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Devotional/Exotic Tour diary

Daryl Bamonte, first roadie then tour manager then also keyboard player for Depeche Mode, wrote a tour diary for the Devotional and Exotic tour, which revealed some bizarre (though undoubtedly definitely not all bizarre) events throughout this mammoth tour. His diary was spread across Bong magazine issues #22 till #25, which were published between September 1994 and June 1995. Now-defunct fan-site Sacreddm.net has typed out this entire diary, and has been copied below.

Devotional Tour diary

May 19th, LILLE:

"First gig in Lille tonight. Strange feeling, being on tour again. Funny place to start."

May 24th, BRUSSELS:

"Just spent four days in ZURICH. There’s only so many cuckoo clocks you can look at in four days."

May 27th, COPENHAGEN:

"Good show tonight. Good party afterwards. The tour is starting to hot up, as the band settle into it. Spirit of camaraderie starting to appear."

May 28th, GOTHENBURG:

"Spiritualized have left. They didn’t like us. We went to the hotel disco after the show to think about a new support band. The resident band were playing, a dodgy Swedish ska band. Kessler asked them to support us in Stockholm the next night. The drummer came round first, and agreed on behalf of his band."

May 29th, STOCKHOLM:

"Ska band were superb. Of all the support bands we’ve ever had, they are the most recent."

June 1st, ROTTERDAM:

"Al’s birthday. I’m proud to say I (Dis-)Organized the most boring birthday party ever. Never mind. He’s got another birthday to come before this tour’s over."

June 6th, MILAN:

"Day off in MILAN. We just did two shows, which were great. I got refused entry to the cathedral in the city centre today. I didn’t have any sleeves. I argued that if I didn’t have any arms I wouldn’t have any sleeves, and they’d have to let me in then, but my Italian is surprisingly bad and when the polizia started shoving me, I thought I’d better hop it. Went to a bar instead. Much better."

June 8th, FLORENCE:

"A nightclub, a piano, a microphone, alcohol, Alan Wilder, Martin Gore – I THANK YOU!"

June 10th, NANCY:

"Didn’t speak all day today. Refuse to speak in a place called NANCY."

June 12th, MANNHEIM:

"Went to a disco in an airport at 7am. Yes. It’s getting that bad."

June 14th, DORTMUND:

"After a great show (Westfalenhalle), we went over the road to the park hotel for a quiet drink. (The crew were staying there.) Woke up the next morning in a twin room in the park hotel. Apparently, Martin and I checked in."

June 18th, PRAGUE:

"We had ANOTHER support band tonight. Local lads. Their name was “Sonic Smell”. Yes, you heard it right: “Sonic Smell”. I’m sorry, but not even 70 years of communism can excuse a band from taking a name that basically means “Humungous stench”. PHEW!"

June 21st, MUNICH:

"Marxman joined the tour tonight. They’re pretty good. Der wickid actually, yernart amin?"

June 30th, PARIS:

"We’ve just done two excellent sold-out shows at the Bercy. Hildia asked me “Are we doing The Bercy tonight?” and I replied “No, we’re doing Get Right With Me instead” and she just smiled. I think she’s got a cold."

July 3rd, BREST:

"Can you imagine living somewhere called BREST?"

July 7th, TOULON:

"Most of us are on the plane flying after-show from TOULON to LISBON, except for Fletch, who flew home to be with his family on his birthday, which is tomorrow. How long do you think he has at home? “29 hours, 29 hours…”"

July 10th, OPORTO:

"Dave Bracey had to do the sound tonight (did a great job). Jon Lemon couldn’t make it. Had too much to dream last night, apparently. Must be “mixing” in the wrong company."

July 15th, MADRID:

"“One of the most incredible Depeche Mode shows ever” – JD Fanger."

July 21st, FRANKFURT:

"It was 1978, and he was a young punk who had sneaked onto the stage and was dancing around in his bondage trousers, next to Joe Strummer. As the roadies rushed to get him, he ran full speed and as he flew into the crowd, he floated for a second, half hero, half angel. When he landed he realised it wasn’t 1978, it was 1993, and he was the singer of Depeche Mode and 12,000 Germans were trying to rip his trousers off."

July 23rd, OSTEND:

"Martin Gore’s birthday today, and guess what? We had a day off in OSTEND. A day-off-in-Ostend… I once wrote a script for a soap opera set in a pub in OSTEND. It was called “OSTENDERS”. It could have worked, but Anita Dobson sounded ridiculous with a Flemish accent. A day off in Ostend should have been as bad as it sounds, but we had a hotel on the beach, and looking across the North Sea you could almost smell the fish and chips. Three months away from Blighty; and now so close to home. We’ve got a gig in ZEEBRUGGE tomorrow and then a 2000 mile journey across the whole of Europe for a show in BUDAPEST. So near and yet so far…"

July 24th, ZEEBRUGGE:

"Headlined the huge Belga Beach festival today. The festival IS actually on the beach but Belga isn’t a coastal suburb of ZEEBRUGGE, it’s actually a brand of horrible cigarettes. The band were excellent tonight, even though the man upstairs decided to turn the shower on. The crowd stayed in good spirits all the same, and to show solidarity, Dave went right to the front of the stage, and dancing in bare feet, got absolutely soaked. He seemed to have an aversion to anything metal for some reason. We had a huge power-cut backstage tonight (about the same time Dave plugged his hairdryer in…)."

July 26th, BUDAPEST:

"It was a long trek from Belgium yesterday, and we had to drive out into the Hungarian countryside today for Anton to shoot the “CONDEMNATION” video. Dave seemed to spend most of the day being dragged around by Sam and Hildia. He wasn’t complaining though. It could have been the other way round…"

July 29th, LIEVIN:

"Yet another support band today. A band called “Paralax”, whose kudos is bolstered by the fact that they were recommended by Alan Wilder (and they’re on Mute.) Most of the band entourage have gone to LONDON already to “prepare” for the Crystal Palace show. It’s amazing how calm and smooth today was…"

July 31st, LONDON:

"Crystal Palace. Finally home after 3 months. 36,000+ people at this show, 1,000 with passes, and I know all of them, so backstage was chaos. My son had a good day. He definitely preferred DUB SYNDICATE to THE SISTERS OF MERCY. I used to think that ANDREW ELDRITCH was really cool. A god-like quasi-Darth Vader figure. He’s actually like RIGSBY."

September 6th, QUEBEC:

"Did a rehearsal tonight and we have the opening night of the North American tour tomorrow night. The hotel sent us a memo today (in French). Kessler translated it. It basically said that all power in the hotel would be cut between midnight and 5am due to works being carried out. Couldn’t they have let us know when we booked the rooms three weeks ago? The memo also said that extra “staff” would be provided to “assist” guests to their rooms in the darkness. What this should have said was: “Several large, fat, ugly, stupid off-duty policemen will shine industrial-strength flashlights in your face while hurling obscenities at you in French, therefore implying that you have no right to be in the hotel and so giving them every right to deny you access to the rooms that you have paid a lot of money for.” Signed The Management. As you can imagine, a melee ensured, and Dave bumped into one of them. I’m sitting writing this in the waiting room of the local nick as Kessler tries to get Dave and Darrell Ives (Head of Security) out on bail. One of the band is in jail and we haven’t even done a gig yet!"

September 7th, QUEBEC:

"Went to court with Dave today. All charges were dropped. We were so happy we bought ice lollies on the way out of the courthouse and appeared on the front cover of the local newspaper eating them. You’ve gotta laugh, ain’t ya? Dave did a very good show tonight, considering he had done some bird bang to rights."

September 8th, MONTREAL:

"Me, Alan and Joel (security) went to a bar to see England play Poland in a World Cup qualifier. England were superb and we easily won 3-0. Looks like we’re on our way to USA 94! We couldn’t drink too much as there’s a show tonight, but we’ll more than make up for it afterwards."

September 10th, BOSTON:

"Did a show in a strange little town called WORCESTER, then drove back to BOSTON, home town of Tom Wilson, our drum technician. He was our “guide” for the night. Why do people, when on their home turf, keep apologising, and putting their arm around you, and asking if you are having a good time?"

September 13th, WASHINGTON D.C.:

"Saw an amazing sight today. Me, Martin and Darrell Ives were in a cab on our way back to the hotel from the video shop when we were held up at a stop sign for a full five minutes as a convoy of about fifty limos, police cars, armed jeeps and other vehicles, flanked by police motorcycle out-riders, rushed by, sirens blaring. The reason? Yasser Arafat, PLO leader was in town and on his way to The White House for his historic meet’n’greet with Clinton and Rabin. We tried to get a glimpse as his car went past, but saw nothing, except a red and white tea-towel…"

September 17th, PITTSBURGH:

"Don’t like it here. Decided to liven up the club we were in by taking off my clothes and putting on a girl’s dress. Martin, not to be outdone, did the same but missed out the bit about the girl’s dress. Mr. Gahan was on hand with his camera, but the film has mysteriously disappeared. Said a prayer to God tonight: “Please don’t make me come here again.”"

September 26th, NEW YORK CITY:

"Feel a bit rough today. We’ve had a few late nights recently. I was sitting in Alan’s room earlier waiting for him to have his hair cut before we went to the cinema. A Woody Allen film, “Manhattan Murder Mystery”, funnily enough. I was staring out of the window at the “Manhattan skyline”, trying to recount how many songs had that title, when I saw another of those “amazing sights”. A motorcade of black sedans stretching the whole length of Madison Avenue. Alan thought I was exaggerating, until 15 minutes later as we tried to cross the road to enter the cinema as the motorcade drove past at high speed. A full 15 minutes we stood on the kerb-side and missed the start of the film. Who was in town? The President? Almost. Hilary was giving a lecture. (Probably on how to run the country without being president.)"

September 27th, HAMPTON:

"Left New York after 8 days. Everybody seems to love it there. Flew to a place called HAMPTON, Virginia and had to land in a hurricane. This is not something that I recommend. It is not funny. It is not big and it is not clever. Our little 16-seat airplane was tossed round like a crouton in a Caesar salad. We couldn’t land in Virginia or North Carolina because of the hurricane and we didn’t have enough fuel to get to Atlanta. Martin and I initially tried to keep spirits up by singing Buddy Holly and Patsy Cline songs, but then something scary happened – the co-pilot and the stewardess started WHISPERING. What did they know that we didn’t? The thunder and lightning intensified as the engines roared louder and the jokes stopped. Then it got really scary. All of a sudden, as we passed through a cloud, everything went QUIET. The thunder stopped, the engines purred and we just seemed to drift through the air as the clouds turned into a pink mist, and for the first time in my life I really thought I was going to perish. Then BANG! The turbulence re-started, the prayers re-started (Dave clutching a crucifix!) and our pilots somehow managed to get us down in one piece. However, after spending a night in a hotel in HAMPTON, we decided that the plane had crashed, we had all died and were now in hell."

September 28th, CHAPEL HILL:

"I keep seeing this strange name at the top of the rooming list. Grant Abramson… mmm…Grant… Abramson… No sorry, you’ve got me there."

September 30th, ATLANTA:

"Had lunch with Grant Abramson today. I was telling him how today was the anniversary of James Dean’s death and would have been Marc Bolan’s birthday had he still been alive. He then launched into this long, complex monologue about my obvious obsession with death, coupled with a fascination with calendar dates, therefore indicating a deep-rooted childhood desire to die on my birthday. I’d still like to know what he’s actually doing on this tour."

October 6th, NEW ORLEANS:

"Three weeks to go to my thirtieth birthday, I hope Grant Abramson was lying. Discovered a new drink in NEW ORLEANS tonight. It’s called a hurricane: a plastic 1 litre beaker filled with pink rocket fuel. I managed to break “the cat’s meow” house record by drinking seven, but I wasn’t capable of walking the three yards to collect my free T-shirt so I was disqualified. Fletch actually drank 8 hurricanes, but was also disqualified for doing it in less than an hour. “But I like to get home early,” he protested."

October 14th, DALLAS:

"Depeche Mode do not have a manager, therefore we have a group of people on this tour called “the Committee”, who have meetings to discuss various points of the tour. “The Committee” comprises of Kessler (the manager, if you ask me), JD, Franksy, Tour Manager Ivan Kushlick, Tour accountant Derek Rauchenberger and Myself. A committee meeting occurred today in Dallas, and guess who was there? That man, Grant Abramson! I was going to tell him that this is the city where JFK was shot, but I wasn’t in the mood for his response. (It’s my birthday in THIRTEEN days remember…)."

October 15th, AUSTIN:

"We went to a good club tonight, and I witnessed two things I never thought I’d see. A man picked a fight with Darrell Ives (ouch!), and Fletch had to be carried home. Every day my eyes are opened a little wider."

October 21st, DETROIT:

"Went to see the Detroit Red Wings beat someone else at ice hockey. A fantastic atmosphere. It’s amazing how the Americans can have a sport where the players beat the shit out of each other, and yet the crowd remain jovial and even bring their kids along. THAT’S how you maintain sell-out crowds. Premiership clubs take note."

October 23rd, DETROIT:

"A Saturday night in Detroit, just did two great shows here (Friday and Saturday) and it’s our security company’s home town so we’ve been to the best clubs and been very well looked after etc. Then during a room party afterwards, David Gahan, the most accident-prone man in the world, did something that a bizillion people do every day – he opened a bottle of beer. Except Dave somehow managed to cut his finger off as well."

October 26th, CLEVELAND:

"Good evening Cleveland! Travelled aftershow to Chicago. Travelled to the airport in Alan’s car and he gave me the ultimate gift – a Manchester United away shirt. On the plane at midnight I was given a huge cake, champagne etc. and Dave gave me a gift that matched Alan’s for ultimateness – The Barry Manilow box set collection! I’m in heaven. I got to my room and Ivan had decorated it with streamers and put in ANOTHER cake (and he put me in a huge suite – God bless him). Me, Martin and Denise (Kessler’s assistant) are now on our way out for a quiet drink, as a build up for the big day tomorrow."

October 28th, CHICAGO:

"I’m gutted. I missed my birthday. Most people get presents. I get punishment. Locked up in my room for 36 hours with only “Mad Marty” as company. As usual, I made the most of it, but by the time I surfaced, it was already the 28th, and I had missed the whole day. Never mind, at least Grant Abramson got it wrong and I didn’t die (apparently I had a good go, if Flood is to be believed). Anyway, I’ve got my surprise party tonight. (Oops!)"

October 31st, MINNEAPOLIS:

"Was that our wardrobe girls on those brooms?"

November 1st, CHICAGO:

"The band is shooting a video on location, starting promptly this morning. Or in the immortal words of JD Fanger, “You will be taken into the woods at 11:00am and shot immediately!”"

November 2nd, DENVER:

"Poor old Martin L. Gore. I’ve just seen him dragged out of his room dressed in nothing but a pair of silk boxer shorts and a pair of huge handcuffs. Two huge female police officers burst into his room and arrested him for “making too much noise”. The funny thing was, we had turned his stereo off, after a few complaints. The source of offending volume? Martin’s infamous loud voice. “Can I just say one more thing!?!…”"

November 4th, SALT LAKE CITY:

"The Osmonds’ home town. Need I say more?"

November 6th, VANCOUVER:

"Showed my diaries to leading critic (well, mine at least) Mr Andrew Fletcher. He says the diary in America has become too serious, and needs more humour, like the European one. I’d better think of some jokes."

November 7th, SEATTLE:

"There was this band from Basildon…”"

November 12th, SAN JOSE:

"THE THE have asked me to do a song on stage with them in Las Vegas. It’s my version of “Slow Emotion Replay”. A sort of Mike Reid meets Matt Johnson kind of affair. I can’t wait."

November 19th, LOS ANGELES:

"Tonight I met up with Anton Corbijn, a gentleman and a scholar. The four of us had drinks and then went out to dinner."

November 20th, LOS ANGELES:

"We start a run of five shows at The Forum tonight and everybody is excited. Alan is scratching himself at the moment. He claims he’s got an itchy kravitz."

November 21st, LOS ANGELES:

"Backstage was chaos last night. Worse than Crystal Palace. Backstage co-ordinator Carol Graham and I were pulling our hair out (as opposed to each other’s, which has happened in the past)."

November 25th, LOS ANGELES:

"We had a superb party at Trader Vic’s last night, courtesy of Bamonte / Kessler Productions. It was a bigger success than our sight-seeing tour of Lisbon (or sound-hearing tour, in Jon Lemon’s case). Experienced a true American Thanksgiving tonight, courtesy of Dave and Theresa. Loads of turkey and beer and people wishing each other well. All it needed was a Bond film and I could have believed it was Christmas."

November 26th, LOS ANGELES:

"We’ve finished our five-night run at The Forum. I’m exhausted. We should get an early-ish night tonight. Las Vegas tomorrow!"

November 27th, LAS VEGAS:

"Kessler phoned and told me the Vegas show is cancelled. Dave’s voice is shot to bits, and he’s got flu to boot. Bummer. I’ve never been there, and I was supposed to do my gig with THE THE. Life seems like one disappointment after another at the moment. Fletch just rang. He says the plane is still going to Vegas and do I want to jump in with him and Grainne. Oh superb! A night off in Vegas with a pocketful of greenbacks!"

November 28th, LOS ANGELES:

"“Oh what a night!” I forgot to go to bed last night. Las Vegas IS superb. 24 hours of sheer heaven (and I’m 400 bucks up). I’m going to buy a crucifix in Mexico with the money."

December 3rd, MEXICO CITY:

"We have just done two amazing shows here. “The crowd were amazing, up there with the best. The shows were stunning,” so says JD Fanger. It’s a shame then that Mexico City is about a thousand miles above sea level and has the worst traffic pollution in the world. I was out of breath walking across the room, Dave had to run around on stage for two hours…"

December 11th, DUBLIN:

"Four months of sheer madness touring North American and now I’m sitting in a hotel room in Dublin with my girlfriend, Alison, blowing up balloons for our son’s 1st Birthday party. She keeps asking me what planet I’m on, and I keep asking HER what planet I’m on."

December 14th, BIRMINGHAM:

"Back in England again. How strange."

December 20th, LONDON:

"Played Wembley tonight. A very good show, but you guessed it – backstage was chaos. We had a good party at The Regent afterwards. So what now – a long rest… NOT! I move house tomorrow, then it’s Christmas, then it’s time to start all over again…"

Exotic Tour diary

January 31st, CAPE TOWN:

"Monday morning, but I don’t have that Monday-morning-feeling. The sun is shining and Fletch and I have just flown down to glorious South Africa (or should I say Siff Ifrica). Franksy’s just taken Fletch off in an air-conditioned stretch limo, and left me to do the baggage. Still, it’s nice to have a soft comfortable suitcase to lie on after a GRUELLING TWELVE-HOUR FLIGHT."

February 1st, CAPE TOWN:

"A day off today, so I’ve got time to think. I went and sat on a rock at the end of The Cape Of Good Hope (appropriate for this tour), and worked out that The Falklands are over there somewhere, Antarctica’s down there and Australia’s that way. If anyone wants the feeling of being at the end of the world, they should come here. (Geographically, not spiritually…)"

February 2nd, PLUMSTEAD:

"Band rehearsals. I cannot believe that somebody would have come all this way last century, and not had the initiative to name their homeland after a nicer part of south-east London. “New Greenwich” perhaps? So what if they were from Plumstead? The Zulus wouldn’t have known any different."

February 4th, PLUMSTEAD:

"Rehearsals are going very well. “Rush” is a really powerful opener. On the way here yesterday, Alan and I saw something strange. There was this huge great stretch of motorway with no cars on it. The motorway stretches for a few miles then suddenly stops. There’s a 100 yard gap and then the motorway continues again. In the gap is a roundabout with a small pink shack on it, a roadside café. Alan and I were debating the reasons for the non-completion of a multi-million Rand motorway. I said “I bet the little man who owns the café wouldn’t give up his land.” We laughed at this preposterous idea and thought nothing more of it. On the way back to Cape Town, we decided to find out the real reason. We asked our driver what had happened and he replied: “You see that little pink shack over there…”."

February 6th, JOHANNESBURG:

"Cape Town was beautiful. Constant sunshine, pretty scenery and a high feel-good factor. Rather like Los Angeles without the earthquakes, riots, etc. Johannesburg is none of these things. It’s rather like New York without the excitement and character."

February 9th, JO’BURG:

"The first show of the “Exotic” leg of the tour tonight, and everybody’s a bit nervous. Not just because it’s the first show of a new leg, but it’s our first gig ever on the African continent, and not many have played in South Africa. (They weren’t going to play S-S-S-Sun City, Whoa No…)"

February 10th, THE BUSH, GENERAL TOWNSHIPS, LOTS OF TIME SPENT DRIVING (etc):

"Anton “I dink it’s just dree more miles” Corbijn and one of THOSE photo-shoots."

February 11th, JO’BURG:

"Alan has told me that a friend of a friend is pissed off for playing in South Africa. “Don’t they know that there’s apartheid there?”… He’s obviously done his homework then. A bachelor of political analysis from the university of life. What the stupid twat forgot to learn was that the dismantling of apartheid began in 1991, and if the people of SA are moving toward peace, staying away will not assist their cause. (I’ll come down off my soap-box now)"

February 12th, JO’BURG:

"God, I love South Africa. Saturday afternoon, and they have live Premiership football on television, something we do NOT have in Blighty."

February 14th, JO’BURG:

"I’ve got that horrible feeling that I forgot to do something today…"

February 15th, JO’BURG (still):

"Praise the Lord. I managed to get to the Interflora shop just before it closed last night."

February 17th, CAPE TOWN:

"It’s great to be back in Cape Town. Everybody has election fever here. You can feel the anticipation in the air. If the ANC get in (as they will), some of the delightful extreme right-wingers are threatening to re-locate (uninvited) to New Zealand. I bet the Maoris are pleased about that…"

February 18th, CAPE TOWN:

"I’ve just been reading “A South African Political Brief”, given to me by the record company. Under the heading of “Major Social Problems” they list “extremely high levels of crime and violence, illiteracy and a high divorce rate”. Coming from Basildon, I hardly thought them worth mentioning…"

February 20th, CAPE TOWN:

"Oh dear, oh dear. Maybe this tour is jinxed. Alan, myself and Jerry Meltzer (security) went for a nice Italian dinner tonight. We had to leave the restaurant early as Alan was complaining of abdominal pains. Back at the hotel, he went to his room but refused to see a doctor as it was “only overeating”. I went to my room to get him some Alka-Seltzer and on exiting the lift on the way back, I could hear a screaming, coming from Alan’s room 30 yards away, that sounded like a dog being neutered, without anaesthetic. I dragged him out of his room and into a waiting car and by the time we reached the hospital he was foaming at the mouth and screaming phrases that sounded like out-takes from “Bohemian Rhapsody”. The doctors have examined him and confirmed that he has a kidney stone, definitely not caused by “overeating”. Alan insists that he can pass the stone naturally, through his water, (like passing a hedgehog according to Kessler) but unfortunately the doctors have insisted on inserting a laser down the eye of his manhood… (ouch!)"

February 22nd, DURBAN:

"The operation went well yesterday, but as heroic as Alan tried to be, there was no way that he was going to do a show tonight. The first show here is cancelled, not a very common thing for DM. I wish I could have got to Durban earlier. Dave and Martin spent the day swimming with dolphins, which sounds very groovy. Kessler’s gone back to America for a couple of weeks."

February 25th, JO’BURG (again):

"Dave and I have just worked out that we’ve now been in South Africa for more days than we’ve been in England since May 13th last year. It’s starting to feel like we live here."

February 27th, TRAVEL:

"We finally bid farewell to South Africa. It was an enjoyable stay, but after four weeks of hard work, we’re looking forward to an interesting visit to the Far East."

February 28th, SINGAPORE:

"I don’t know if anybody’s listening, but it’s actually physically impossible for one man to move 7 baggage trolleys, full of bags, from one place to another, all at once. Especially when it’s 7am, he’s just flown for 11 hours and feels like he’s wrapped in hot cling-film. Thank the Lord for those self-less troupers otherwise known as “The Crew”. (Especially Jeremy Scott Webb)"

March 2nd, SINGAPORE:

"We’ve been here for three days now. It’s nice to feel safe when walking the streets, but when you gain safety you lose a certain buzz. It was quite a bizarre sight to see Martin Gore DJ’ing in a reggae bar tonight, an event that was both “safe” and “buzzin’”."

March 5th, PERTH:

"There is something strange going on. People are starting to act weird. Too much time spent at the airports, I reckon."

March 8th, MELBOURNE:

"I managed to blag a pair of jeans, a pair of shorts, two T-shirts and a pair of sunglasses from Stussy and Massimo today, thus doubling the size of my wardrobe in an instant. The gig tonight is in “Batman Avenue”. Nice to see the Aussies have a sense of humour."

March 13th, SYDNEY:

"I had lunch with my aunt Terri today, and she said I look just like my dad did when she left England to emigrate. Now, I don’t know what my dad got up to in Dagenham in the Fifties, but he would have to go some way to look like THIS…"

March 16th, HONG KONG:

"Read all about it! Martin Gore drinks too much peach schnapps and has conversation with broom! I swear it happened. Just ask Alan."

March 18th, MANILA:

"The traffic here is worse than Mexico City and the Blackwall Tunnel put together. On the way to the show, Fletch, Martin and I were told that we had a police motorcycle escort, but I don’t think that anybody actually told him that he was a police motorcycle escort, and he promptly disappeared into the night. I finally had to resort to lying down in front of an Austin Seven, so its driver would stop and let us drive on the pavement. Still, we got to the gig just in time to see Kessler chasing the promoter out of the building, clutching a pair of scissors. The promoter’s crime? He put up posters around the gig advertising “Smoky Joes Crisps”, against our wishes. The scissors? To cut down the posters of course!"

March 19th, MANILA:

"Just when I thought that things could not get any weirder, that we were at a point when nothing would seem odd, then this. Fletcher will not be completing the tour after Hawaii, and the other three want me to stand in for him (?!?). Time for a stiff drink, methinks."

March 20th, MANILA:

"I had lunch with Fletch today and I feel much better. Reality has sunk in a bit, and Fletch has told me he’s glad it’s me and not “any old session guy”. Phew! That’s the hard part out of the way, I’ve just got to learn to play keyboards now…"

March 21st, TRAVEL:

"Bangkok was cancelled, so we fly to Hawaii early. We leave the Philippines, fly overnight and arrive in Hawaii before we took off. Probably."

March 21st, HONOLULU:

"Finally get to Hawaii after a lifetime of trying. Alison arrives soon and there’s a couple of things I have to remember… It’s her birthday on Friday so get her a present… and… Oh yeh, learn to play keyboards."

March 22nd, HONOLULU:

"Wob and Tom (super-techs) drop off the equipment to my room, and now it’s starting to feel real. Me and Alan sort of did a run through."

March 23rd, HONOLULU:

"Everyone’s gone to the beach today. I can’t go, I’ve got to rehearse, I’m pretending to smile, but I really don’t want to."

March 24th, HONOLULU:

"Apparently, I jumped out of bed in the middle of the night and viciously assaulted a pile of clothes. Oh dear…"

March 25th, HONOLULU:

"Apparently, I did a complete run-through of the set in my sleep last night. I gave Alison her watch and sang “Happy Birthday”, so I was able to forget about “it” for a full fifteen seconds. Tried to go down to the beach with the others but couldn’t stand the jovial moods they were all in. You know, being on a beach in Hawaii. The Band are doing a show tonight, so I’ll be playing along with them, behind the curtain, to get the “feel”. The audience won’t hear it, thank God."

March 26th, HONOLULU:

"It went okay last night, but the strain is killing me. After pulling my hair out all week, I’ve now started punching myself in the head. Stress presents itself in funny ways."

March 27th, HONOLULU:

"The backstage run-through was better last night. The crew are being very encouraging. Anzac (Monitor Engineer) has told me that I CAN do it, so maybe I just might be able to pull this thing off."

March 30th, HONOLULU:

"Alan and I have finished rehearsals and things have worked out okay, apart from the fact that I have no hair left and a very sore head."

March 31st, LOS ANGELES:

"We flew in from Hawaii today, had a Japanese meal and then decided to go to Martin’s room for a drink. As we got out of the lift, Martin invited a stranger and his girlfriend to the room. “Hi,” I said, “What’s your name?” “Nile,” was his reply. “Oh yeh? Like Nile Rodgers?” we all said in unison. “Yeh, that’s me,” and he promptly pulled out his gold Amex card to prove it! We were jammin’ those Chic songs all night!"

April 1st, LOS ANGELES:

"Alan and I went out shopping and bought some stage clothes. We’re just boarding the plane to Brazil. Now the fun’s going to start."

April 3rd, SAO PAULO:

"We just did our first run through as a “band”, which I thought went very well but in the “only perfection will do” world of these fascists, it obviously never. Just because I took too long fading the bass out on “Stripped” – Martin’s looking at me as if it’s all been a big mistake but fortunately Dave laughed and Alan remained quietly confident."

April 4th, SAO PAULO:

"This is just SO not funny. There’s loads of people screaming and they’re all going to be looking at me, waiting for a mistake so they can laugh and cheer and point and hold up banners saying “Bamonte’s a Wanker” in Portugese but I’ll understand it anyway… I wish I’d never agreed to this and I wish I could stand still."

April 5th, SAO PAULO:

"So what’s up people? Call me Ricco Suave. Hip keyboard session man. Yeh, sure, we did a show last night. It was great… The best bit was walking off after “Personal Jesus” and waiting to do the encores and Martin shouting at me “You did it, you pulled it off, it doesn’t matter about the encores ’cause you did it!” So you think I’d be more relaxed tonight, right? Wrong. Alan the Bastard has decided to change the set tonight and throw in three different songs. At least Dave and Martin look as worried as I do…"

April 8th, BUENOS AIRES:

"I think we’re witnessing “Beatlemania” down here. These people are crazy about DM and crazy in general. They are all such nice people though. “Kill an Argie, win a Metro” seems like a lifetime away now… Somebody decided to mention something in passing today. There’s going to be 40,000 in there tonight. Thanks for dropping that into the conversation…"

April 10th, SANTIAGO:

"I had visions of Argentina and Chile being full of fascist juntas and military coups and dissidents with false looking moustaches having electrodes attached to their testicles. Well, they’re not. People don’t go missing in the middle of the night and they don’t hate us Angleterras. Anyway, I’ve done four shows now and I think I’ve got a bit of a routine going."

April 12th, SANTIAGO:

"I cannot believe it. We’ve cancelled Columbia. (I mean we’ve cancelled the show.) I really wanted to go there. Great coffee, apparently. It’s probably fortunate that the two places we cancelled were Bogota and Bangkok…"

April 14th, SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA:

"Help me God… This place is freaking me, and everybody else, out. Alan says he’s never seen me look so freaked out as when we were walking onstage. (And the tap didn’t work in the dressing room…)."

April 16th, MONTERREY:

"Well, that’s South America out of the way. Six shows under my belt and confidence has crept up. I’ll just pop home for a week to see the nipper and then face the next big test – USA ’94!"

May 11th, SACRAMENTO:

"We did a good run-through today. Outdoor venue, sun was shining and everyone in shorts and shades. Life is good."

May 12th, SACRAMENTO:

"I felt a bit nervous tonight. It’s worse when there’s people you know watching. There seemed to be a lot of our ex-crew members lurking round, waiting to witness this “novelty”. After the show, Theresa’s grandmother gave me a kiss, took my hand and said: “You did a very good show”, which made a refreshing change from some industry wanker saying to me: “Uhh, great show Fletch!”, when you know they spent the entire show in the dressing room because they’re drunk and they have guacamole all down the front of their shirt…"

May 13th, SAN FRANCISCO:

"We left England to begin this tour exactly 1 year ago today, May 13th 1993. I actually feel about 11 years older. Only 20,000 people tomorrow night. A mere club gig compared to Argentina…"

May 17th, LAS VEGAS:

"I love this place. Gambled and drank and gambled all night. Good show tonight. I think I almost got on nodding terms with one of Primal Scream tonight, unless he was just twitching…"

May 20th, IRVINE MEADOWS:

"I have a special affection for this gig. I remember Dave coming round my council flat in Basildon in early 1985 and being very excited because The Hollywood Palladium had sold out in minutes and the promoter had added another show – “Somewhere near Orange County, holds over 12,000 people!” and that’s when it started getting mental. We celebrated with four cans of Fosters and sat down to enjoy another gripping episode of “The Bill” – Ahh, the good old days…"

May 21st, SAN BERNARDINO:

"We had to stop the car on the way back to San Fran. because MLG wanted to pee. He walked towards the grass as me and John Sampson (security) formed a human shield and as we looked back we were greeted with the sight of just a pair of creepers pointing skywards and strange whimpering. “Shomeone should have shaid shomething” he cried as we pulled him out of the hole…"

May 26th, PARK CITY:

"Kessler just phoned. The show in Denver is cancelled. That’s a shame. I really like Denver. Myself and another crew member (Andrew “Nobby” Marr) formed a band on the Black Celebration tour called “The Blah Brothers” and we played support to DM here at Park City and also at the famous Red Rocks in Denver. There was no blood red sky though, just a barrage of beer cans…"

May 31st, SAN ANTONIO:

"Getting to know the Primals a bit more now. They’re a good bunch. Six of them were arrested last night for swimming in a river. Charges of disturbing the peace were dropped but the D.A. is pushing a charge of “polluting a public waterway”…"

June 1st, HOUSTON:

"A security man walked onstage just before the encores with the biggest birthday cake I’ve ever seen. Of course, as I said in Rotterdam, Alan would have another birthday before this tour was out. A monster of confectionery and they STILL had trouble fitting all those candles on… (This year’s party was a little better though…)."

June 4th, DALLAS:

"I like having Saturday off. I like all day off, actually. This pop-star lark is much better than working. I hate work. As I’ve always said: “Work is the scourge of the drinking classes…”"

June 6th, NEW ORLEANS:

"Duffy from Primal Scream drinks a lot and managed to upset Dave somehow. Did The Scream and The Mode square up to each other? No way. The Primals meted out their own form of justice – they dragged Duffy off and kicked the shit out of him…"

June 9th, ATLANTA:

"What an excellent show tonight. It was boiling hot on stage and during the encores I almost broke into a sweat. Me and Alan have developed a bit of a rock’n’roll ending to “Stripped” which is good but I wish they would all stop laughing during “Enjoy The Silence” when I play “Move it”…"

June 12th, CLEVELAND:

"I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist “tapping” a pair of Alan’s drumsticks on an air conditioning pipe on the way to the stage before pretending to get lost, and when Dave grabbed the mike and screamed “Good evening, Cleveland!”, you couldn’t do a thing with me. We really are Primal Tap, sorry, I mean Spinal Tap…"

June 14th, COLUMBIA:

"The Primals’ camp is a bit tense tonight. I think the tour manager’s upset Throb, and he’s refusing to go on. I reasoned with him that if they went on late, then we would go on late and we would run over time and the union would pull the plug on us. Lo and behold, he got up and went on stage. It shows what a bit of gentle coaxing can do (and a case of red wine…)"

June 17th, NEW YORK CITY:

"Another night at Jones Beach tonight. Looking out of the dressing room door I’m sure that I recognise those haircuts being mobbed by Stabbing Westward – Sure enough, my brother and Robert Smith decided to “hop over” on Concorde and surprise / heckle / applaud me. In fact, I think they only came because we’ve got a private box at Giants Stadium tomorrow for the Italy / Ireland game…"

June 18th, NEW YORK CITY:

"A short trip down to New Jersey to Giants Stadium, sporting the T-shirt that Perry had made with a bedsheet and some vegetable dye. In our private box, there are 30 people – 27 supporting Ireland and 3 supporting Italy: the two Bamontes (obviously) and Mr. Smith… Italy’s flag is Red, White & Green and Ireland’s flag is Orange, White & Green, and if you look into the crowd they all look the same. I suspect that our merchandisers have printed up some flags that were Deep Tangerine, White & Green and sold them to both sets of punters: Yeh yeh, Paolo, the red’s faded a bit, Nah nah Paddy, orange always prints dark…"

June 19th, NEW YORK CITY:

"We went to an excellent restaurant last night, Café Tabak. We were given a table in the exclusive upstairs area, and looking around at all the beautiful people, I thought, “Yes, I’m playing in the world’s greatest band, I’m in Manhattan in a noted restaurant and I’m sure that Naomi Campbell is looking across from the next table and thinking ‘Wow, look at that cool rock-star, at the zenith of his career, the way he conducts himself…’ – at which point Robert announces that he’s fed up with that skinny woman staring at HIM…"

June 21st, MONTREAL:

"The inevitable finally happened tonight. I played a bum note in the intro to “Behind The Wheel”. I’m sure that everybody WAS laughing and pointing but the “Wanker” banners were in French, not Portuguese. I was devastated. And the “only perfection will do” fascists? Dave told me to “stop being so f***ing precious” (!)"

June 23rd, BOSTON:

"Throb from Primal Scream missed their gig tonight. He claims that it was due to bad traffic. I think it was probably because he was too busy watching the Italy / Norway game. The funny thing was that the Scream didn’t sound any different. I wonder… Brazil are playing tomorrow… taxi… wrong turning… bad traffic… lost me pass… lost me watch… etc."

June 26th, NEW YORK CITY:

"I think I’ve got to slow down a bit. I was in a club with Martin last night and felt unwell so I decided to leave. As I walked across the dance floor people were looking at me and going “Whooh!” and I realised that my body was shaking so much that they thought I was DANCING…"

June 28th, PHILADELPHIA:

"Dave’s just come back from a club looking a little shaken. Apparently the doormen wouldn’t let some guy in so he went to his jeep, took out a machine gun and shot the place up. I should have done that to Racquels a few times in the Eighties…"

June 30th, PITTSBURGH:

"Martin and I went for a walk and went into a burger bar. I was feeling a bit mad anyway, but suddenly I felt like I’d walked onto the set of the snuff version of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”… I said last September that I didn’t want to come here again…"

July 3rd, DETROIT:

"Tried to have an early night last night. It was 3AM and I’d just pulled the covers back when the phone rang. “Just another hour, c’mon”... Okay, Martin wants a drink. I got some cold beers ready, some cigarettes and, to hell with it, I’d push the boat out, I even laid some biscuits out to make it a “real” party. Martin turned up in just his pants, and three fans in tow – “I told them if they had a light, they could come to a party” he explained, puffing away. There goes my early night…"

July 4th, DETROIT:

"The three fans, Stymie, his girlfriend and their best friend Jesus thought it would be fun to stand in the front row last night and hold up red cards (they’ve just discovered football over here). Found out that Jesus’ real name was Dave, which seemed like a funny name for The Messiah – until I REALLY thought about it… We had our end-of-tour party last night. Andy Franks spent an hour chatting up a gorgeous blonde called Brandy. No-one had the heart to tell him it was Martin in drag. The highlight of the night was “Torture Man”, who, well, tortures himself…"

July 5th, DETROIT:

"I was so tired last night that I had to sit down onstage, and when I looked round I noticed that the others were doing the same, even Alan. (He was playing the drums though…)."

July 8th, CHICAGO:

"Well, that’s it then. 14 months, or 612,000 minutes, of our lives completely absorbed with a tour and now it’s over. We played a show in Indianapolis tonight which was apparently good fun, but I don’t remember a thing. I missed Jez climbing out of the piano, Franksy and Primal Scream doing backing vocals, Dave diving in the audience. I do remember one thing though – it was the last night of a gruelling world tour and some clever bastards from the crew replaced my “Personal Jesus” samples with the appropriate message “You love it and you know it…”. Until the next time… Daryl Bamonte"
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“We’re more than a band. We’re a cult.”

September 22nd, 2017 by Glen

Be sure to catch an article on Depeche in the next issue of Q Magazine out September 26th. Not only are they on the cover, but Q follows the band around their North American Tour. Q describes it: "In the new issue of Q, out Tuesday, 26 September, we join Depeche Mode in North America to hear how the trio from Basildon, Essex have overcome heroin, alcoholism and breakdowns to become one of the world’s biggest bands. Niall Doherty speaks to frontman Dave Gahan near his home in New York and then heads out on the road with the band in Canada. “If I didn’t have all this, all the attention,...

U2 Cover album tracklist revealed

October 10th, 2011 by Glen

The tracklist for the U2 cover album that Depeche Mode are  apart of has been released today with a stellar line up! Are they really calling the cover album "AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered" though? Well, that aside.. the tribute to the 1991 Achtung Baby has been put together by Q Magazine and also features Nine Inch Nails, The Killers, Garbage, Pattie Smith, Snow Patrol, and more.  Cover and full tracklist after the jump!     Tracklist: 1. Nine Inch Nails, “Zoo Station” 2. U2, “Even Better Than the Real Thing” (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) 3. Damien Rice, “One” 4. Patti Smith, “Until...

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Depeche Mode: Devotional (1993 Video)

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Depeche Mode

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Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).

Depeche Mode released their debut album, Speak & Spell , in 1981, bringing the band onto the British new wave scene. Founding member Vince Clarke left after the release of the album; they recorded A Broken Frame as a trio. Gore took over as main songwriter and later, in 1982, Alan Wilder replaced Clarke , establishing a lineup that continued for 13 years. The band's last albums of the 1980s, Black Celebration and Music for the Masses , established them as a dominant force within the electronic music scene. A highlight of this era was the band's June 1988 concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, where they drew a crowd in excess of 60,000 people. In early 1990, they released Violator , an international mainstream success. The following album Songs of Faith and Devotion , released in 1993, was also a success, though the band's internal struggles during recording and touring resulted in Wilder 's departure in 1995. The band continued with the trio lineup of Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher until his death in 2022.

Depeche Mode have had 54 songs in the UK Singles Chart and 17 Top 10 albums in the UK chart; they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Q included the band in its list of the "50 Bands That Changed the World!" Depeche Mode also rank No. 98 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". In December 2016, Billboard named Depeche Mode the 10th Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists. They were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 and 2018, and were inducted as part of the Class of 2020.

  • 1.1 Formation and debut album (1977–1981)
  • 1.2 Clarke departs and Wilder joins (1981–1982)
  • 1.3 Construction Time Again (1983)
  • 1.4 Some Great Reward and growing international success (1984–1985)
  • 1.5 Black Celebration (1986)
  • 1.6 Music for the Masses and 101 (1987–1988)
  • 1.7 Violator and worldwide fame (1989–1991)
  • 1.8 Songs of Faith and Devotion and Wilder's departure (1992–1995)
  • 1.9 Ultra (1996–2000)
  • 1.10 Exciter (2001–2004)
  • 1.11 Playing the Angel (2005–2007)
  • 1.12 Sounds of the Universe (2008–2011)
  • 1.13 Delta Machine (2012–2015)
  • 1.14 Spirit and Fletcher's death (2016–2020)
  • 1.15 Fletcher's death and Memento Mori (2022–present)
  • 2 Style and influences
  • 3.1 Influence
  • 4 Philanthropy
  • 5 Band members
  • 6.2 Singles
  • 6.4 Solo discography
  • 11 Bibliography
  • 12 External links

History [ ]

Formation and debut album (1977–1981) [ ].

Depeche Mode's origins date to 1977, when schoolmates Vince Clarke and Andy Fletcher formed a band called No Romance in China, later influenced by The Cure , with Clarke on vocals and guitar and Fletcher on bass guitar. Fletcher would later recall, " Why am I in the band? It was accidental right from the beginning. I was actually forced to be in the band. I played the guitar and I had a bass; it was a question of them roping me in. " In 1979, Clarke played guitar in an "Ultravox rip-off band", The Plan, with friends Robert Marlow and Paul Langwith. In 1978 - 79, Martin Gore played guitar in an acoustic duo, Norman and the Worms, with school friend Phil Burdett on vocals. In March 1980, Clarke and Fletcher formed a band called Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar and Fletcher on bass.

Depechemode1981

Depeche Mode, 1981; including original members (from left to right) Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Vince Clarke.

Soon after the formation of Composition of Sound, Clarke heard Wirral band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), whose output inspired him to make electronic music. Clarke and Fletcher then converted to an electronic act, working odd jobs in order to buy synthesizers, or borrowing them from friends; they were soon joined by Martin Gore as a third instrumentalist. Fletcher has listed OMD , The Cure , Siouxsie and the Banshees , Kraftwerk , The Human League , and punk rock as influences on the three men.

Dave Gahan joined the band later in 1980 after Clarke heard him perform at a local Scout hut jam session, singing a rendition of David Bowie 's "Heroes", and Depeche Mode was born. Gahan 's and Gore 's favorite artists included Siouxsie and the Banshees , Sparks , Cabaret Voltaire , Talking Heads and Iggy Pop . Gahan 's persona onstage was influenced by Dave Vanian , frontman of The Damned . Gahan has also credited David Bowie , James Brown , Elvis Presley and Prince as influences.

When explaining the choice for the new name, taken from French fashion magazine Dépêche Mode , Gore said, "It means hurried fashion or fashion dispatch. I like the sound of that." However, the right translation of the magazine's name (and hence the band's) is "Fashion News" or "Fashion Update" ( dépêche , "dispatch" or "news report", from Old French despesche/despeche , and mode or "fashion"). According to Gahan in an interview for Kiss FM , the band agreed to change their name from Composition of Sound. Dave was studying fashion and art at Southend Art College, and while being on the phone with the manager of a club that offered them a concert, he was asked about the name of the band. Not deciding yet of a name, having a pile of fashion magazines around him, Dave told the manager that they were named Depeche Mode.

Gore recalled that the first time the band played as Depeche Mode was a school gig in May 1980. There is a plaque commemorating the gig at the James Hornsby School in Basildon, where Gore and Fletcher were pupils. The band made their recording debut in 1980 on the Some Bizzare Album with the song " Photographic ", later re-recorded for their debut album Speak & Spell .

The band made a demo tape but, instead of mailing the tape to record companies, they would go in and personally deliver it. They would demand the companies play it; according to Dave Gahan , "most of them would tell us to fuck off. They'd say 'leave the tape with us' and we'd say 'it's our only one'. Then we'd say goodbye and go somewhere else."

According to Gahan , prior to securing their record contract, they were receiving offers from all the major labels. Phonogram offered them "money you could never have imagined and all sorts of crazy things like clothes allowances".

While playing a live gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town, the band was approached by Daniel Miller, an electronic musician and founder of Mute Records, who was interested in their recording a single for his burgeoning label. The result of this verbal contract was their first single, " Dreaming of Me ", recorded in December 1980 and released in February 1981. It reached number 57 in the UK charts. Encouraged by this, the band recorded their second single, " New Life ", which climbed to number 11 in the UK charts and got them an appearance on Top of the Pops . The band went to London by train, carrying their synthesisers all the way to the BBC studios.

The band's next single was " Just Can't Get Enough ". The synth-pop single became the band's first UK top ten hit. The video is the only one of the band's videos to feature Vince Clarke . Depeche Mode's debut album, Speak & Spell , was released in October 1981 and peaked at number ten on the UK album charts. Critical reviews were mixed; Melody Maker described it as a "great album … one they had to make to conquer fresh audiences and please the fans who just can't get enough", while Rolling Stone was more critical, calling the album "PG-rated fluff."

Clarke departs and Wilder joins (1981–1982) [ ]

Clarke began to voice his discomfort at the direction the band was taking, saying "there was never enough time to do anything. Not with all the interviews and photo sessions". Clarke also said he was sick of touring, which Gahan said years later was "bullshit to be quite honest." Gahan went on to say he "suddenly lost interest in it and he started getting letters from fans asking what kind of socks he wore." In November 1981, Clarke publicly announced that he was leaving Depeche Mode.

Depechemode1982

Depeche Mode, 1982; including a new line-up formed by (from left to right) Martin Gore, Dave Gahan, Andy Fletcher and Alan Wilder.

Soon afterwards, Clarke joined up with blues singer Alison Moyet to form Yazoo (or Yaz in the United States). Initial talk of Clarke 's continuing to write material for Depeche Mode ultimately amounted to nothing. According to third-party sources, Clarke offered the remaining members of Depeche Mode the track "Only You", but they declined. Clarke , however, denied in an interview that such an offer ever took place saying, "I don't know where that came from. That's not true." The song went on to become a UK Top 3 hit for Yazoo. Gore , who had written " Tora! Tora! Tora! " and the instrumental " Big Muff " for Speak & Spell , became the band's main lyricist.

In late 1981, the band placed an anonymous ad in Melody Maker looking for another musician: "Name band, synthesise, must be under twenty-one." Alan Wilder , a classically trained keyboardist from West London, responded and, after two auditions and despite being 22 years old, was hired in early 1982, initially on a trial basis as a touring member. Wilder would later be called the "Musical Director" of the band, responsible for the band's sound until his departure in 1995. As producer Flood would say, "[ Alan ] is sort of the craftsman, Martin 's the idea man and [ Dave ] is the attitude."

In January 1982, the band released " See You ", their first single without Clarke , which managed to beat all three Clarke -penned singles in the UK charts, reaching number six. The following tour saw the band playing their first shows in North America. Two more singles, " The Meaning of Love " and " Leave in Silence ", were released ahead of the band's second studio album, on which they began work in July 1982. Daniel Miller informed Wilder that he was not needed for the recording of the album, as the core trio wanted to prove they could succeed without Vince Clarke . A Broken Frame was released that September, and the following month the band began their 1982 tour. A non-album single, " Get the Balance Right! ", was released in January 1983, the first Depeche Mode track to be recorded with Wilder .

Construction Time Again (1983) [ ]

DepecheMode1983

Depeche Mode, 1983.

For its third album, Construction Time Again , Depeche Mode worked with producer Gareth Jones, at John Foxx's Garden Studios and at Hansa Studios in West Berlin (where much of David Bowie's trilogy of seminal electronic albums featuring Brian Eno had been produced). The album saw a dramatic shift in the group's sound, due in part to Wilder 's introduction of the Synclavier and E-mu Emulator samplers. By sampling the noises of everyday objects, the band created an eclectic, industrial-influenced sound, with similarities to groups such as the Art of Noise and Einstürzende Neubauten (the latter becoming Mute labelmates in 1983).

" Everything Counts " rose to number six in the UK, also reaching the top 30 in Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden and West Germany. Wilder contributed two songs to the album, " The Landscape Is Changing " and " Two Minute Warning ". In September 1983, to promote Construction Time Again , the band launched a European concert tour.

Some Great Reward and growing international success (1984–1985) [ ]

Depechemode1984

Depeche Mode, 1984.

In their early years, Depeche Mode had only really attained success in Europe and Australia. This changed in March 1984, when they released the single " People Are People ". The song became a hit, reaching No. 2 in Ireland and Poland, No. 4 in the UK and Switzerland, and No. 1 in West Germany – the first time a DM single topped a country's singles chart – where it was used as the theme to West German TV's coverage of the 1984 Olympics. Beyond this European success, the song also reached No. 13 on the US charts in mid-1985, the first appearance of a DM single on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a Top 20 hit in Canada. " People Are People " became an anthem for the LGBT community, regularly played at gay establishments and gay pride festivals in the late 1980s. Sire, the band's North American record label, released a compilation of the same name which included tracks from A Broken Frame and Construction Time Again as well as several B-sides.

On the American tour, the band was, according to Gore , "shocked by the way the fans were turning up in droves at the concerts". He said that although the concerts were selling well, Depeche Mode struggled to sell records.

In September 1984, Some Great Reward was released. Melody Maker claimed that the album made one "sit up and take notice of what is happening here, right under your nose." In contrast to the political and environmental subjects addressed on the previous album, the songs on Some Great Reward were mostly concerned with more personal themes such as sexual politics (" Master and Servant "), adulterous relationships (" Lie to Me "), and arbitrary divine justice (" Blasphemous Rumours "). Also included was the first Martin Gore ballad, " Somebody " — such songs would become a feature of all following albums. " Somebody " was released as a double A-side with " Blasphemous Rumours ", and was the first single with Gore on lead vocal. Some Great Reward became the first Depeche Mode album to enter the US album charts, and made the Top 10 in several European countries.

The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg was the band's first video release, almost an entire concert from their 1984 Some Great Reward Tour . In July 1985, the band played their first-ever concerts behind the Iron Curtain, in Budapest and Warsaw. In October 1985, Mute released a compilation, The Singles 81-85 ( Catching Up with Depeche Mode in the US), which included the two non-album hit singles " Shake the Disease " and " It's Called a Heart " along with their B-sides.

In the United States, the band's music first gained prominence on college radio and modern rock stations such as KROQ in Los Angeles, KQAK ("The Quake") in San Francisco, WFNX in Boston and WLIR on Long Island, New York, and hence they appealed primarily to an alternative audience who were disenfranchised with the predominance of "soft rock and 'disco hell'" on the radio. This view of the band was in sharp contrast to how the band was perceived in Europe, despite the increasingly dark and serious tone in their songs. In Germany, France, and other European countries, Depeche Mode were considered teen idols and regularly featured in European teen magazines, becoming one of the most famous synth-pop bands in the mid-'80s.

Black Celebration (1986) [ ]

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Depeche Mode, 1986.

Depeche Mode's musical style shifted slightly again in 1986 with the release of their fifteenth single, " Stripped ", and its accompanying album Black Celebration . Retaining their often imaginative sampling and beginning to move away from the "industrial pop" sound that had characterised their previous two LPs, the band introduced an ominous, highly atmospheric and textured sound. Gore 's lyrics also took on a darker tone and became more pessimistic.

The music video for " A Question of Time " was the first to be directed by Anton Corbijn, beginning a working relationship that continues to the present. Corbijn has directed 20 of the band's videos (the latest being 2017's " Where's the Revolution "). He has also filmed some of their live performances and designed stage sets, as well as most covers for albums and singles starting from Violator .

Music for the Masses and 101 (1987–1988) [ ]

For 1987's Music for the Masses , the band's sound and working methods continued to develop. It was the first time they worked with a producer not related to Mute Records. Dave Bascombe was called to assist with the recording sessions; although, according to Alan Wilder , Bascombe's role ended up being more that of engineer. In making the album, the band largely eschewed sampling in favour of synthesizer experimentation. While chart performance of the singles " Strangelove ", " Never Let Me Down Again " and " Behind the Wheel " proved to be disappointing in the UK, they performed well in countries such as Canada, Brazil, West Germany, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland, often reaching the top 10. Record Mirror described Music for the Masses as "the most accomplished and sexy Mode album to date". The album also reached No. 35 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.

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Depeche Mode, 1988.

The Music for the Masses Tour began 22 October 1987. On 7 March 1988, with no previous announcement that they would be the headlining act, Depeche Mode played in the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle, East Berlin, becoming one of the few Western groups to perform in the Communist East Germany. They also performed concerts in Budapest and Prague in 1988, both Communist also at the time.

The world tour ended 18 June 1988 with a concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. Paid attendance of 60,453 was the highest in eight years for the venue. Its massive success marked a breakthrough for the band in the United States. The event was documented in 101 , a concert film by D. A. Pennebaker and its accompanying soundtrack album. The film is notable for its portrayal of fan interaction. Alan Wilder came up with the title, noting that it was the 101st and final performance of the tour. On 7 September 1988, Depeche Mode performed " Strangelove " at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

Violator and worldwide fame (1989–1991) [ ]

In mid-1989, the band began recording in Milan with producer Flood and engineer François Kevorkian. The initial result of this session was the single " Personal Jesus ". Prior to its release, a marketing campaign was launched with advertisements placed in the personals columns of UK regional newspapers with the words "Your own personal Jesus." Later, the ads included a phone number one could dial to hear the song. The resulting furor helped propel the single to number 13 on the UK charts, becoming one of their biggest sellers to date. In the United States, it was their first gold single and their first Top 40 hit since " People Are People ", eventually becoming the biggest-selling 12-inch single in Warner Records' history up to that point.

"I think in a way we've been at the forefront of new music; sort of chipping away at the standard rock format stations." -Martin Gore, stated to NME – July 1990.

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Depeche Mode, 1990.

Released in January 1990, " Enjoy the Silence " reached number six in the UK (the first Top 10 hit in that country since " Master And Servant "). A few months later it reached number eight in the U.S. and earned the band a second gold record, and it won Best British Single at the 1991 Brit Awards. To promote their new album, Violator , the band held an in-store autograph signing at Wherehouse Entertainment in Los Angeles . The event attracted approximately 20,000 fans and turned into a near riot. Some attendees were injured while being pressed against the store's glass by the crowd. As an apology to those injured, the band released a limited edition cassette tape to fans in Los Angeles, distributed through radio station KROQ (the sponsor of the Wherehouse event).

Violator was the first Depeche Mode album to enter the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, reaching Number 7 and staying 74 weeks in the chart. It was certified triple platinum in America. Two more singles from the album — " Policy of Truth " and " World in My Eyes " — were hits in the UK, with the former also charting in the US. The World Violation Tour saw the band play several stadium shows in the US. 42,000 tickets were sold within four hours for a show at Giants Stadium, and 48,000 tickets were sold within half-an-hour of going on sale for a show at Dodger Stadium. An estimated 1.2 million fans saw this tour worldwide.

In 1991, Depeche Mode contribution " Death's Door " was released on the soundtrack album for the film Until the End of the World . Film director Wim Wenders had challenged musical artists to write music the way they imagined they would in the year 2000, the setting of the movie.

"I remember going to see them in Giants Stadium, and they broke the merchandising record; of Bon Jovi, U2 — all these bands — Depeche Mode were the biggest!." -Flood, on Giants Stadium concert.

Songs of Faith and Devotion and Wilder's departure (1992–1995) [ ]

The members of Depeche Mode regrouped in Madrid in January 1992, Dave Gahan had become interested in the new grunge scene sweeping the U.S. and was influenced by the likes of Jane's Addiction , Soundgarden and Nirvana .

"There's so many sounds that are created from the voice that you wouldn't know were taken from the voice, like rhythm sounds. The number of times I've been sitting in the studio and said, 'I wish I could get a bass that would just go [mimics wet, thick hip-hop bass-drum sound].' Then I think, 'Why can't I just go [repeats noise] into a mic and sample it?' It's obvious; you spend all day trying to get a synthesizer to try and create this sound but you can just go [repeats noise] and you've got it. Then you can send it through some other device after that, and you've got something that sounds absolutely nothing like a voice, but the source was a voice. ... It is a very interesting process." -Alan Wilder on the genesis of some of the sounds on Songs of Faith and Devotion , stated to Pulse! magazine – May 1993.

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Depeche Mode, 1993.

In 1993, Songs of Faith and Devotion , again with Flood producing, saw them experimenting with arrangements based as much on heavily distorted electric guitars and live drums (played by Alan Wilder , whose debut as a studio drummer had come on the Violator track " Clean ") as on synthesizers. Live strings, uilleann pipes and female gospel vocals were other new additions to the band's sound. The album debuted at number one in both the UK and the US, only the sixth British act to achieve such a distinction to date. The first single from the album was the grunge-influenced " I Feel You ". The gospel influences are most noticeable on the album's third single, " Condemnation ." Interviews given by the band during this period tended to be conducted separately, unlike earlier albums, where the band was interviewed as a group.

The Devotional World Tour followed, documented by a concert film of the same name. The film was directed by Anton Corbijn, and in 1995 earned the band their first Grammy nomination. The band's second live album, Songs of Faith and Devotion Live , was released in December 1993. The tour continued into 1994 with the Exotic Tour , which began in February 1994 in South Africa, and ended in April in Mexico. The final leg of the tour, consisting of more North American dates, followed shortly thereafter and ran until July. As a whole, the Devotional Tour is to date the longest and most geographically diverse Depeche Mode tour, spanning fourteen months and 159 individual performances.

Q magazine described the 1993 Devotional Tour as "The Most Debauched Rock'n'Roll Tour Ever." According to The Independent , the "smack-blasted" Gahan "required cortisone shots just to perform, borderline alcoholic Gore suffered two stress-induced seizures, and Andrew Fletcher 's deepening depression resulted, in the summer of 1994, in a full nervous breakdown." Fletcher declined to participate in the second half of the Exotic Tour due to mental instability; he was replaced on stage by Daryl Bamonte, who had worked with the band as a personal assistant since the beginning of their career in 1980.

In June 1995, Alan Wilder announced that he was leaving Depeche Mode, explaining:

"Since joining in 1982, I have continually striven to give total energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the furthering of the group's success, and in spite of a consistent imbalance in the distribution of the workload, willingly offered this. Unfortunately, within the group, this level of input never received the respect and acknowledgement that it warrants."

He continued to work on his personal project Recoil , releasing a fourth album ( Unsound Methods ) in 1997

Ultra (1996–2000) [ ]

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Depeche Mode, 1997, with the new line-up since Alan Wilder left the band.

Despite Gahan 's increasingly severe personal problems, Gore tried repeatedly during 1995 and 1996 to get the band recording again. However, Gahan would rarely turn up to scheduled sessions, and when he did, it would take weeks to get any vocals recorded; one six-week session at Electric Lady in New York produced just one usable vocal (for " Sister of Night "), and even that was pieced together from multiple takes. Gore was forced to contemplate breaking the band up and considered releasing the songs he had written as a solo album. In mid-1996, after his near-fatal overdose, Gahan entered a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program to battle his addiction to cocaine and heroin. With Gahan out of rehab in 1996, Depeche Mode held recording sessions with producer Tim Simenon.

Preceded by two singles, " Barrel of a Gun " and " It's No Good ", the album Ultra was released in April 1997. The album debuted at No. 1 in the UK (as well as Germany), and No. 5 in the US. The band did not tour in support of the album, with Fletcher quoted as saying: "We're not fit enough. Dave's only eight months into his sobriety, and our bodies are telling us to spend time with our families." As part of the promotion for the release of the album, they did perform two short concerts in London and Los Angeles, called " Ultra Parties ". Ultra spawned two further singles, " Home " and " Useless ".

A second singles compilation, The Singles 86–98 , was released in 1998, preceded by the new single " Only When I Lose Myself ", which had been recorded during the Ultra sessions. In April 1998, Depeche Mode held a press conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Cologne to announce The Singles Tour . The tour was the first to feature two backing musicians in place of Alan Wilder —Austrian drummer Christian Eigner and British keyboardist Peter Gordeno.

Exciter (2001–2004) [ ]

In 2001, Depeche Mode released Exciter , produced by Mark Bell (of techno group LFO). Bell introduced a minimalist, digital sound to much of the album, influenced by IDM and glitch. "Dream On", "I Feel Loved", "Freelove" and "Goodnight Lovers" were released as singles in 2001 and 2002. Critical response to the album was mixed, with reasonably positive reviews from some magazines ( NME , Rolling Stone and LA Weekly ), while others (including Q magazine, PopMatters , and Pitchfork ) derided it as sounding underproduced, dull and lacklustre.

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Depeche Mode, 2001.

In March 2001, Depeche Mode held a press conference at the Valentino Hotel in Hamburg to announce the Exciter Tour. The tour featured 84 performances for over 1.5 million fans in 24 countries. The concerts held in Paris at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy were filmed and later released in May 2002 as a live DVD entitled One Night in Paris .

In October 2002 the band won the first-ever Q magazine "Innovation Award".

In 2003, Gahan released his first solo album, Paper Monsters , and toured to promote the record. Also released in 2003 was Gore's second solo album Counterfeit² . Fletcher founded his own record label, Toast Hawaii, specialising in promoting electronic music.

A new remix compilation album, Remixes 81–04 , was released in 2004, featuring new and unreleased promo mixes of the band's singles from 1981 to 2004. A new version of "Enjoy the Silence", remixed by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, "Enjoy the Silence 04", was released as a single and reached No. 7 on the UK charts.

Playing the Angel (2005–2007) [ ]

In October 2005, the band released their 11th studio album Playing the Angel . Produced by Ben Hillier, the album peaked at No. 1 in 18 countries and featured the hit single " Precious ". This is the first Depeche Mode album to feature lyrics written by Gahan and, consequently, the first album since 1984's Some Great Reward featuring songs not written by Gore . " Suffer Well " was the first ever post- Clarke Depeche Mode single not to be written by Gore (lyrics by Gahan , music by Philpott/Eigner). The final single from the album was " John the Revelator ", an uptempo electronic track with a running religious theme, accompanied by " Lilian ", a lush track that was a hit in many clubs all over the world.

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Depeche Mode, 2005.

To promote Playing the Angel , the band launched Touring the Angel, a concert tour of Europe and North America that began in November 2005 and ran for nine months. During the last two legs of the tour Depeche Mode headlined a number of festivals including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the O 2 Wireless Festival. In total, the band played to more than 2.8 million people across 31 countries and the tour was one of the highest grossing and critically acclaimed tours of 2005/06. Speaking about the tour, Gahan praised it as "probably the most enjoyable, rewarding live shows we've ever done. The new material was just waiting to be played live. It took on a life of its own. With the energy of the crowds, it just came to life." Two shows at Milan's Fila Forum were filmed and edited into a concert film, released on DVD as Touring the Angel: Live in Milan . A "best-of" compilation was released in November 2006, entitled The Best Of, Volume 1 featuring a new single " Martyr ", an outtake from the Playing the Angel sessions. Later that month Depeche Mode received the MTV Europe Music Award in the Best Group category.

In December 2006, iTunes released The Complete Depeche Mode as its fourth ever digital box-set.

In August 2007, during promotion for Dave Gahan 's second solo album, Hourglass , it was announced that Depeche Mode were heading back in studio in early 2008 to work on a new album.

Sounds of the Universe (2008–2011) [ ]

In May 2008, the band returned to the studio with producer Ben Hillier to work on some songs that Martin Gore had demoed at his home studio in Santa Barbara, California. Later that year it was announced that Depeche Mode were splitting from their long-term US label, Warner Music, and signing with EMI Music worldwide. The album was created in four sessions, two in New York and two in Santa Barbara. A total of 22 songs were recorded, with the standard album being 13 songs in length while many of the others were released in subsequent deluxe editions.

In 2009, Depeche Mode allowed their likeness to be used in Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 .

On 15 January 2009, the official Depeche Mode website announced that the band's 12th studio album would be called Sounds of the Universe . The album was released in April 2009, also made available through an iTunes Pass, where the buyer received individual tracks in the weeks leading up to official release date. Andy Fletcher says the idea for their iTunes Pass was a combination of the band's and iTunes': " I think the digital and record companies are starting to get their act together. They were very lazy in the first 10 years when downloads came in. Now they're collaborating more and coming up with interesting ideas for fans to buy products. " The album went to number one in 21 countries. Critical response was generally positive and it was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Alternative Album category. " Wrong " was the first single from the album, released digitally in February 2009. Subsequent singles were " Peace " and the double A-side " Fragile Tension / Hole to Feed ". In addition, " Perfect " was released as a promotional-only (non-commercial) single in the United States.

On 23 April 2009, Depeche Mode performed for the television program Jimmy Kimmel Live! at the famed corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, drawing more than 12,000 fans, which was the largest audience the program had seen since its 2003 premiere, with a performance by Coldplay.

In May 2009, the band embarked on a concert tour in support of the album – called Tour of the Universe ; it had been announced at a press conference in October 2008 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. There was a warm up show in Luxembourg and it officially started on 10 May 2009 in Tel Aviv. The first leg of the tour was disrupted when Dave Gahan was struck down with gastroenteritis. During treatment, doctors found and removed a low grade tumour from the singer's bladder. Gahan 's illness caused 16 concerts to be cancelled, but several of the shows were rescheduled for 2010. The band headlined the Lollapalooza festival during the North American leg of the tour. The tour also took the band back to South America for the first time since 1994's Exotic Tour . During the final European leg, the band played a show at London's Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, where former member Alan Wilder joined Martin Gore on stage for a performance of " Somebody ". In total the band played to more than 2.7 million people across 32 countries and the tour was one of the most profitable in America in 2009. The concerts held at Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain were filmed and later released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc release entitled Tour of the Universe: Barcelona 20/21.11.09 . In March 2010, Depeche Mode won the award for "Best International Group – Rock / Pop" at the ECHO Awards in Germany.

On June 6, 2011, as the final commitment to their contract with EMI, the band released a remix compilation album, entitled Remixes 2: 81–11 that features remixes by former members Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder . Other remixers involved with the project were Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran, Röyksopp, Karlsson & Winnberg of Miike Snow, Eric Prydz, Clark and more. A new remix of " Personal Jesus " by Stargate, entitled "Personal Jesus 2011", was released as a single on May 30, 2011, in support of the compilation.

Depeche Mode contributed their cover of the U2 song "So Cruel" to the tribute album AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered honouring the 20th anniversary of Achtung Baby , a 1991 album by U2. The compilation CD was released with the December 2011 issue of Q .

Delta Machine (2012–2015) [ ]

In October 2012 during a press conference in Paris, Dave Gahan , Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher announced plans for a new album and a 2013 worldwide tour starting from Tel Aviv and continuing in Europe and North America. Martin Gore revealed that Flood mixed the album, marking the producer's first studio collaboration with the band since 1993's Songs of Faith and Devotion .

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Depeche Mode, 2013.

In December 2012, the band officially announced signing a worldwide deal with Columbia Records and releasing a new album in March 2013. On January 24, 2013, it was confirmed that the album was titled Delta Machine . " Heaven ", the debut single from Delta Machine was released commercially on Friday February 1, 2013 (although not in the U.K). The release date in the U.K. was pushed back to March 18, 2013 (March 17, 2013 on iTunes). The physical release still bore the Mute Records logo, even though the band have now severed ties with their long standing label. Andy Fletcher mentioned in an interview this was due to their "devotion" to the label and with the band's insistence.

In March, the band announced North American dates to its Delta Machine summer tour, starting August 22, from Detroit and ending October 8, in Phoenix. In June, other European dates were confirmed for early 2014. The final gig of Delta Machine Tour took place in Moscow (Russia) on March 7, 2014, at Olimpiski venue.

That month, Depeche Mode won the award for "Best International Group – Rock / Pop" at the ECHO Awards in Germany. Also they were nominated at the category "Album des Jahres (national oder international)" for Delta Machine , but lost against Helene Fischer's Farbenspiel .

On October 8, 2014, the band announced Live in Berlin , the new video and audio release filmed and recorded at the O2 World in Berlin, Germany in November 2013 during the Delta Machine Tour . It was released on November 17, 2014 worldwide.

In a 2015 Rolling Stone interview celebrating the 25th anniversary of Violator , Martin Gore stated that Johnny Cash's cover of " Personal Jesus " is his favorite cover version of a Depeche Mode song.

Spirit and Fletcher's death (2016–2020) [ ]

On January 25, 2016, Martin Gore announced a projected return to the recording studio in April, with both Gore and Gahan having already written and demoed new songs. In September, the official Depeche Mode Facebook page hinted at a new release, later confirmed by the band to be a music video compilation, Video Singles Collection , scheduled for release in November by Sony. In October 2016, the band announced that their fourteenth album, titled Spirit and produced by James Ford, would be released in spring 2017.

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Depeche Mode, 2017.

" Where's the Revolution ", the lead single from Spirit , was released February 3, 2017, along with its lyric video. The official video was published a week later, on 9 February. The Global Spirit Tour officially kicked off on May 5, 2017 with a performance in Stockholm, Sweden, at the Friends Arena. The first leg of the tour covered European countries only, ending with a final stadium show in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, at the Cluj Arena. The second leg of the tour covered North America and returned to Europe. The North America leg of the tour kicked off in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 23, at the USANA Amphitheatre. The band remained in North America until November 15 when they left for Dublin to resume the European leg. The band ended the tour in Europe with two sold-out shows on July 23 and 25, 2018 in Berlin, Germany, at the Waldbühne. In September 2019, the band announced that Spirits in the Forest , a documentary that was partially filmed during these shows, would be released in theatres for one night only, November 21, 2019.

On November 7, 2020, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Fletcher's death and Memento Mori (2022–present) [ ]

On 26 May 2022, Andy Fletcher died, aged 60, after suffering an aortic dissection while at home. His fellow bandmates Gahan and Gore stated, "we are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy 'Fletch' Fletcher". Former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder stated that learning of Fletcher's death was "a real bolt from the blue".

Prior to Fletcher's death, Gahan said: "There's a ton of stuff that we've done with Depeche Mode that I'm really proud of. I think that's come with time and age. Martin put out a record last year which I really liked. I actually bought a copy because it wouldn't feel right otherwise. I know he's been pottering away in his studio as well, so I guess at some point next year we'll get together. Hopefully at least to just have a chat about what we both feel like we could move forward with."

On May 26, 2022, Depeche Mode announced that Andy Fletcher had died at the age of 60.

Many artists or close people to the group have responded to the news with statements or tributes to Andy, showing support to his family and the band, including Pet Shop Boys, The Smashing Pumpkins, Alison Moyet, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Lol Tolhurst (The Cure), Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle), Molchat Doma, Alan Wilder, Anton Corbijn, Erasure, Jennifer Sklias, Stella Rose and Phil Gahan, Duran Duran, Michael Amott (Arch Enemy), New Order, Thomas Dolby, Eric Alper, Ewan Pearson, Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff), Rob Sheffield, Gary Numan and many more.

On August 15, 2022 the social media accounts for Depeche Mode shared a photo of Gahan and Gore in a recording studio, with them tweeting "finding stability in what we know and love, and focusing on what gives life meaning and purpose", which magazines like Rolling Stone suggested was a hint at work on a new studio album.

On October 4, 2022 Depeche Mode announced their new album Memento Mori and a tour which will start on March 23, 2023. They stated that they had begun work on the album in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Gahan and Gore said they would send each other ideas for songs, for example Dave said, “I played guitar and sort of sang on my iPhone,” while Gore “sent it back with his angelic voice.”  They also stated that they would be working with James Ford once again as well as Marta Salogni as producers for the album.

When questioned about their feelings towards Fletcher's passing Dave Gahan stated, “Fletch would have loved this album,” and he was very upset that he hadn't gotten a chance to hear any of the material. Martin Gore also clarified "We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time. After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning." which many assumed the title was a tribute to Andy, due to its meaning "remember you must die".

On 15 August 2022, the social media accounts for Depeche Mode posted a photo of Gahan and Gore in a recording studio, with them tweeting, "finding stability in what we know and love, and focusing on what gives life meaning and purpose", which magazines like NME suggested was a hint at work on a new studio album.

The first single, "Ghosts Again", was released on 9 February 2023. It received relative success in the UK, charting at No. 20. Ghosts Again had widespread success in the US, charting in the top 10 of 3 Billboard Charts. Reaching number 2 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart, Dave Gahan said it "captures this perfect balance of melancholy and joy" while Martin said it has "such an upbeat feel to it" and how rare it is for the band to record a song that "I just don't get sick of listening to".

Style and influences [ ]

Original bandleader Clarke was responsible for transforming the fledgling Depeche Mode from a conventional rock outfit into an electronic music act. Clarke attributes his shift in musical ambitions to Wirral group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), who were also influential on Fletcher and Gore. Gore has named the electronic quartet Kraftwerk as a primary influence on the band, stating, "My dream was to combine the emotion of Neil Young or John Lennon transmitted by Kraftwerk's synthesizers. Soul music played by electronic instruments." Band members have also cited David Bowie, The Clash, Roxy Music and Brian Eno, Elvis Presley, the Velvet Underground, Fad Gadget, Suicide, and the blues.

Depeche Mode were considered a teen pop band during their early period in the U.K., and interviewed in teen pop magazines such as Smash Hits . Following the departure of Clarke, their music began to take on a darker tone, establishing a darker sound in the band's music, as Gore assumed lead songwriting duties. Gore's lyrics include themes such as sex, religion, and politics. Gore has stated he feels lyrical themes which tackle issues related to solitude and loneliness are a better representation of reality, whereas he finds "happy songs" fake and unrealistic. At the same time, he asserts that the band's music contains "an element of hope."

Depeche Mode's music has mainly been described as synth-pop, new wave, electronic rock, dance-rock, alternative rock and pop rock. The band also experimented with various other genres throughout its career, including avant-garde, electronica, pop, soul, techno, industrial rock and heavy metal.

See also: List of cover versions of Depeche Mode songs

Depeche Mode have released a total of 14 studio albums, 10 compilation albums, six live albums, eight box sets, 13 video albums, 71 music videos, and 54 singles. They have sold over 100 million records and played live to more than 30 million fans worldwide. The band has had 50 songs in the U.K. Singles Chart, and one U.S. and two U.K. number-one albums. In addition, all of their studio albums have reached the U.K. Top 10 and their albums have spent over 210 weeks on the U.K. Charts.

In 2006 music critic Sasha Frere-Jones claimed that "the last serious English influence was Depeche Mode, who seem more and more significant as time passes." Depeche Mode's releases have been nominated for five Grammy Awards: Devotional for Best Long Form Music Video; " I Feel Loved " and " Suffer Well ", both for Best Dance Recording; Sounds of the Universe for Best Alternative Album; and " Wrong " for Best Short Form Music Video. In addition, Depeche Mode have been honoured with a Brit Award for " Enjoy the Silence " in the Best British Single category, the first-ever Q Innovation Award, and an Ivor Novello Award for Martin Gore in the category of International Achievement.

Depeche Mode were called "the most popular electronic band the world has ever known" by Q , "one of the greatest British pop groups of all time" by The Sunday Telegraph , and "the quintessential eighties techno-pop band" by Rolling Stone and AllMusic. They were ranked No. 2 on Electronic Music Realm's list of The 100 Greatest Artists of Electronic Music, ranked No. 158 on Acclaimed Music's list of Top 1000 Artists of All Time and Q included them on their list of "50 bands that changed the world". In an interview in 2009, Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr argued that Depeche Mode and U2 were the only contemporaries of his band which could be said to have "stayed constantly relevant". Muse 's Matt Bellamy said, "I can understand the association [with Muse], because they're a band that never really fitted in exactly with the music of their time. They had their own thing, their own style, own sound. I respect them very much."

During Depeche Mode's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , Coldplay 's Chris Martin remarked, "sonically, they were and are about throwing away all the rulebooks." Arcade Fire 's Win Butler added, "I feel like their music still sounds like it could come out 20 years from now. Depeche were able to take that spirit and spread it, which is really kind of a sacred responsibility."

Influence [ ]

Several major artists have cited the band as an influence, including: Arcade Fire , The Killers , Nine Inch Nails , Chvrches , The Smashing Pumpkins , Coldplay , Muse , No Doubt , A Perfect Circle , Marilyn Manson , Linkin Park , The Crystal Method , Fear Factory , La Roux , Gotye , Rammstein , a-ha , Tegan and Sara (on Sainthood ) Type O Negative , Susanne Sundfør , ZZ Top , and Paul van Dyk . Depeche Mode contemporaries Pet Shop Boys and Gary Numan have also cited the band as an influence. Colombian singer Shakira described Enjoy The Silence as the song that first sparked her passion for pop music.

The dark themes and moods of Depeche Mode's lyrics and music have been enjoyed by several heavy metal artists, and the band influenced acts such as Marilyn Manson and Deftones . They have also been named as an influence on Detroit techno and indie rock.

Philanthropy [ ]

Early in their career, Depeche Mode was dismissive of benefit concerts such as Live Aid. Gore himself stated, "If these bands really care so much, they should just donate the money and let that be it. Why can't they do it without all the surrounding hype?".

Since 2010 the band has applied their celebrity and cultural longevity to help promote and raise funds for several notable charity endeavours. They lent their support to high-profile charities such as MusiCares, Cancer Research U.K. and the Teenage Cancer Trust. The band has also supported the Small Steps Project, a humanitarian organization based in the United Kingdom, aiming to assist economically disadvantaged children into education. They have partnered with Swiss watchmaker Hublot to support Charity: Water, aimed at the provision of clean drinking water in developing countries. Such collaboration led to the release of two different limited edition watches, the Hublot Big Bang Depeche Mode in 2017 and The Singles Limited Edition series based from the Big Bang model in 2018. The proceeds helped raise $1.7 million for Charity:Water. In 2014, the partnership hosted a gala and fundraiser at the TsUM building in Moscow, raising $1.4 million for the charity.

Band members [ ]

The current line-up consists of:

  • Dave Gahan - lead singer and occasional songwriter (1980-present)
  • Martin Gore - guitarist, keyboardist, and chief songwriter (1980-present)

Touring musicians

  • Christian Eigner – drums, keyboards (1997-present)
  • Peter Gordeno – keyboards, bass guitar, piano, backing vocals (1998-present)

Former members:

  • Vince Clarke - member from 1980 to 1981; keyboardist
  • Alan Wilder - member from 1982 to 1995; keyboardist
  • Andy Fletcher - member from 1980 to 2022; keyboardist

Discography [ ]

For the full list of albums Depeche Mode released through their career, click here .

  • Speak & Spell (1981)
  • A Broken Frame (1982)
  • Construction Time Again (1983)
  • Some Great Reward (1984)
  • Black Celebration (1986)
  • Music for the Masses (1987)
  • Violator (1990)
  • Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993)
  • Ultra (1997)
  • Exciter (2001)
  • Playing the Angel (2005)
  • Sounds of the Universe (2009)
  • Delta Machine (2013)
  • Spirit (2017)
  • Memento Mori (2023)

Singles [ ]

For the list of all singles Depeche Mode released for each album, click here .

For the list of all songs by Depeche Mode, click here .

Solo discography [ ]

For the solo discography of each member that is working besides the band, click here .

Main article: Tours

→ see also Depeche Mode/Gallery#Images and Category:Images of Depeche Mode

Gallery [ ]

Depeche Mode in 1984.

  • Clarke wrote virtually all their music while he was a member - all but two songs on Speak & Spell (the band's first album) are his (Gore wrote "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Big Muff"). When Clarke left, Gore filled the songwriting vacancy, becoming their primary composer. He sang on some of their tracks, but Gahan took lead on most of them.
  • Martin only began writing songs because Vince Clarke left the band and someone had to
  • Gahan eventually grew frustrated singing Gore's songs, and in 2003 released a solo album with his own compositions called Paper Monsters . On the next Depeche Mode album, Playing the Angel (2005), he wrote three songs.
  • Fletcher owned a restaurant in London called Gascogne. The address is 12 Blenheim Terrace, St. John's Wood, London NW8 0EB, England.
  • Martin and Dave have been known to trade vocal duties in concert, one singing a song the other sang on the album.
  • It was hard for the band to get gigs early on, since the didn't hide the fact that they had no drummer. They would often put the drum machine on the riser for the drums, or out in the middle of the stage to make it obvious.
  • Until sometime in the late '90s, their contract with Mute Records was a handshake deal with Daniel Miller.
  • At 17 Dave Gahan was a hard-core David Bowie fan who earned his place in Depeche Mode with a rendition of "Heroes" (he also had the look the band was after). The singer subsequently moved to New York and found his children attending the same school as his idol's. Bowie and Gahan sometimes saw each other at school plays.
  • Andy and Martin along with Alison Moyet and Perry Bamonte (from The Cure) went to St. Nicholas Comprehensive school. Vince went to Laindon High Road School, which was the enemy school.
  • Martin Gore speaks fluent German.
  • They appear in the video game The Sims 2 Open For Business . In addition to being characters, they recorded a new version of their song "Suffer Well" in Simlish, which is the language spoken in the game.
  • In 2009, Apple tried something new, offering an "iTunes Pass" for the Depeche Mode album Sounds of the Universe , which entitled buyers to video extras and other songs in addition to the album. Record companies are always trying to upsell their artists, as they want fans to buy the music, go to concerts, purchase merch, etc., and the iTunes model of selling individual tracks doesn't suit this. By offering the "Pass," Apple is extending an olive branch to the labels.
  • Gahan, Gore and Fletcher discussed how they've lasted so long together during a live Q&A at the 2013 South By Southwest. Their secret is by sometimes not being together. "We don't keep in constant contact after a tour, we only speak to each other every four to six months," said Gore.

Bibliography [ ]

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depeche_Mode
  • https://www.songfacts.com/facts/depeche-mode

External links [ ]

  • Official Website of Depeche Mode with archives
  • Depeche Mode at Wikipedia
  • Depeche Mode at the IMDb
  • Depeche Mode at www.allmusic.com
  • Depeche Mode Press File at tiptopwebsite.com
  • 1 Dave Gahan
  • 2 Martin Gore
  • 3 Alan Wilder

Classic Pop Magazine

Making Depeche Mode – Songs Of Faith And Devotion

By Rik Flynn | January 31, 2022

Following up the enormous success of Violator almost broke Depeche Mode. But despite Dave Gahan’s heroin addiction and inter-band fighting, with Songs Of Faith And Devotion they eventually created a dark masterpiece…

Depeche Mode

“ I struggled and struggled and struggled and struggled with it… it was like pulling teeth.” So said producer Flood of the arduous sessions that eventually churned out Songs Of Faith And Devotion , Depeche Mode’s eighth studio album.

While most groups have their off days, this particular venture was clearly a trial of biblical proportions – and one that would see tempers fray, time wasted and one core member up sticks for good.

At the close of the World Violation Tour in support of their last album, Violator , Depeche Mode were a band at the height of their powers. A triumphant cavalcade of 11 articulated lorries and 100 stage crew had helped them reach the ears of well over a million fans in various stadiums around the globe.

The album won triple platinum status and cemented the group as major-league stars. Understandably, the four human beings at the centre of the maelstrom had been run ragged by the whole affair.

Almost two years later, when Martin Gore , Dave Gahan, Alan Wilder and Andy Fletcher reconvened in a London bar shortly before they were due to kick-start the whole process all over again, circumstances had changed considerably. For one, they faced a wall of intimidating proportions with the need to follow up – or even equal – the success of Violator .

Not only had the musical climate shifted considerably with the scuzzy guitars of grunge cranked up in their absence but, far more importantly, here stood four altered souls who’d barely crossed paths since emerging from the tour bus.

Read more: Making Depeche Mode’s Speak & Spell

Read more: top 40 depeche mode songs.

1 I Feel You A clear statement of intent, first single and album opener I Feel You initiated a new chapter for the band. From the ear-piercing synth that introduces the whole shebang to the grinding, ever-present blues-rock riff around which the track circles, this exhibited the new performance-weighted manifesto. Alan Wilder’s live drums were sampled, channelled through synthesizers and finally aligned into sequenced loops to exhilarating effect.

“The main reason for the choice was that the track had attitude and was radically different to what we had done before,” stated Alan Wilder. “We hoped it would surprise people and make them curious about the rest of the album.” And so it did. The song reached No.8 in the UK and was the group’s highest-charting single worldwide. It’s clear the Depeche Mode of old had left the room.

2 Walking In My Shoes With human frailty and judgement as its principal themes, this brooding second single is widely considered one of Martin Gore’s finest creations. “It was constructed using an unusual method for us, i.e. jamming together,” explained Wilder. “Martin played the guitar, I played bass and we ran a rhythm machine – this was just to get the basic feel for the track – and after much trial and error, the chorus bassline and guitar pattern fell into place.”

Flood and Wilder then constructed the main riff, before adding loops, string arrangements and various studio trickery. The single made No.14 in the UK.

3 Condemnation A sermon of bitter acceptance preached over a solemn gospel march, Condemnation embodies the shadowy appeal of the album as a whole. Both Martin Gore – in terms of his mastery of songwriting – and Dave Gahan – in terms of delivering an utterly compelling vocal – are at their absolute pinnacle.

Condemnation takes on a hymnal quality thanks to its super-slow tempo and an ever-present chain-gang hum, both of which add to its unique processional quality. “The idea of that track was to enhance the gospel feel that the song originally had without going into pastiche, and to try to create the effect of it being played in a room, in a space,” said Wilder to Keyboard Magazine .

They achieved the effect by recording each band member separately, but in the same space, with organ, drums, clapping and percussion.

4 Mercy In You One more in the name of salvation, Mercy In You is a classic mix of the dark and light shades from the Depeche palette. Martin Gore’s slurred slide guitar line interrupted by Wilder’s clanking “rap-like drum loop”, the ethereal soft synths that momentarily reframe the lyrics and Dave Gahan’s pleading cry, mesh to form a vast, many-splendoured production.

It also indulged Wilder’s penchant for backwards sounds, with a reversed piano. “Having taken psychedelic drugs in my youth, it reminds me of listening to music in that state of mind; everything sounds backwards,” he told Keyboard in 1993. “So when I hear something backwards, it takes me off into a sort of trippy mood.”

5 Judas Plenty going on here, from the reverse reverb-caked uilleann pipes that introduce the song to the lyrical themes of atonement and sacrifice, this time beautifully delivered by Martin Gore. The band attempted several different versions, from a reggae-esque take to a blues-country version. The closing crowd vocals were created thanks to a cast of tape ops, secretaries and kitchen staff from the studio.

Their combined voices were multitracked to create an ensemble of over 90 voices and the makeshift studio choir was then processed to sound as if recorded in a church. Choir or no choir, the fighting continued and Flood remembered the track for all the wrong reasons. “ Judas was the last track we mixed and I can always remember – it was like the last day of mixing the whole album – and Alan and Martin are sitting on the couch arguing about it.”

6 In Your Room One of Alan Wilder’s all-time favourite Depeche Mode tracks, In Your Room was the fourth and final single to be extracted from the album. While the song took several attempts stylistically in the studio, the end product remains one of the band’s greatest moments.

Dave Gahan’s deep baritone works its magic atop a cyclical, chiming electric guitar before yet more doom-laden loops come crashing in to remind us that this is S ongs Of Faith And Devotion we’re listening to. A variphone synth riff brings the track home with exquisite perfection.

Nirvana producer Butch Vig’s reworked Zephyr Mix was released as a single and it reached No.8 in the UK charts.

7 Get Right With Me Resplendent with distorted vinyl scratching, pounding loop and resonant guitars, this is one of the more uplifting tracks on the album. On this, the shortest song,

Gahan is joined in his message of unification by a trio of gospel singers – Bazil Meade, Hildia Campbell and Samantha Smith – and collectively they carry us up into a pleasingly jubilant climax.

8 Rush An ever-present arpeggiated synth loop that winds in on itself, a protagonist haunted by guilt and lies, drug references and the occasional intense, unearthly sample meant many an album critic clocked the Nine Inch Nails motifs when describing the noisy, propellant nature of Rush – and we’d agree; Flood had, after all, worked with Trent Reznor on Pretty Hate Machine a few years prior.

9 One Caress Unlike the laborious nature of many of the tracks on Songs Of Faith And Devotion , the only ballad in the set was the second-fastest recording of any Depeche track, ever. During the final sessions in London’s Olympic Studios, Martin Gore took on lead vocal duties, delivering his quivering tenor live atop a sweeping 28-piece string section arranged by Wil Malone.

Malone was chosen thanks to his sublime work on Massive Attack’s Unfinished Sympathy , a favourite of both Wilder and Gore. “That was maybe 10 minutes of studio work in a whole year,” remembered Gahan, “but it was a very special moment.” The track was released as a US-promo single. 10 Higher Love Described humorously by Fletcher as “our Tears For Fears moment”, and one of the most synth-happy tracks on the album, Higher Love closed out the LP immersed in an epic euphoria.

Commencing with the band’s familiar deep, soft synths, and with a sequenced Moog bassline that steadied the ship, this curtain call is further augmented by ambrosial floating samples – a requisite haunting vocal that mirrors the distorted harpsichord/piano line brings it all together, as Gahan is “Heaven-bound on the wings of love…”

depeche mode devotional tour q magazine

Frontman Dave Gahan, in particular, was unrecognisable: super-skinny, goatee-bearded with hair down to his shoulders, heavily tattooed and recast as the ready-made rock god. Having split from his wife, he’d relocated to LA and immersed himself in everything La La Land had to offer.

“ Violator was huge around the world and I should have been on top of the world,” he explained to Melody Maker . “I had everything I could possibly want, but I was really lost. I didn’t even feel like I knew myself anymore. And I felt like shit, ‘cause I constantly cheated on my wife, and went back home and lied. My soul needed cleansing.”

He’d started a new relationship with the band’s American PR Teresa Conroy, who brought with her a hip new cast of intimates that included the likes of art-rockers Jane’s Addiction. From his mansion in the Hollywood Hills, and with his newly-acquired Harley-Davidson propped up outside, Gahan cooked up an entirely new vision for the band. Not only that, but with idle hands came a drug habit that quickly got out of hand.

“I’d changed,” he admitted, “but I didn’t really understand it until I came face to face with Al and Mart and Fletch. The looks on their faces battered me.”

For Flood, Alan was ‘the craftsman’, Martin, ‘the ideas man’, and Dave, ‘the attitude’. In the midst of the whirlwind, Gahan had taken his role to the extreme. “I consciously thought, there’s no fucking rock stars out there any more,” he told NME .

“No-one was willing to go the whole way to do this. So I created a monster… and I dragged my body through the mud to show that I could do it.” While hidden from sight at first, Gahan’s heroin habit would plague the recording of Songs Of Faith And Devotion .

Read our article on the cover art of Depeche Mode

In stark contrast, Martin had moved to the leafy peripheries of Hertfordshire and had a daughter, Wilder had settled in the Sussex countryside and was busy experimenting with his side-project Recoil and – equally un-rock’n’roll – Andy Fletcher had opened a restaurant in St. John’s Wood. It was soon clear to the others that Dave was hellbent on deserting the synth-heavy sound that had defined the band.

“I went back with this attitude that we’ve got to make a rock record,” he remembered. “I was all gung-ho… and the rest of the guys were not part of my plan.” Nonetheless, both Gore and Wilder at least had reinvention in mind. “We wanted to try to change as many things about our approach to making music as we possibly could,” Wilder explained to Keyboard magazine, “mainly to keep ourselves interested in what we’re doing and to challenge ourselves.”

When Gore’s initial demos reached the rest of the band in early 1992, the bluesy motif of I Feel You , the dark ruminations of Walking In My Shoes and gospel centrepiece Condemnation immediately connected with Gahan. “The lyrics were completely appropriate to the way I was feeling,” he explained. “It was almost like Mart was writing the stuff for me.”

Directed by Anton Corbijn , the man behind the concepts for both the World Violation and Devotional world tours, this simplistic black and white video cemented the band’s new image. Shots of the members cloaked in blackness are interrupted when Dave Gahan’s outstretched arms introduce the curtain-drop into each new landscape: Martin Gore stomps around some mountainous expanse, the two perform in front of an abandoned church and actress Lysette Anthony coquettishly eyes up the camera, playing the part of the enigmatic lover.

Walking In My Shoes

For the record’s second satellite, Corbijn chose to lean heavily on the religious imagery of the album. With a palette of black and white, purple, red, emerald green and flaming orange, there’s starkly lit shots of band members cowering in a shadowy corner, interspersed with various ambiguous characters, from shamanic bird-headed men and medieval serfs to a priest-like figure and a nun. A mountain backdrop is revealed, its winding path suggesting an uphill route to salvation. The video was censored for US MTV, although the uncut version is available on several DVDs.

Condemnation

Yet more dubious theological symbolism was adopted for the album’s processional third single. A maiden in a virginal white gown stares down the lens, before Dave Gahan – in a bright brilliant white vest – mouths the lyrics from amidst a solemn marching group of hooded figures, seemingly leading him to some kind of willing surrender. Various laughing, flirting and kissing couples stare on as this funereal cortege passes by, eventually guiding their passenger to the white-gowned girl, before the two are chained together in a lustful embrace.

In Your Room

For the album’s final single, and unsure if this would be his last with the group, Anton Corbijn chose to survey his own portfolio with the band over the years, via references to imagery from Strangelove , I Feel You , Walking In My Shoes , Halo , Enjoy The Silence , Personal Jesus , Condemnation and Never Let Me Down Again . Scenes of partial nudity and bondage meant the video appeared after hours on US MTV, which led to a lack of sales in America. It is also the last video to feature Alan Wilder, who left the group soon after.

Songs Of Faith And Devotion was a tale of three cities. First Madrid, then Hamburg and finally, after a 10-month slog, the album was wrapped in London. Music For The Masses had been recorded in Paris and Violator was split between Milan and northern Denmark – this time it would begin in Spain.

When a suitable studio proved hard to find, Flood floated the idea to improvise. Having recently completed U2’s The Joshua Tree in a residential house converted into a studio, he figured a similar set-up would be equally revitalising for Depeche Mode.

Depeche Mode

Violator 2.0 was never on the cards. This time a “looser, less programmed” feel was the ethos, with the dynamics of human performance to the fore. But with little or no pre-production, the reality hit hard.

“When we go in and play together, we end up sounding like a pub rock band,” concluded Wilder. “We’re not capable of going into a room, playing together, and coming up with a magical piece of music. We have to apply all that technology to make it sound more spontaneous and human.”

Nonetheless they persevered, and standout track Walking In My Shoes was borne of one of those laborious Madrid jam sessions: Gore on guitar and Wilder on bass, playing along to a looped rhythm track. Flood and Wilder then constructed further drum loops and string arrangements, as well as the central riff, a combination of piano and harpsichord through a distorted guitar amp.

The villa’s basement – with its garish salmon and black marble decor – became the drum room.

Read our article on Depeche Mode’s Violator

Read our definitive guide to depeche mode.

One of the first songs started in Madrid evolved into one of the finest, and for once Gahan was coaxed out of his stupor.

“The only thing that I felt I really did on that record was do what I considered was probably my all-time greatest vocal on Condemnation ,” he said. “Most of the rest of the time I would sporadically come in and out of the studio and blurt out some ideas and then go back and lock myself in my room. It was probably really hard for the rest of the guys.”

Despite his condition, he pushed himself, singing in higher keys.

“I worked personally with Dave for many years to get the optimum performance out of him and I actually believe that some of his best vocals are on the Songs Of Faith And Devotion  album,” Wilder explained to Recoil’s website. “Dave’s voice on tracks such as In Your Room , Condemnation , I Feel You and Walking In My Shoes absolutely mirrors the intensity of the music.”

Still, with barely anything in the can, the session had been a disaster. The claustrophobia of living in each other’s pockets, endless tinkering with no success, unspoken tensions, and a singer who was – unbeknownst to the others – doing heroin in-between takes, meant things moved at a glacial pace.

“I remember being in there with Flood and I swear he was in tears because he was at such a loss at what to do to pull this thing together,” remembered Gahan. “It was like we’d had a run of great luck and then on Songs… all of the luck had evaporated,” added Flood. “Everyone had camped into their little area and they were sticking to their guns.”

With progress at an all-time low, Mute boss Daniel Miller discovered a studio almost completely devoid of activity.

“I turned up after a couple of weeks, but the vibe was terrible,” Miller conveyed to Electronic Beats . “You had Martin and Fletch taking up their normal pose on the sofa reading the tabloids; Alan was in another room practising drums; one of the engineers had his feet up on the desk asleep; Dave was up in his room, all the curtains drawn, painting. Flood was trying to get some kind of sound. It was a horrible, poisonous atmosphere.”

Alan Wilder

When the band relocated to Hamburg’s Chateau Du Pape studios, a more familiar working environment meant the success rate immediately increased: eight tracks were completed in six weeks, compared to the slim pickings mined from Madrid. Hamburg was also the place in which the band finally discovered Gahan’s various drug paraphernalia, but that was a battle for another time. “Even though he was on heroin and wasn’t here most of the time,” remembered Gore, “whenever he went into the studio and did a vocal, it was amazing.”

As the album finally came together in London, Flood and Wilder adopted sequencers to restructure the live takes, while Gore’s guitars remained a vital focus. “We’re applying the technology to a performance to make sure that you get all the dynamics of a human performance, all those slight timing changes that make something feel human,” outlined Wilder.

Another new tack was the inclusion of outsiders for the first time. Irish multi-instrumentalist Steafan Hannigan’s uilleann pipes transformed the intro to Judas , and gospel singers augmented the jubilant Get Right With Me . Gore sang live with a 28-piece string section on One Caress – recorded in less than an hour. For Gahan, Songs… would be “the opposite to what anyone was expecting from Depeche Mode.”

Against all odds, the album was finally released at the end of March 1993. It had cost a small fortune, but out of the mire came a work of towering strength that would endow the band with a powerful new aura and trump its predecessor to score the cherished No.1 spot in both the UK and America.

“In the face of adversity you often produce your best work,” surmised Wilder. “In a way, it’s an exact tribute to the emotions of the time and the chemistry between the people,” added Flood.

For Gahan they’d “finally managed to marry the electronics and Depeche Mode qualities that have always been there with performance and musicianship.” But “something broke” in Wilder during the making of Songs Of Faith And Devotion , and the ensuing 180-date Devotional tour – cited as the most debauched tour in history – would prove the last straw, but that’s one for another day…

Read more: Scritti Politti’s Green Gartside interview

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Andy Fletcher, left, with fellow Depeche Mode members Dave Gahan, Alan Wilder and Martin Gore, pictured in 1987.

Andy Fletcher obituary

Bands could not function without a member designated the quiet standard bearer, and in Depeche Mode that was Andy Fletcher, who has died suddenly aged 60. Constitutionally modest, he was lucky inasmuch as the group had two members – singer Dave Gahan and guitarist Martin Gore – who were comfortable with being Depeche Mode’s public face. That allowed Fletcher, universally known as Fletch, to get on with being their backbone.

He was crucial to their makeup, pushing the band to achieve, chivvying them to get into the studio or on the road. Without his tenacity, exercised over 42 years, Depeche Mode would have splintered long before they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Fletcher was a keyboardist and passionate proponent of electronics, glorying in the synthesiser’s role in overturning the convention of music being made with guitars and drums. “Obviously, it’s sad to see the demise of the traditional rock group,” he said drily in 1993. “But there’s always going to be a place for it in cabaret.” But his musicianly interests were rivalled by a head for business. He enjoyed keeping tabs on receipts and merchandising, and for Depeche Mode, who became one of the world’s biggest touring groups in the 1990s, that was win-win: Fletcher was onstage behind his keyboard every night, but offstage performed dusty managerial duties. He estimated that he spent 17 years as player-manager; even after the band acquired heavyweight management he kept his hand in.

Andy Fletcher performing during Depeche Mode’s Global Spirit Tour in Washington, DC in 2017.

His knowledge of the industry was renowned. When his death was announced, the Pet Shop Boys , old confreres from the hit-making 80s, tweeted: “Fletch was a warm, friendly and funny person who loved electronic music and could also give sensible advice about the music business.” During the Hall of Fame induction, Gahan characterised the early Depeche Mode as “outsider, eyeliner-wearing weirdos from Essex”, but Fletcher was never as unconventional as Gahan and Gore. Rather, he viewed himself as “the tall guy in the background, without whom this international corporation called Depeche Mode would never work”.

He was the eldest of two sons and two daughters born in Nottingham to Joy and John Fletcher. In the early 60s, his father, an engineer, was offered a job at a cigarette factory in Basildon, and they became one of the first families to settle in the Essex new town. Andy joined the Christian organisation the Boys’ Brigade and remained a member until he was 18, during which he became actively religious. He attended church seven days a week, and with fellow member Vince Clarke, preached in the Brigade coffee bar. That period, he said, “shaped my moral beliefs and attitudes”. His church activities also sparked an interest in music, and it was there that he picked up his first instrument, a guitar. He retained his faith after he left the Brigade; in the 80s, as Depeche Mode charted with taut electropop singles that would influence rap, EDM and metal, he felt guilty about not going to church.

Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and Andy Fletcher attend the Q Awards in 2002.

He took politics at A-level and planned to go to university, but instead, he and Clarke formed a band with a classmate from Nicholas comprehensive school in Laindon, Gore. Joined by Gahan, a friend from Southend, the new group had a ready-made audience on Southend’s busy social circuit. The band’s musical direction was shaped by Gore, who had bought a then-revolutionary synthesiser, while their image, according to Fletcher, was “post-Blitz kids with frilly shirts”. He got a job as a clerk at SunLife Insurance, and stuck with it until he was fairly sure he could make a living from music. By that point, Depeche Mode’s second single, New Life, had reached No 11 in the charts and they had been on Top of the Pops.

They maintained a considerable chart presence throughout the 1980s and 90s, with the music evolving in an ornate and gothic direction from the late 80s. Substance abuse, notably on Gahan’s part, marred their gargantuan 90s shows – the 14-month Devotional tour was described as “the most debauched rock’n’roll tour ever” by Q magazine. Fletcher, who had once viewed touring as “so much fun”, was now depressed. Moreover, he was used as a mediator by the brooding Gahan and the flamboyant Gore during their regular creative disputes.

Gahan became sober in the late 90s and the group resumed recording and playing live. Gore and Gahan launched solo careers, but Fletcher, who once said he had no great interest in writing songs, started his own record company, Toast Hawaii. He signed the band Client, which released several albums, but the label was always secondary to his Depeche Mode commitments and little was heard of it after Client departed in 2006. His involvement with the group did instil an interest in DJing – he learned the techniques at their gigs, and thereafter played occasional solo sets at clubs and festivals.

From the mid-90s, Fletcher and his wife, Gráinne Mullan, ran a restaurant in St John’s Wood, north London. He sold it after a decade, blaming “all the little things that went wrong”. He was game enough to re-enter the hospitality trade in 2021, investing in the relaunch of a Hampstead pub, the Duke of Hamilton.

Gráinne, whom he married in 1993, survives him, as do their children, Megan and Joe.

Andrew John Fletcher, musician, born 8 July 1961; died 26 May 2022

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The Devotional Tour

Devotional Tour - Europe 1993 Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder Opening Act(s): unknown-->

Devotional Tour - Canada, USA & Mexico 1993 Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder Opening Act(s): unknown-->

Devotional Tour - Ireland & UK 1993 Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder Opening Act(s): unknown-->

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depeche mode devotional tour q magazine

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Depeche Mode Launch "The Most Debauched Rock and Roll Tour Ever"

Depeche Mode begin their Devotional tour in Lille, France. They reach new levels of excess on the trek, culminating with lead singer Dave Gahan having a heart attack during a show.

The tour sets off with a crew of 120, including a psychiatrist who is on hand largely to support Gahan, who is deep into heroin abuse and has taken on a messianic personality, detaching from his bandmates in private rooms filled with candles. The shrink proves ineffective as Gahan never sees him and the rest of the band act out their rock and roll fantasies with a surfeit of drugs and groupies. Gahan and Alan Wilder have their own limos, and every member is assigned a different floor at every hotel stay in an effort to partition the inevitable parties, including one that gets them banned from the Intercontinental hotel in Berlin. On September 8 in Montreal, Gahan is arrested after punching a concierge at the hotel and spends a night in jail. A month later he collapses backstage before the encore at their show in New Orleans after suffering a heroin-induced heart attack. The band does the encore without him while he is taken to the hospital. Gahan, by now a hopeless addict, doesn't heed doctor's warning and returns to the tour. Martin Gore's drug use also spirals out of control, and in November he is arrested in Denver for disturbing the peace in a hotel incident involving a boombox and a petulant attitude. The tour ends in December, but picks up again in February 1994 as the "Exotic Tour." Fletcher quits the tour in March, and in June, Gahan bites reporter Andrew Perry on the neck as part of his fascination with vampires. At the final show, July 8 in Indianapolis, Gahan attempts a stage dive that goes horribly wrong, and he is sent to the hospital with cracked ribs. The tour becomes the stuff of legend as roadies and insiders spread tales of orgies, overdoses and destruction. Q magazine names it "The Most Debauched Rock and Roll Tour Ever." Depeche Mode takes some time off and predictably, Gahan has more near-death adventures with drugs, including a 1996 overdose where paramedics have to jump start his heart Pulp Fiction style. He cleans up later that year, and in 1997 the group returns with their next album, Ultra . They don't tour for that one.

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  • Avg Setlist
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Average setlist for tour: Devotional Tour

  • Higher Love Play Video
  • Policy of Truth Play Video
  • World in My Eyes Play Video
  • Walking in My Shoes Play Video
  • Behind the Wheel Play Video
  • Halo Play Video
  • Stripped Play Video
  • Condemnation Play Video
  • A Question of Lust Play Video
  • Death's Door Play Video
  • Mercy in You Play Video
  • I Feel You Play Video
  • Never Let Me Down Again Play Video
  • Rush Play Video
  • In Your Room Play Video
  • Personal Jesus Play Video
  • Enjoy the Silence Play Video
  • Fly on the Windscreen Play Video
  • Everything Counts Play Video

Show Openers

Main set closers, show closers, encores played.

This feature is not that experimental anymore. Nevertheless, please give feedback if the results don't make any sense to you.

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depeche mode devotional tour q magazine

IMAGES

  1. Depeche Mode "Devotional Tour" 1993

    depeche mode devotional tour q magazine

  2. Depeche Mode "Devotional Tour" 1993

    depeche mode devotional tour q magazine

  3. Depeche Mode "Devotional Tour" 1993

    depeche mode devotional tour q magazine

  4. Depeche Mode "Devotional Tour" 1993

    depeche mode devotional tour q magazine

  5. Depeche Mode "Devotional Tour" 1993

    depeche mode devotional tour q magazine

  6. Depeche Mode

    depeche mode devotional tour q magazine

COMMENTS

  1. Devotional Tour

    The Devotional Tour was a 1993 concert tour by English electronic band Depeche Mode in support of the group's eighth studio album, Songs of Faith and Devotion, which was released in March 1993.. The group continued to promote Songs of Faith and Devotion the following year on the Exotic Tour/Summer Tour '94, which included an additional North American leg.

  2. Devotional Tour

    The Devotional Tour was a 1993 concert tour by English electronic band Depeche Mode in support of the group's eighth studio album, Songs of Faith and Devotion, which was released in March 1993. The group continued to promote Songs of Faith and Devotion the following year on the Exotic Tour/Summer Tour '94, which included an additional North American leg. Q magazine refers to Devotional Tour as ...

  3. Depeche Mode "Devotional Tour" 1993

    Martin Gore being arrested for disturbing the peace at the hotel. 20-26.11.1993 Los Angeles, Inglewood, The Forum. This stage of the tour ends with five sold-out concerts. At one of the group's meetings, Martin Gore had a seizure and lost consciousness. He was first diagnosed with panic attacks and alcoholism.

  4. Category:1993 Devotional Tour

    The 1993 Devotional Tour was a multi-leg tour undertaken by Depeche Mode in support of their eighth studio album Songs Of Faith And Devotion.It began its European leg on 19 May 1993 in Lille that concluded with the Crystal Palace concert on 31 July. Following a month-long break and a 6 September rehearsal, the tour kicked off its North American leg in Quebec City and toured across Canada, the ...

  5. Obsessed with the Devotional tour : r/depechemode

    I've been binge-watching the Devotional Tour on YouTube, (seems like the stop at Barcelona), just love it! While "In Your Room", Dave throws himself to the crowd, what a moment! He just goes freely and has an evil grin when he goes back to the stage, I wonder who got to keep the shirt he was wearing! ... My first Depeche Mode show was 1993-10 ...

  6. Devotional/Exotic Tour diary

    Notes. Daryl Bamonte, first roadie then tour manager then also keyboard player for Depeche Mode, wrote a tour diary for the Devotional and Exotic tour, which revealed some bizarre (though undoubtedly definitely not all bizarre) events throughout this mammoth tour. His diary was spread across Bong magazine issues #22 till #25, which were ...

  7. Depeche Mode

    Depeche Mode - Devotional Tour 1993 @Steve86Depeche Mode - Devotional HDSetlist:0:00:00 Higher Love0:07:16 World In My Eyes0:13:20 Walking In My Shoes0:19:5...

  8. Q Magazine « Home / a Depeche Mode website

    Q describes it: "In the new issue of Q, out Tuesday, 26 September, we join Depeche Mode in North America to hear how the trio from Basildon, Essex have overcome heroin, alcoholism and breakdowns to become one of the world's biggest bands. Niall Doherty speaks to frontman Dave Gahan near his home in New York and then heads out on the road with ...

  9. Depeche Mode: Devotional (Video 1993)

    This is Depeche Mode the way they should be seen. Filmed by Anton Corbijn over several nights of their 1993-94 DEVOTIONAL TOUR (listed by Q Magazine as "the most debauched rock tour ever"), the final product is an almost dreamlike chronicle of Depeche Mode at the absolute peak of their influential creative talents.

  10. Depeche Mode

    Q magazine described the 1993 Devotional Tour as "The Most Debauched Rock'n'Roll Tour Ever." ... During the last two legs of the tour Depeche Mode headlined a number of festivals including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the O 2 Wireless Festival. In total, the band played to more than 2.8 million people across 31 countries and ...

  11. Making Depeche Mode

    At the close of the World Violation Tour in support of their last album, Violator, Depeche Mode were a band at the height of their powers.A triumphant cavalcade of 11 articulated lorries and 100 stage crew had helped them reach the ears of well over a million fans in various stadiums around the globe.

  12. Depeche Mode / Devotional

    Devotional - A Performance Filmed by Anton Corbijn is a video release by Depeche Mode, featuring almost an entire concert from their 1993 Devotional Tour, fi...

  13. Devotional Tour

    The Devotional tour has been dubbed "The Most Debauched Rock 'n' Roll Tour Ever" by Q magazine. But I have doubts. By what standard were they gauging this alleged debauchery? Like on a scale of 1 to Guns N' Roses Posers where would this land? There's not a lot of detail out there beyond what's already been published.

  14. Depeche Mode

    Depeche Mode - Devotional Tour (1993, Palais Omnisport De Paris Bercy, Paris, France)(1993-06-30)Setlist:01. Higher Love [0:00:20]02. Policy Of Truth [0:07:5...

  15. Is devotional the best DM tour? : r/depechemode

    Devotional was my first ever concert. I've also seen Depeche Mode several more times live, and nothing has been as spectacular. Yes, it is their best. Tencamps. • 10 mo. ago. It was the best. DM were in great form. The stage design and videos were fantastic, especially for 1993.

  16. Devotional The Depeche MODE Experience

    Devotional The Depeche MODE Experience, West Hollywood, California. 9,330 likes · 360 talking about this. Devotional The Depeche Mode Experience featuring Freddie Morales is returning to some limited...

  17. Andy Fletcher obituary

    Substance abuse, notably on Gahan's part, marred their gargantuan 90s shows - the 14-month Devotional tour was described as "the most debauched rock'n'roll tour ever" by Q magazine.

  18. Depeche Mode: The Archives

    The archives of Depeche Mode. From Dreaming Of Me to Heaven. From Speak And Spell to Spirit, and beyond. Archives Home | Return To Main Site; Audio; Discography; Images; Lyrics; Past Tours; Video . DM Archives | past tours / dates . Devotional Tour - Europe 1993 Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder. May 19th, 1993. Espace Foire ...

  19. Depeche Mode Launch "The Most Debauched Rock and Roll Tour Ever"

    Q magazine names it "The Most Debauched Rock and Roll Tour Ever." Depeche Mode takes some time off and predictably, Gahan has more near-death adventures with drugs, including a 1996 overdose where paramedics have to jump start his heart Pulp Fiction style. He cleans up later that year, and in 1997 the group returns with their next album, Ultra ...

  20. Depeche Mode Average Setlists of tour: Devotional Tour

    89. 2. 1 Encore. 10. This feature is not that experimental anymore. Nevertheless, please give feedback if the results don't make any sense to you. View average setlists, openers, closers and encores of Depeche Mode for the tour Devotional Tour!

  21. Depeche Mode

    As a whole, the Devotional Tour is to date the longest and most geographically diverse Depeche Mode tour, spanning fourteen months and 159 individual performances. Q magazine described the 1993 Devotional Tour as "The Most Debauched Rock 'n' Roll Tour Ever".

  22. Devotional (video)

    Devotional - A Performance Filmed by Anton Corbijn is a video release by Depeche Mode, featuring almost an entire concert from their 1993 Devotional Tour, filmed in Barcelona, Spain (Palau Sant Jordi), Liévin, France (Stade Couvert Régional) and Frankfurt, Germany ().It was directed by Anton Corbijn, and released in 1993.It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video ...

  23. 9 wild Depeche Mode stories all fans should know

    5. A military plane crashing into a hillside nearly killed Alan Wilder. In 1982, after Vince left, keyboardist Alan Wilder answered an ad in Melody Maker and became a member of Depeche Mode and ...