Alt-rock duo Placebo celebrate 30 years since their self-titled debut album this year, and they haven’t forgotten it. Today they’ve announced a modernised re-release of 1996’s ‘Placebo’ and a tour that will see them play songs from their first two albums across Europe, before hitting 5 dates in the UK and one in Ireland.
Aside from the occasional drummer, Placebo’s core of lead-singer and guitarist Brian Molko paired with bassist and guitarist Stefan Olsdal has driven the band since their chance encounter in 1994. When they released their first LP ‘Placebo’, they had already sorted a record label following strong early singles ‘Bruise Pristine’ and ‘Come Home’. Later single ‘Teenage Angst’ also became popular, but it was the track ‘Nancy Boy’ that really asserted the band as unique. The members’ androgynous appearance and Molko’s nasal voice, coupled with lyrics about subverting gender identities and drug abuse led to it becoming simultaneously wildly popular and controversial. ‘Nancy Boy’ became a breakaway success, hitting number four on the Official Singles Chart, and bringing the album back to fifth in the UK Album Chart.
They followed up with second album ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ in 1998, which also spawned successful singles ‘Pure Morning’, ‘You Don’t Care About Us’ and ‘Every You Every Me’. ‘Pure Morning’ and ‘You Don’t Care About Us’ charted at fourth and fifth respectively, the last two UK top ten singles released by Placebo. The album itself entered the charts at seventh, reaching platinum status in 2003.
Today the band took to social media to let fans know that ‘Placebo’ would be turning 30 on the 17th of June, and that they were paying homage to it with a new reimagining. The post reads “Celebrating three decades since the release of the debut album, ‘Placebo RE:CREATED’, features powerful new reworked and embellished versions of all ten tracks from the original album plus two bonus tracks.”
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However, ‘Placebo RE:CREATED’ will be no mere reissue, nor will it be a complete makeover. The post continues “We think of this record as a director’s cut. We haven’t recreated it from scratch. We went back to the original master tapes and brought 30 years of playing these songs live back into the record. This project was about finally finishing the record, dragging it into the 21st century sonically, while preserving the integrity and the spirit of the original. It’s not about improving it, there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s about completing it.”
Along with the announcement of ‘RE:CREATED’, Placebo have also revealed a 30th anniversary tour to go with it. The setlist will cover fan favourites and deep cuts from both ‘Placebo’ and ‘Without You I’m Nothing’. The European leg kicks off in Portugal on the 28th of September, arriving in the UK and Ireland for a six-night arena run through late November and early December. The UK run of dates is below, with the full list and tickets available on their website:
• November 28 – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
• November 30 – Glasgow OVO Hydro
• December 2 – Dublin 3Arena
• December 4 – Manchester Co-op Live
• December 5 – London OVO Arena Wembley
• December 7 – Cardiff Utilita Arena
Placebo play a one-off date in the UK next week, performing for the Teenage Cancer Trust’s benefit show at the Royal Albert Hall on the 28th of March. ‘Placebo RE:CREATED’ releases on the 19th of June – you can find out the story behind the project here, or pre-order physical versions here.
