PLACEBO

To mark the 30th anniversary of the release of their groundbreaking debut album, Placebo announces the release of “Placebo RE:CREATED”—a new, electrifying version of the album that first introduced the band to a wide audience in 1996. The album will be released on June 19, 2026, by Elevator Lady Ltd. via AWAL.

Emerging on the scene at the height of the Britpop era, Placebo stood in stark contrast to the prevailing cultural climate of the time. While most British guitar music at the time focused on boyish nostalgia and national identity, Placebo’s debut album offered something far more provocative and confrontational. The songs addressed themes of sexuality, androgyny, addiction, and alienation with a candor rarely seen in mainstream rock at the time, making the band one of the most distinctive voices of its generation.

Thirty years later, on the album *Placebo RE:CREATED*, the band revisits this groundbreaking release with a fresh perspective. The new album features reworked and enriched versions of all ten tracks from the original album, plus two bonus tracks from the original release, capturing the evolution of these songs over decades of live 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 amplify the intensity and character that made the originals resonate so powerfully, while reflecting the band’s growth and experience in the years since their debut.

Placebo comments on their new album as follows:

“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 performing these songs live back into the record.  This project was about finally finishing the record, bringing it into the 21st century sonically, while preserving the integrity and 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 know-how 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. IIt’s 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 burst onto the scene in 1996, their aesthetic and lyrical content challenged the established norms of British rock culture. Their visual identity—deliberately ambiguous, striking, and provocative—challenged traditional notions of gender and masculinity at a time when these topics rarely appeared in mainstream discourse. In this way, Placebo carved out a space for a different kind of alternative voice that deeply resonated with audiences outside the cultural mainstream and remains a point of reference 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 origins of Placebo’s debut album seem more relevant than ever. The album “Placebo RE:CREATED” not only pays homage to the legacy of the original release but also highlights its enduring cultural significance, confirming just how far ahead of its time the album was at the time of its release.

The album was remastered by Brian Molko and Rob Kirwan using the original master tapes, with mixing handled by Adam Noble. The result is a compilation that preserves the directness and rebellious spirit of the original while taking the sound into new territory—reflecting both the band’s long history with these songs 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 band will perform songs from their first two albums, *Placebo* and *Without You I’m Nothing*—some of which haven’t been played live in over 20 years! The tour will kick off in Portugal and then move on to other European countries, including a stop on November 18 at Atlas Arena in Łódź, before concluding in the UK. During this time, they will play 36 concerts in front of hundreds of thousands of fans.

Pre-sale on the artist's website: Tuesday, March 24 at 10:00 a.m.

Ticketmaster presale: Thursday, March 26 at 10:00 a.m.

General sale: Friday, March 27 at 10:00 a.m. at www.LiveNation.pl

At the invitation of Robert Smith of The Cure, Placebo will also take the stage alongside their 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 leading artists to raise funds for young people battling cancer. All tickets available here: https://placebo.ffm.to/live

The album "Placebo RE:CREATED" will be available for pre-order starting March 18 in various editions.

TRACK LIST “PLACEBO RE:CREATED”

1. Come Home
2. Teenage Angst
3. Bionic
4. 36 Degrees
5. Hang On to Your IQ
6. Nancy Boy
7. I Know
8. Bruise Pristine
9. Lady of the Flowers
10. Swallow
11. Drowning by the Numbers
12. H.K. Farewell