BRIAN MOLKO has never performed at Coachella before, but he's well versed in the festival's history. "I've seen the documentary and I'm really excited," enthused the frontman for U.K.
-based glam rock trio Placebo, in a phone interview from New York City. "It has an incredible reputation; the bill is just ridiculous." Among the acts he plans on catching are "Rage, of course and The Klaxons; they're amazing.
" "There's so many things to like about this festival," said Molko, 34. "First is the eclecticism. Second is how much more than music there is to take in, like the sculptures.
" Having headlined similar music events around the world, he is looking forward to playing on a stage with the countryside as a backdrop. You might recall Placebo playing in the background on recent TV episodes of "Bones" and "One Tree Hill." Then there was last year's frenetic single "Infra-Red," which reached No.
35 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart (the highest Placebo placing since "Pure Morning" in 1998). Molko finds it odd that particular track was the one that finally clicked again for them Stateside - especially due
I'd describe it as Nine Inch Nails crossed with The Beatles' `Sgt. Pepper.' It's got that real hard, industrial (edge) to it, but a colorful musical palette.
" Back in January, all the added attention prompted Virgin Records to re-release fifth and latest disc "Meds" with three bonus tracks (including a haunting cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" - previously available in a limited edition on 2003's "Sleeping with Ghosts"). Over the years, the provocative band has boasted plenty of celebrity admirers, leading to Molko duets on disc (David Bowie, Michael Stipe) and stage (Bowie, The Cure's Robert Smith, Frank Black of the Pixies). Even such present day alt-rockers as My Chemical Romance, AFI, Panic!
At the Disco and Aiden cite Placebo as an influence. Following a self-titled debut release in 1996, Placebo moved more than 8 million CDs worldwide. Stipe guests on harrowing "Meds" tune "Broken Promise.
" The three musicians first met the R.E.M.
leader when he executive produced the 1998 Todd Haynes flick "Velvet Goldmine" starring Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers ("We got on straight away"). Placebo members portrayed two fictional bands. "We were scratching our heads about who was going to sing it with me.
One day, we bumped into R.E.M.
at a hotel in Paris. I was like, `Wait a minute. A song about adultery would be so much more modern with two guys!
"' No surprise there. Frank sexuality and the blurring of gender lines have always played a major role in the Placebo musical and visual aesthetic. Lanky Swedish bassist Stephan Olsdal and the Belgium-born Molko have been known to wear dresses and makeup in the past.
English drummer Steve Hewitt, not so much. Molko "grew up listening to early R.E.
M. Michael was a major influence on me as a singer. The first song I heard from them was `Fall on Me.
' He found the Stipe duet experience `an absolute joy.
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