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

Placebo’s recently announced new full-length album will be their first since 2013’s Loud Like Love, setting up the impending March 25^th release date as a momentous occasion for both the band themselves and long-time fans. The band have released four singles so far, including “Beautiful James”, “Surrounded By Spies” and “Try Better Now” and “Happy Birthday in the Sky”. You can find these songs on streaming services, and you can take a listen to “Happy Birthday in the Sky” at the YouTube link below.

A recent press release calls Placebo’s Never Let Me Go an album that  “grapples with humanity’s multiple crises, from “Beautiful James,” a stirring anthem for non-heteronormative relationships, to “Surrounded By Spies,” an observation on tech-saturation, “Try Better Next Time,” a track that is both a statement on climate calamity and a poetic hope for the future, and the final preview of the album: “Happy Birthday In The Sky,” a moving ode to those who are no longer with us.”

Singer and guitarist Brian Molko said of the album: “I wanted to capture the confusion of what it’s like to be alive today the feeling of being lost, always walking in a labyrinth, continuously being overwhelmed by information and opinions.”

You can pre-order the upcoming album here. The album will be available on a number of different physical formats including CD, vinyl and cassette tape. Several different vinyl colour variants are available; black, pink and amethyst.

Placebo will also be embarking on a UK tour later this year in November and December. You can view the dates down below, and tickets for the tour can be found here.

Album Release Shows
23/03/2022- Le Trianon- Paris
25/03- Metropol- Berlin
28/03- Melkweg- Amsterdam
29/03- Orangerie (Botanique)- Brussels
31/03- Islington Assembly Hall- London

UK Tour
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