster ("Pure Morning"), and a Fender Bass VI ("Slave to the Wage"). For amplification he used a Marshall 6100LM.

Through the Meds tour, he used Gretsch Duo Jets ("Infra-Red", "Because I Want You", "Song to Say Goodbye", "One of a Kind", "The Bitter End", "Running Up that Hill", "Special K"), Gibson SGs ("Special Needs", "Every You Every Me", "Black-Eyed", "Without You I'm Nothing"), a Fender Jaguar ("Drag", "Nancy Boy", "I Know"), a Fender Thinline Telecaster ("Twenty Years", "Taste in Men"), and a Gibson Chet Atkins SST ("Meds"). His amplifier was a Fender Twin Reverb.

In the Battle for the Sun tour, he still used Gretsch Duo Jets ("Devil in the Details", "Come Undone", "Follow The Cops Back Home"), a Gibson SG ("Bright Lights"), Fender Cyclone ("Ashtray Heart", "The Never-Ending Why", "Breathe Underwater", "Teenage Angst"), a Gibson Les Paul ("For What It's Worth", "Speak in Tongues", "Julien", "Meds"), a Fender Telecaster Thinline ("Kitty Litter"), and a Fender Toronado ("Battle for the Sun"). His pedalboard consisted of a Boss TU-2 chromatic tuner, Electro Harmonix Holy Grail reverb, MXR Phase 90 phaser, two Electro Harmonix Hot Tubes distortion units, Boss DD-3 delay, MXR Distortion + booster, MG Monovibe chorus/vibrato, Electro Harmonix No. 1 Echo delay and a Radial Loopbone effect chain switcher.

In 2010, he signed an endorsement contract to use Orange amps.

Filmography

 * Velvet Goldmine (1998) – Malcolm of The Flaming Creatures
 * Sue's Last Ride (2001) – executive producer

Appearances

 * Never Mind the Buzzcocks
 * Episode #2.06 (1997)
 * Episode #8.01 (2001)
 * Episode #9.06 (2001)
 * Rockwave Festival (Greece, Athens) (13 July 1999)
 * Glastonbury Festival (1997)
 * BRIT Awards (1999)
 * Late Night with Conan O'Brien
 * Episode dated 27 March 1999
 * rage
 * Placebo Guest Programme rage (1999)
 * Terremoto Festival (Hamburg) (2000)
 * Paskvil
 * Rockwave Festival (Greece, Athens) (3 July 2001)
 * Episode #5.11 (2001)
 * The Kerrang! Awards (2002)
 * Rive droite – rive gauche
 * Episode dated 21 March 2003
 * V Graham Norton
 * Episode #4.21 (2003)
 * Tout le monde en parle
 * Episode dated 3 May 2003
 * Episode dated 14 February 2004
 * Double je
 * Episode dated 26 June 2003
 * Placebo: Soulmates Never Die – Live in Paris 2003
 * Le grand journal de Canal+
 * Rockwave Festival (Greece, Athens) (22 June 2004)
 * Episode dated 13 September 2004
 * Episode dated 13 October 2004
 * Live 8 (2005)
 * Terra Vibe Festival (Greece, Athens) (5 September 2006)
 * 4Music (2006)
 * Rock am Ring (2006)
 * Rock im Park (2006)
 * Isle of Wight Festival (2006)
 * Greenfield Festival (2006)
 * The Friday Night Project (2006)
 * Soccer A.M. (2006)
 * Nova Rock Festival (15 June 2006)
 * Roskilde Festival (Denmark, Roskilde) (2 July 2006)
 * Open'er Festival (6 July 2006)
 * T in the Park (8 July 2006)
 * Oxegen (9 July 2006)
 * Vieilles Charrues Festival (21 July 2006)
 * Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (23 July 2006)
 * Rock-A-Field (25 July 2006)
 * Leeds Festival (25 August 2006)
 * Rock'n Coke (3 September 2006)
 * Moni Lazariston Festival (Greece, Thessaloniki) (13 June 2007)
 * Lyccabetus (Greece, Athens) (14 June 2007)
 * Siesta Festival (29 May 2009)
 * Rock Am Ring (2009)
 * Rock Im Park (2009)
 * Rockwave Festival (Greece, Athens) (27 June 2009)
 * Rock Werchter Belgium, July 2009
 * Open'er Festival (5 July 2009)
 * Rock for People (8 July 2009)
 * Sziget (15 August 2009)
 * Reading Festival (28 August 2009)
 * Leeds Festival (30 August 2009)
 * Soundwave Festival (20, 21, 26, 27 February and 1 March 2010)
 * Exit Festival (9 July 2010)
 * Sonisphere Festival (31 July 2010)
 * Pukkelpop Festival (19 August 2010)
 * Two Days A Week Festival (4 September 2010)
 * Earth Theatre w/ Aviv Geffen (Greece, Thessaloniki) (10 September 2010)
 * Rockwave Festival (Greece, Athens) (11 September 2010)
 * Huxleys Neue Welt (Germany, Berlin) (9 August 2011)
 * Mercedes-Benz (Germany, Stuttgart) (11 August 2011)