Brian Molko. Few artists arouse as much intrigue as the Placebo frontman, and even fewer possess such distinctive qualities and emblematic idiosyncrasies. While his strict upbringing – characterised by hostility towards artistic expression – ignited an inner flame of rebellion, Molko’s persona is far more complex, vivid and captivating than most artists of a similarly rebellious history. On many occasions, the frontman’s androgynous image has been drawn upon more than the expressive power of Placebo’s music. As striking as his outward appearance is, his words (and charismatic mannerisms) still resound more loudly and more persuasively than any other aesthetic. Speaking from his home in East London, Molko is unfailingly polite and engaging but also firm, candid and incredibly articulate. Molko may be a bastion of individual self-expression and an icon to his multitude of fans, but the very notion of being a role model makes him extremely uneasy.

"The word ‘role-model’ and the phrase ‘responsibility’ make me shi-verrr," Molko asserts. "Because, I mean … I don’t know, I wonder sometimes if people like Irvine Welsh get sort of asked if he’s a role model. He’s just kind of responding to the world, expressing his singular vision of the world, similarly with somebody like Bret Easton Ellis. Now this may be confusing – me comparing myself to these great writers – and certainly I don’t believe that I am in any way as literarily dexterous as these people, but … what I am doing with my songwriting is I’m creating small fictions based on real events and true emotion. It’s kind of my reality slightly fictionalised. But it’s my reality … and it’s the way that I react to the world."

"It’s very personal, and I’m certainly not forcing anybody to listen to it," he continues, earnestly. "It’s a choice to absorb my ranting and ravings, you know, my musings on existence. And that’s kind of what it is – it’s a work of art … it’s not a fucking philosophy of life," he states, before quickly adding: "Of course, there are elements within it which touch on certain things that we, as people, philosophically believe in, you know; tolerance being one of them. But it’s art, you know – it’s not an educational video," he quips, suddenly bursting into giggles. "It’s a piece of imperfect art that is not meant to be, by any means, politically correct all the time. And I think what’s important to stress is – I think a lot of people have a tendency to think that the narrator’s voice every time in a song is the writer’s voice, which isn’t always the case."

When I ask whether his family thinks differently about artistic expression in view of his music career, Molko’s voice turns unexpectedly quiet. "I suppose they do … you know," he contemplates. "We’re not a particularly close-knit bunch, so I think … I don’t how much they understand it, really."

Whilst Placebo’s early records relied heavily on the hedonistic formula of sex, drugs and alcohol, their later records were a wider portrayal of modern society in all of its misery and relationship turmoil. Needless to say, the band has struck a powerful chord with rock fans worldwide; performing in countries as far-ranging as Chile, Cambodia and Brazil, the trio has sold over 10 million albums. On their new album Battle For The Sun, Placebo have emerged afresh and renewed with the departure of drummer Steve Hewitt, and the introduction of Steve Forrest.

"It’s a work of art … it’s not a f**king philosophy of life"

Following the Meds tour, Molko asserted that Placebo had become a band only in name; consequently, Hewitt’s departure was due to an increasingly destructive disconnection from his bandmates personally and musically. How necessary and important was that change for the progression of Placebo? "I suppose it was the difference between survival and just giving in to some kind of disastrous inevitability," Molko concedes. "I think myself and Stefan [Olsdal – bassist] realised that if we were to continue as we were and kind of coast our way through quite unhappily, that it could have spelt the death knell really for the band, and that we would have probably plateaued for a little while and then the inevitability of decline would’ve begun. And we kind of weren’t prepared to accept that. I think myself and Stefan, having started writing songs together in 1994, it felt like we had invested far too much blood, sweat and tears into this band to walk away from it, which I suppose precipitated in a difficult but courageous decision … in order to ensure the survival of myself and Stefan as a creative partnership."

It was during the Meds tour in 2006 that Molko and Olsdal first met 22-year-old Californian drummer, Steve Forrest. "His previous band Evaline opened for us on an American tour, and it wasn’t until a lot later when Steve himself had the initiative of getting in touch with us, after hearing that we were a man down, that we actually even began to consider him as a potential future member of Placebo," Molko explains. "But I remember seeing him live for the first time, and to me he was the focal point of the band. And he seemed to be connected to his instrument, you know … they seemed to be one entity. But Steve got in touch with us and we were like ‘oh yeahhh, that kid yeah, the kid who’s got more tattoos than I’ve ever seen on anyone else, yeah himmm’. It’s kind of proof that initiative pays off."

As Placebo’s contract with Virgin expired after the release of Meds, the band opted on self-funding their sixth album, which was produced by David Bottrill (Tool) at Toronto’s Metalworks Studios and mixed by Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, My Bloody Valentine) in London. Molko established early in the writing process that the new record would be more optimistic and hence, a complete contrast to Meds, which had been, emotionally speaking, the band’s bleakest period.

"It was good writing a record without having Darth Vader in the room," Molko laughs. "And so, we kind of really felt much more creatively unselfconscious. We felt like we could really explore everything. I suppose two separate camps had developed within the band towards the end of Steve Hewitt’s 10 years in Placebo, and that’s never healthy. And so, it was a much more kind of joyous and relaxed atmosphere," he muses. "All the fanfare like the horns on Kings Of Medicine was really us tapping into mine and Stefan’s Beatles obsession and we wanted to do something that was reminiscent of All You Need Is Love, really. And I didn’t want to sort of bury the song in classic Placebo-isms in terms of choices of sound. I wanted it to be quite new for us and timeless, and something that really sort of broke free of our conceived identity."

"I think it’s going to confound a lot of people, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that, you know, that does bring a certain mischievous joy to my heart," teases Molko, his face undoubtedly marked by a devilish grin. "But that’s part of what we are as a band – we’re always trying to sort of push the boundaries of our sound in as many directions as possible. This time round, we chose to use things like strings and horns because we sort of felt that they were more timeless. I suppose we don’t take ecstasy and go clubbing anymore, so in part electronic music isn’t as important. But one thing about electronics is that they have a tendency to date really quickly, so we decided to sort of air towards cinematic strings and kind of old-school R&B-like horns."

The band hopes to return to Australia in the summer – their favourite time to tour. As Molko speaks about the Battle For The Sun tour, which sees Placebo touring as a six-piece band with a violinist – there’s a palpable sense of pride in his tone of voice when describing the new incarnation of Placebo. "In terms of rebirth," Molko ponders. "I think it’s a very powerful statement and hopefully, it’s just kind of the beginning of Placebo as us three.

"Long may it last," he adds, in his endearingly flamboyant way.

BATTLE FOR THE SUN is out now through PIAS/Shock. www.placeboworld.co.uk

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