Placebo have just shared their powerful, industrial version of Tears For Fears’ anthemic single, ‘Shout,’ ahead of their headline tour in November. Described as, “a rallying cry against apathy” by Placebo’s frontman, Brian Moloko, the track is a fitting follow-up to their eighth studio album Never Let Me Go.
The iconic duo explored issues such as climate crisis, rising intolerance and tech saturation in their latest LP. Tears for Fears’ ‘Shout’ echoes the themes of Never Let Me Go by calling for dissent. Original songwriter, Roland Orzabal, foreshadowed Placebo’s version by saying that ‘Shout’ was more “concerned with political protest” than primal scream theory.
Placebo’s frontman, Brian Moloko says he was inspired to cover ‘Shout‘ in order to give his son and his contemporaries “a protest anthem.” Taken from the Tears for Fears album, Songs From The Big Chair, ‘Shout,’ peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. Placebo’s version brings Moloko’s distinctive voice to the forefront, backed by the hard-hitting urgency of the synthesized industrial soundscape.
‘Shout’ joins a rich lineage of Placebo cover versions of songs from the 80s. Artists such as Sinead O’Connor (‘Jackie’), The Smiths (‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’), The Pixies (‘Where Is My Mind?’) and – most famously of all – Kate Bush (‘Running Up That Hill’) which have all been covered by the band.
Speaking of ‘Shout,’ frontman Moloko says,
“In the mid 1980’s when I was a teenager, Shout by Tears for Fears served as part of my political awakening. Today I realise that it could be about anything that angers or frustrates a person. For me it’s a call to arms for self-expression, speaking one’s own truth.”
“As I watched my son’s generation become more politicised, and the world continue to crumble around us, I wanted to offer him and his contemporaries a protest anthem, since it appears that it is mostly them who still have the capacity to save us from ourselves.
“Shout’s essence as a song is its simplicity,” Molko adds, “it feels very natural to engage directly with it. This rallying cry against apathy will hopefully provide a context for those who care to express their anger. Or simply offer some kind of catharsis. It certainly still does both for me.”
Placebo will embark on what is going to be a sold out headline tour of the UK and Ireland later this year. Tickets are available here.
PLACEBO UK + IE 2022 HEADLINE TOUR DATES
NOVEMBER 2022
Fri 18 – Portsmouth – Guildhall – SOLD OUT
Sat 19 – Brighton – Brighton Centre – SOLD OUT
Mon 21 – Liverpool – Eventim Olympia – SOLD OUT
Tue 22 – Manchester – O2 Victoria Warehouse – SOLD OUT
Thu 24 – Cardiff – Motorpoint Arena
Sat 26 – London – O2 Brixton Academy – SOLD OUT
Sun 27 – London – O2 Brixton Academy – SOLD OUT
Tue 29 – Leicester – De Montfort Hall – SOLD OUT
Wed 30 – Leeds – O2 Academy Leeds – SOLD OUT
DECEMBER 2022
Fri 2 – Newcastle – O2 City Hall – SOLD OUT
Sat 3 – Glasgow – O2 Academy Glasgow – SOLD OUT
Mon 5 – Dublin – 3 Arena
Wed 7 – Cambridge – Corn Exchange – SOLD OUT
Thu 8 – Birmingham – O2 Academy 1 – SOLD OUT
