Placebo win Pride Icon Award at the Attitude Pride Awards 2026
"Love openly and exist without fear".
By Nick Reilly
Placebo‘s founding members Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal accepted the Pride Icon Award at the Attitude Pride Awards supported by British Airways yesterday (July 3).
The band accepted the award at the Chancery Rosewood London, almost three decades after hit song ‘Nancy Boy’ put them on the map, as well as appearing on the cover of Attitude in an exclusive cover interview and shoot – the band’s first in years.
“Thank you all, this is the most fantastic honour and privilege, and Stefan has prepared a speech,” said frontman Brian Molko.
Olsdal went on: “Receiving this Attitude Award is, like Brian said, a genuine honour for us and something that we did not expect when we started the band about 30 years ago down the road in South London.
“We’d just like to thank everyone at Attitude for this recognition and everyone here tonight for continuing to celebrate authenticity, resilience and the power of being unapologetically yourself. I have to mention our fans because we wouldn’t be here without them. Thank you for walking this journey with us. Your generosity, your courage, and your willingness to connect with our music.
“That’s meant more than we can ever express. It reminded us time and again that art has the power to make people feel seen. Pride has never just been about celebration, it’s about visibility, community, and continuing the fight for equality, dignity and compassion.”
He continued: “While we’ve made incredible progress, there’s still work to do. And it’s vital that we keep standing together, especially for those whose voices are still being ignored or silenced. So we’re proud to accept this award, not just as musicians. But as queer people and allies, and as people who believe that everyone deserves the freedom to live honestly. Love openly and exist without fear.”
Speaking to Attitude, the pair also said they do not believe the world is any less prejudiced than it was 30 years ago, despite greater visibility for LGBTQ+ people.
“I don’t know if it’s gotten any better,” Molko said.
“I think kind of history moves in cycles and circles. I think for the LGBT community, what’s really positive is that we are a lot more visible today than we were 30 years ago, but I don’t think that the world is a less prejudiced place by any means.”
Head to Attitude for more coverage of the Pride Awards.