Ben Folds Five To Commemorate 30th Anniversary Of Debut Album

After some teasing, Ben Folds has confirmed that Ben Folds Five are commemorating the belated 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut album.

Released in 1995 and celebrated in 2026, Folds himself admitted that exploring the vault took longer than expected.

So, the rock trio are gearing up to celebrate the first Ben Folds Five album with a newly remastered anniversary edition on vinyl and CD, complete with unseen photos and new liner notes, as well as the “Shelved First Attempt” – the original version of the album created before the album you know and love was released.

You can pre-save the Shelved First Attempt album here, and pre-order/pre-save the 30th Anniversary release here.

Today, Underground (Shelved First Attempt) is available to stream. The band are also releasing 1,000 copies signed by the three members – Ben Folds, Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee – exclusively available to pre-order via uDiscover Music.

And when fans head to the uDiscover Music website, reunion tour rumours heat up, as there’s this little nugget mentioned at the end of the article about the anniversary release:

Beyond the reissue, the band’s original lineup — Folds on piano and vocals, Robert Sledge on bass, and Darren Jessee on drums — will reunite for their first live shows together in more than 13 years soon. Further details are yet to be announced.

At the time of publication, no members of Ben Folds Five have addressed the rumours.

After originally disbanding in 2000, Ben Folds Five reunited in 2011, released their fourth album, The Sound of the Life of the Mind, in 2012, and once again disbanded in 2013.

In 2023, the group reformed for a concert in tribute to Caleb Southern – the producer of the band’s first three albums and named the “fourth member” of Ben Folds Five – in Chapel Hill, the site of their formation.

The members of Ben Folds Five have found continued success despite the band’s disbandment. Ben Folds has released six solo albums, with his most recent record, Sleigher – a Christmas album – released in 2024.

After an epic run of sold-out shows earlier this year, Folds is again heading to Australia in October for a string of “Encore” shows on his Ben Folds And A Piano tour, which includes a performance for Night At The Barracks.