Rock band Placebo were back and better than ever as they took to the stage on Saturday, two years after wrapping up their Never Let Me Go Tour.
And it was all for a good cause as they supported Garbage for Robert Smith's emotionally-charged Teenage Trust gig at the Royal Albert Hall.
Smiling lead singer Brian Molko, 53, arrived on stage alongside bandmate Stefan Olsdal, 51, without the famed moustache he had been sporting in recent years and looking more like he did when the band first emerged in the 90s.
Brian said: 'We haven't toured in two years. We're s***ting it' and appeared visibly shocked to receive such a rapturous applause from fans.
It's a big year for the band, as they are marking 30 years since they released their first self-titled album, Placebo.
'We haven't toured for two years - we're s***ting it': Placebo delighted fans with an acoustic set featuring rarely performed tracks as they supported Garbage at the Teenage Cancer Trust gig at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday
Smiling lead singer Brian Molko, 53, arrived on stage alongside bandmate Stefan Olsdal, 51, (right), without the famed moustache he had been sporting in recent years and looking more like he did when the band first emerged in the 90s
Brian and Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson met up before the show, with Shirley noting they had 'grown up together' after performing on the festival citcuit since the 90a
Placebo and Garbags pictured together backstage
They have just announced a new album, Placebo Re:Created, out June 19 and a 30th anniversary European tour, in which they which play songs from Placebo and second album, Without You I'm Nothing.
These songs have not been performed live for more than 20 years.
While fans might have anticipated hearing just those tracks, they instead played a magical, acoustic version of some of their most rarely played numbers.
They opened the set with Sinead O'Connor cover, Jackie, before moving onto Special Needs from fourth studio album, Sleeping With Ghosts.
They skipped fan favourites such as Nancy Boy and Teenage Angst, but they did play a beautifully slow version of Beautiful James from their last album, Never Let Me Go.
They closed the set with Centrefolds as the light from a giant disco ball danced around the famous Albert Hall, looking something like the inside of a jewellery box.
Garbage then opened with the title track from their latest album Let All That We Imagine Be the Light, with frontwoman Shirley Manson proving what she once said: 'I will always and forever rock HARDER than most.'
The band performed songs from their debut album, beginning with Fix Me Now.
Other hits included cult classic, I Think I’m Paranoid, and Shirley later apologised to fans for 'losing her voice,' saying she had been very sick over the last couple of weeks with laryngitis - not that you could tell with her note perfect vocals.
Perhaps the most beautiful song they performed was The Cure’s Lovesong in tribute to the band's lead singer Robert Smith who curates the Teenage Cancer Trust gigs.
The original Placebo landed at the height of Britpop but cut sharply against the grain.
While the charts were dominated by swaggering nostalgia, Brian and Stefan were exploring androgyny, queerness, addiction and alienation with a candour that made them instant outliers.
Their debut quickly became a cult favourite, helped along by breakthrough singles Nancy Boy and 36 Degrees, and set the tone for a band who would spend the next three decades refusing to fit neatly into any scene.
Garbage opened with the title track from their latest album Let All That We Imagine Be the Light, with frontwoman Shirley Manson proving what she once said: 'I will always and forever rock HARDER than most'
Placebo are revisiting the album that launched their career, announcing Placebo RE:CREATED — a newly reworked version of their 1996 debut — which arrives on June 19 (pictured in the 90s)
Three decades later, the duo have gone back to the master tapes to create what they describe as a 'director’s cut' of the record.
Rather than a full remake, Placebo RE:CREATED captures how the songs have evolved after years on the road, adding new layers and detail while keeping the jagged, provocative energy that defined the originals.
The updated tracklist includes all ten songs from the debut plus two bonus tracks from the era.
Speaking about the project, the band said last week that the new versions reflect '30 years of playing these songs live,' adding that the aim was to 'drag [the album] into the 21st century sonically' without losing the spirit of the 1996 release.
They described the process as 'a celebration of where we began' and 'a meeting point between who we were then and who we are now.'
The tour begins in Portugal on September 28, before travelling across Europe and wrapping up in the UK, with 36 dates expected to draw huge crowds.
Placebo RE:CREATED is available to pre-order across multiple formats, including CD, cassette, a box set and several vinyl editions.
To donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust, visit: https://donate.teenagecancertrust.org
