Drummer Steve Hewitt has surprisingly left Placebo after 11 years.

In a statement singer Brian Molko said: "Being in a band is very much like being in a marriage and in couples - in this case a triple. People can grow apart over the years... There simply comes a point when you realise that you want different things from your relationship and that you can no longer live under the same roof, so to speak."

Brian and bassist Stefan Olsdal are "in no rush to find an immediate replacement".