Placebo frontman Brian Molko has hinted that the band has something “quite significant” in mind to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their 1996 self-titled debut album.
Placebo frontman Brian Molko has hinted that the band have “significant” plans to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut studio album.
The singer would tease upcoming plans in a recent interview with VRT Radio 1 in Antwerp, Belgium. The station had recently hosted a special celebration gig for rock contemporaries dEUS in the city, with Molko joining for the tracks ‘Hotellounge’ and ‘Roses’.
During the interview, Molko was asked if he could see Placebo embarking on a celebratory run of live dates to mark three decades of their 1996 self-titled debut, and if they would play the record in full.
“Well, we have a 30th anniversary coming up very soon, next year,” Molko responded. “Yeah. It’s the 30th anniversary of our first record. And yes, we will definitely be doing something quite significant to celebrate the 30 years.”
You can listen to the full interview below:
Molko would share some details about Placebo’s early years and their tour with dEUS earlier in the interview, calling the era “chaotic”.
“I think we were as chaotic as each other, as bands,” he said. “We were kind of kindred spirits. It was very cool. I really liked also the ambition that they had.”
Molko continued: “I was obsessed with [dEUS’ debut album] ‘Worst Case Scenario’. To me, it was so much more imaginative and daring and psychedelic and surrealist than any of the other popular guitar records of the time.
“I loved the idea that they had a violin, y’know? Then it was really pushed to the front. And if you come and see my band now, for the past 20 years, we’ve had a violin player. So, it’s definitely an influence.”
That said, the band has previously expressed reluctance to do anniversary shows. In 2022, Molko revealed in an interview with NME that the group wasn’t comfortable with a retrospective tour, but worried they’d lose support from their label if they didn’t embark on one.
“We weren’t particularly comfortable with the prospect of doing a retrospective and retrospective tour,” the frontman admitted. “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.”
Fellow bandmate Stefan Olsdal would also share Molko’s sentiment: “That tour lasted for quite a long time, and we started to get this slightly unhealthy relationship with our old material. I started to feel quite disillusioned by the band and what we were doing. I had a crisis of confidence coming into this record. I felt during the last tour that the band was over and that I couldn’t continue with this.”
So, until Placebo themselves make any official announcement, it’s unclear what the band has in store for this “significant” celebration.
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