PLACEBO

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the release of their groundbreaking debut album, Placebo announces the release of “Placebo RE:CREATED”, a thrilling new version of the album, which presented the group to a wide audience for the first time in 1996. The album will be released on June 19, 2026 on Elevator Lady Ltd via AWAL.

Appearing on stage at the height of the Britpop era, Placebo represented a stark contrast to the cultural climate prevailing at the time. While much of British guitar music at the time focused on boyish nostalgia and national identity, the debut album Placebo offered something far more provocative and confrontational. The songs touched on sexuality, androgyny, addiction and alienation with a sincerity rarely seen in mainstream rock at the time, making the band one of the most distinctive voices of their generation.

Thirty years later, on the album “Placebo RE:CREATED”, the band returns to this groundbreaking release with a fresh look. The new record features reworked and enriched versions of all ten tracks from the original album and two bonus tracks from the original release, capturing the evolution of these songs over decades of performances while retaining the raw character that defined them. Among the tracks are the breakthrough singles “Nancy Boy” and “36 Degrees”, which helped cement Placebo's reputation as a band with bold lyrics and a sound that transcends genre boundaries. These new recordings reinforce the intensity and character that made the originals such a strong resonance, while also reflecting the band's growth and experience in the years since their debut.

Placebo comments on his new album:

“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. Questo progetto è stato finito il record, dragging it sonically into the 21st century, 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. When we made the first album, we didn't yet have the experience or the studio knowledge to fully translate what was in our heads. Over the years, the songs took on a life of their own on stage; they grew, they developed, they kind of completed themselves. A celebration of where we began, and a meeting point between who we were then and who we are now. It's a way of honoring that innocence, while letting the songs exist with the scale, confidence, and energy of the band we've become.”

When the new band Placebo appeared on the scene in 1996, its aesthetics and lyrical content challenged the established standards of British rock culture. Their visual identity—deliberately ambiguous, glamorous, and provocative—challenged traditional notions of gender and masculinity at a time when these topics rarely appeared in mainstream discussion. In doing so, Placebo paved the way for a different kind of alternative voice that resonated deeply with audiences outside the mainstream culture and remains a benchmark for many of their contemporaries to this day.

Today, discussions about identity, gender expression, and individuality are more prominent — and often more controversial — than ever before. In this context, the beginnings of the debut album Placebo seem extremely relevant again. Placebo RE:CREATED not only pays tribute to the legacy of the original label, but also highlights its enduring cultural significance, confirming how far ahead of its time at release.

The album was reproduced by Brian Molko and Rob Kirwan based on the original master tapes, with Adam Noble handling the mix. The result is a compilation that retains the immediacy and rebellious character of the original while taking the sound to new territory — reflecting both the band's long history associated with these tracks and its ongoing creative evolution.

Later this year, Placebo will embark on an extensive tour of the UK and Europe to celebrate this momentous anniversary. The musicians will perform tracks from their first two albums, “Placebo” and “Without You I'm Nothing” — some of which haven't been played live in more than 20 years! The tour will start in Portugal and then move to other European countries, including, among others, on November 18 to Atlas Arena in Lodz, to finish in the UK. During this time, they will play 36 concerts in front of hundreds of thousands of fans.

General sale: Friday, March 27 at 10:00am on www.LiveNation.pl

Placebo, at the invitation of Robert Smith of The Cure, will also perform on stage with his good friends from the band “Garbage” during the Teenage Cancer Trust concert series at the legendary Royal Albert Hall. This annual series has long been one of the most respected charity music events in the UK, bringing together top artists to raise funds for young people struggling with cancer. All tickets available here: https://placebo.ffm.to/live

The album “Placebo RE:CREATED” will be available for pre-order from March 18 in various versions.

TRACKLIST “PLACEBO RE:CREATED”

Come Home

Teenage Angst

Bionic

36 Degrees

Hang On To Your IQ

Nancy Boy

Jeg vet

Pristine Bruise

Lady of the Flowers

Swallow

Drowning by Numbers

H.K. Farewell