How does a band celebrate turning 30? Placebo's answer: tear through the archives and pull out a new song nobody's ever heard live. They kicked off their 30th anniversary tour on opening night at Krakatoa in Mérignac, France, with a 19-song setlist hiding several tracks that hadn't been played in over 20 years. But the real surprise was saved for a few shows later at Super Bock Arena in Porto, Portugal — where new single 'Helen Keller' got its live debut, slotted in as song number 13 of the night.
This tour marks 30 years since Placebo's self-titled 1996 debut album, and the band has announced a run of major UK and European arena shows centered on that debut and its 1998 follow-up, *Without You I'm Nothing*. The Mérignac opening night kicked off with 'Pure Morning,' followed by 'Come Home' — a track that hadn't been performed since 2006.
Further down the setlist, the surprises kept coming: 'You Don't Care About Us' resurfaced for the first time since 2001, 'Without You I'm Nothing' since 2018, and 'Allergic (To Thoughts Of Mother Earth)' since 2014. 'Drowning by Numbers,' 'Bruise Pristine,' and 'My Sweet Prince' all made the setlist for the first time since 2001, 'Brick Shithouse' since 2003, and 'Scared Of Girls' since 2010, while 'Lady Of The Flowers' and '36 Degrees' (alternate version) returned for the first time since 2017, a nine-year gap. The rest of the setlist was rounded out by 'Teenage Angst,' 'Bionic,' 'I Know,' 'Every You Every Me,' and 'Nancy Boy,' capped off with two covers: Depeche Mode's 'I Feel You' and Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God).'
'Helen Keller': A New Song Grown From a Long-Buried Score
Released September 28, 'Helen Keller' has roots that actually go back to that 1996 debut album era — a never-officially-released hidden instrumental called 'H.K. Farewell.' In the new version, Placebo keeps the original's eerie keyboard melody but pushes it into heavier, more anguished emotional territory. The title refers to American author, disability rights advocate, and political activist Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing as a child before becoming a world-renowned writer and social activist.
Beyond the tour and new single, Placebo has also released a reinterpreted version of the debut album for its 30th anniversary. Frontman Brian Molko and bassist Stefan Olsdal went back to the original master tapes and reworked all 10 tracks from the album, describing the result as a "director's cut" — using 30 years of accumulated experience to give these old songs a new texture.
Tour Route: London, Dublin to São Paulo
This leg of the tour will arrive in the UK and Ireland in late November and early December, passing through Nottingham, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, London, and Cardiff. In 2027, the tour extends to Latin America, kicking off in São Paulo, Brazil on February 20, then moving through Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Colombia, before wrapping up in March with shows in Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico.
Placebo's last album of all-new material was 2022's *Never Let Me Go*, which NME awarded four stars at the time, calling it "a revivalist rock record with experimental edges" and noting the band was "in prime form, ready for a new era." Looking back now, this tour — digging up decades-old setlists while linking new material to 30-year-old source material — feels like it's pushing that assessment one step further.
