Placebo Singer Brian Molko Under Investigation in Italy After Calling Country’s Prime Minister ‘Fascist’ and ‘Racist’ https://t.co/YxPMzqiJMC

— Variety (@Variety) July 18, 2023

Prosecutors based in Turin, Italy have opened an investigation into Molko’s comments after Placebo performed at the Sonic Park Festival in Stupinigi last week. Molko’s comments were directed at Italy’s current serving Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who is the leader of the far right party Brothers of Italy-a political organisation with foundations linking back to fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Observers and critics have branded Meloni a far-right neo-fascist but the Italian Prime Minister has consistently denied this association.

During the band’s set, Molko let the crowd know his opinions of the leader, shouting in Italian, “Giorgia Meloni, piece of shit, fascist, racist.” These remarks have landed the singer in hot water in the Mediterranean country with the judicial arm of the nation now seeking an investigation into the comments.

Italy have instituted a criminal code that prohibits the public defamation of the Republic and is punishable with a fine ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 Euros. The law covers any defamation made toward the government, parliament, the courts or the army. Italy has, since 2013, revised their criminal defamation laws to fall more in line with European Union standards and defamation no longer carries a term of imprisonment-although the country’s defamation laws still bear some criticisms from the EU.

Giorgia Meloni leads Italy’s most right-wing coalition government since the second world war https://t.co/929nSNjHXK

— NME (@NME) July 18, 2023

Neither Placebo, their representatives or the authorities in Turin have commented on the investigation however, members of Meloni’s party have demanded an apology from the band. Brothers of Italy politician Augusta Montaruli said, “we cannot let an international event that attracts so many people (to Italy) be ruined by filthy words which, amidst a general silence, aim to attack the institutions of the republic.” Molko and Placebo’s fans have supported the singer.

based brian molkopic.twitter.com/zkHDr9tuNe

— NoFixedAdobe (@NoFixedAdobe) July 18, 2023

Late last year, Molko and Placebo requested via social media, that fans who attend live performances refrain from recording them on their phones. The band issued a plea to their supporters to enjoy the event in the moment and, last month while the band were playing in Dublin, Molko even halted the show to remind concert goers to adhere to their no phones policy. Video recordings of the comments made by Molko at Sonic Park Festival have found their way onto the internet despite the band’s request for no filming.

Birkin rose to prominence after appearing in the 1966 film Blow-Up before heading to France to star in the 1968 satirical romantic comedy Slogan alongside Gainsbourg, performing with him on the film’s theme song. This was to be the first of many collaborations between the two, whose working relationship soon blossomed into a passionate love affair. 

Check out the trailer for Blow-Up:

The pair quickly won over the hearts of the public and became France’s most famous couple -  renowned for their work as much as their hedonistic and bohemian lifestyle. After their separation in 1980, Birkin branched out into more serious film roles, gaining three nominations at the César awards. She continued to work both as an actress and a singer until a few years prior to her death, appearing in various arthouse films and recording numerous albums, for which Gainsbourg would often pen a song.

Listen to the famous Birkin-Gainsbourg collaboration “Je T’Aime…Moi Non Plus” below:

Perhaps the British native’s most famous accolade however, is for her contribution to fashion as the inspiration for the Hermès Birkin bag, which was named after her following a chance encounter with the company’s chief executive on a flight to London. The Hermès Birkin continues to be an accessory staple amongst the rich and famous and remains one of the most expensive bags on the market to this day.

Following the news of Birkin’s death, both fans and celebrities haven taken to social media to pay tribute to the late pop icon. 

Marianne Faithfull, an old friend, wrote: “Dearest Jane has gone. I admired her as an artist so much and I’m very glad we got to work together. […] We first met several lifetimes ago – and from that day I always thought she possessed such beauty and style […] How I wanted to look like her and be like her! Her style will endure of course but she was a dear friend and I will always love her.”

Johnny Marr, who featured on Birkin’s 2006 album Fictions, described his collaborator as “a sweet and kind person with a heart for art”, while Beth Gibbons of Portishead lamented: “I’m so sad to hear that Jane Birkin has gone. She was such a beautiful, generous and kind soul. She was one of the nicest people I’ve worked with and always made me feel so at ease.”

I’m so sad to hear that Jane Birkin has gone. She was such a beautiful, generous and kind soul.
She was one of the nicest people I’ve worked with and always made me feel so at ease.
This is us rehearsing for a performance together in Francepic.twitter.com/Ep0VFhELjk

— Beth Gibbons (@realbethgibbons) July 16, 2023

Placebo’s Brian Molko shared a photo of the French icon alongside the caption: “I got a message for Jane. Soul beauty personified. I can’t begin to explain what a privilege it’s been to have you in my life. I loved you from the day we met and will continue to do so until it’s my time. Your grace and dignity were inspirations, your generosity a priceless gift. Sleep peacefully beautiful one.”

The tune represented a significant breakthrough for Placebo- with lyrical content that addressed gender identity and bisexuality. “Nancy Boy” was such a smash hit for the band that it forced their album- 1997’s self-titled record- back into the UK top ten,charting at number five after debuting at number forty.

Identifying as bisexual himself, Molko used the song to criticise individuals who embraced bisexuality as a trend rather than  through sincerity, although the song is also upbeat and takes the listener through an adventure of sex and drugs. And the song went down thrillingly for the fans at Download-with the audience reacting rapturously to the song’s surprise inclusion in the set.

Placebo played Nancy Boy live tonight and honestly I could cry with happiness. Cheers! pic.twitter.com/uO08l8ND2o

— Graham Falk (@GrahamFalk) June 10, 2023

That’s really wild, considering what I know of Molko and what Nancy Boy means to him. — Madly Jane (@GirlsandGoblins) June 11, 2023

Previously, Placebo had expressed reluctance at playing hit songs, expressing a sense of stasis and boredom with tracks that they felt compelled to play every night. Speaking about the band’s ‘best of tour’, Olsdal said, “that tour lasted for quite a long time, and we started to get this slightly unhealthy relationship with our old material. I started to feel quite disillusioned by the band and what we were doing.”

But that bad feeling was cast aside during an exciting and spirited Download set, with Placebo sending the crowd into ecstasy when the opening notes of “Nancy Boy” rang out from the Opus Stage speakers. Fans could barely contain their excitement and quickly took to social media to voice their pleasure.

Placebo will continue to delight their UK based fans- continuing their tour through the country with dates in Birmingham, Cambridge and Glasgow. There are, of course, no guarantees that Placebo will throw out more classics but very few will deny the band still know how to entertain their scores of adoring supporters.

Find tickets to Placebo’s European tour dates here.

Placebo European Tour:

20/06/2023 – Tollwood Sommerfestival – Munich, Germany
24/06 – O2 Academy – Galsgow
26/06 – 3Arena – Dublin
04/07 – Cognac Blues Passions Festival – Cognac, France
05/07 – Jardin Public – Cognac, France
05/07 – Festival Cruilla – Barcelona, Spain
06/07 – Arènes de Nîmes – Nîmes, France
11/07 – Stupinigi Sonic Park – Nichelino, Italy
13/07 – Piazza Napoleone – Lucca, Italy
14/07 – Autodromo Internazionale Enzo and Dino Ferrari – Imola, Italy
16/07 – Sonic Park Matera – Matera, Italy
18/07 – Piazzola Live Festival – Piazzola Sul Brenta, Italy
27/07 – Noches del Botánico – Madrid, Spain
28/07 – Low Festival – Benidorm, Spain
04/08 – Lokerse Feesten – Lokeren, Belgium
08/08 – 013 – Tilburg, Netherlands
10/08 – Kunstrasen Bonn – Bonn, Germany
11/08 – Fete Du Bruit Dans Landerneau – Landerneau, France
23/08 – Rock En Seine – Paris, France
25/08 – Domaine National de Saint Cloud – Paris, France
26/08 – Domaine National de Saint Cloud – Paris, France

In this latest Placebo interpretation, “Shout” becomes a brooding industrial march. Given that the single’s original songwriter Roland Orzabal has said that the song concerns itself with political protest, it also makes for a fitting follow-on from Placebo’s latest album release Never Let Me Go, which marked itself out with commentary on tech-saturation, rising intolerance and the climate crisis.

Placebo recently announced a postponement of their North American tour dates, with rescheduled performances for 2023 to be announced soon.

Never Let Me Go, the band’s first album in nearly a decade, arrived in March. Classic Rock said “like their sci-fi-noir rock contemporaries Garbage, Placebo are a band to which music is finally catching up” and Kerrang! described the collection as “prescient tales of loss, surveillance, and climate change,” dubbing it “a record for our times.”

Placebo formed in 1994, with the London-based pair of Brian Molko (vocals/guitar) and Stefan Olsdal (bass/guitar), releasing their eponymous debut just two years later. In the intervening years, Placebo have released eight studio albums, that have sold over 13 million copies, filled stadiums from Moscow to Sydney, won numerous awards including a 1999 Brit Award and pushed the boundaries of gender and sexuality.

The group is also on the cusp of beginning an extensive UK and EU tour supporting their most recent album. Beginning in November the tour will see the band hit 13 different venues around England and Scotland; including 2 nights at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. You can try and bag any remaining tickets for the shows here.

Placebo’s UK tour dates:

18/11/2022 – Guildhall – Portsmouth
19/11 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
21/11 – Eventim Olympia – Liverpool
22/11 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
24/11 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
26/11 – O2 Brixton Academy – London
27/11 – O2 Brixton Academy – London
29/11 – De Montford Hall – Leicester
30/11 – O2 Academy Leeds – Leeds
02/12 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle
03/12 – O2 Academy Glasgow – Glasgow
05/12 – 3 Arena – Dublin
07/12 – Corn Exchange – Cambridge
08/12 – O2 Academy 1 – Birmingham

Photo credit: Mads Perch

Speaking to Music Week, Molko stated that he felt the people behind Spotify were ‘just interested in making money at the expense of others. It comes from a place of just pure profit-making on their part’, and called attention to the ‘negligible’ profits that artists received from the service.

Earlier this month Radiohead’s Thom Yorke removed his solo music, and the works of his side-project Atoms for Peace, from Spotify, stating on Twitter; ‘Make no mistake, new artists you discover on Spotify will not get paid, meanwhile, shareholders will be rolling in it’. Last year, Black Keys member Patrick Carney said that the service was not fair to new artists.

The service, launched in Stockholm in 2006, currently has over 24 million subscribers, a quarter of whom pay a monthly fee for additional features. It has been touted as a legal and fair alternative to digital piracy, but has come under fire for supposedly failing to adequately compensate the musicians whose work is streamed on the service – a 2010 infographic estimated that a solo artist would need over four million plays a month just to earn minimum wage.

Counterarguments by Spotify state that the majority of their revenue is spent on royalties, and that it is the responsibility of the record companies to ensure their artists were fairly paid.