Placebo have shared a newly updated and heavier version of their classic song ‘Bruise Pristine’ today, March 30. You can listen to it below.
The group recently announced ‘RE:CREATED’, a fresh reinterpretation of their 1996 debut album, along with plans for a UK and European tour where they will perform songs from their first two records.
The refreshed edition of their self titled debut album is scheduled to arrive on June 19 through Elevator Lady Ltd via AWAL. With this release, the band revisits the cultural influence their music had when it first arrived nearly 30 years ago. You can pre order it here.
The first preview from the upcoming release is the newly reimagined version of ‘Bruise Pristine’, originally featured on their 1996 debut album.
According to a statement, the band revisited the original recordings and reshaped them into something that feels “heavier and more dynamic than the original.”
You can listen to the track here:
The forthcoming release will include updated versions of all ten songs from the original album along with two additional bonus tracks from that era. Among them are the defining singles ‘Nancy Boy’ and ‘36 Degrees’, which have been refreshed to reflect how they have developed through years of live performances while still keeping the raw energy that first made them stand out.
While discussing the upcoming record, Placebo explained: “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.
“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 expanded, they matured, they almost finished their own story.
“It’s a celebration of where we began, and a meeting point between who we were then and who we are now. It’s about respecting that early innocence while allowing the songs to exist with the scale, confidence, and energy of the band we have grown into.”
Garbage’s Shirley Manson and Placebo’s Brian Molko with Yungblud backstage at Royal Albert Hall for the Robert Smith curated Teenage Cancer Trust gig series. Credit: Scarlet Page
Over the weekend, the band returned to the stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of Robert Smith’s Teenage Cancer Trust shows, performing alongside Garbage.
Placebo performed an intimate stripped back set, marking their first live appearance in almost two years following the touring cycle for their well received 2022 album ‘Never Let Me Go’.
They began the night with a cover of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Jackie O’, which had not been played live in more than ten years, followed by the fan favourite ‘Special Needs’ from ‘Sleeping With Ghosts’.
According to Andrew Trendell’s live review, standout moments included the return of the classic ‘Pure Morning’, played live for the first time since 2018, along with a refreshed take on ‘Taste In Men’. The group also performed ‘Follow The Cops Back Home’ for the first time in over 15 years and an updated version of ‘Slave To The Wage’. Their performance ended with a standing ovation from the audience.
Alongside news of the updated version of their 1996 debut album, Placebo have also confirmed a large scale UK and European arena tour celebrating the anniversary. The shows will feature material from both their debut record and their second album ‘Without You I’m Nothing’, including songs that have not been played live in more than two decades.
The tour begins with two shows in Portugal on September 28 and 29, before continuing across Europe in October with stops in Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and other countries. More European dates follow in November before the UK leg starts toward the end of that month.
The UK and Ireland dates include performances in Nottingham and Glasgow on November 28 and 30, followed by shows in Dublin, Manchester, London and Cardiff during the first week of December.
Visit here for UK tickets and here for international tickets.Placebo UK and European 2026 tour dates are:
MARCH
28 – London Royal Albert Hall – Teenage Cancer Trust
APRIL
11 – Switzerland – Zermatt Unplugged
PLACEBO 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR:
SEPTEMBER
28 – Oporto, Portugal – Super Bock Arena
29 – Lisbon, Portugal – Sagres Campo Pequeno
OCTOBER
1 – Madrid, Spain – Movistar Arena (The Ring)
3 – Barcelona, Spain – St. Jordi Club
5 – Toulouse, France – Zenith
7 – Nantes, France – Zenith
9 – Esch sur Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
12 – Leipzig, Germany – Quarterback Immobilien Arena
15 – Vilnius, Lithuania – Twinsbet Arena
16 – Riga, Latvia – Xiaomi Arēna
18 – Helsinki, Finland – Veikkaus Arena
20 – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet
22 – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum
24 – Copenhagen, Denmark – KB Hall
26 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena
27 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
29 – Frankfurt, Germany – Festhalle
NOVEMBER
1 – Antwerp, Belgium – Afas Dome
2 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena
4 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion
6 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum
9 – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle
10 – Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle
13 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Arena
15 – Prague, Czech Republic – Fortuna Sports Hall
16 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena
18 – Lodz, Poland – Atlas Arena
21 – Stuttgart, Germany – Hans Martin Schleyer Halle
23 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena
25 – Paris, France – Accor Arena
28 – Nottingham, UK – NIC Arena
30 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
DECEMBER
2 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
4 – Manchester, UK – Co op Live Arena
5 – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley
7 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
The 2026 tour and ‘RE:CREATE’ album follow earlier hints from the band about important plans to mark the 30th anniversary of their debut, which they began teasing toward the end of last year. When it first came out, the album received an 8 out of 10 review from NME and reached Number Five on the UK charts.
The band had previously celebrated their 20th anniversary with a tour in 2016, revisiting older songs such as ‘Pure Morning’ for the first time in nearly a decade, while also telling fans they might not perform some of those tracks again.
In a 2022 interview with NME, Molko reflected on that period and their 2016 greatest hits collection ‘A Place For Us To Dream’.
“We weren’t particularly comfortable with the prospect of doing a retrospective tour,” the frontman explained. “At the time we were on Universal Records, and we had the feeling that we’d lose all support from them if we didn’t embark on this hideously materialistic and mercantile endeavour.”
His bandmate Stefan Olsdal added: “That tour lasted quite a long time, and we began to develop a slightly unhealthy connection with our earlier songs. I started questioning the band and what we were doing. Going into this record, I struggled with confidence. During that last tour I even felt like the band might be finished and that I could not continue.”
Placebo’s most recent album remains ‘Never Let Me Go’, which arrived in 2022. In a four star review, NME described it as “a renaissance rock record with an experimental edge”.
