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. ==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.
In 1978–79, Martin Gore played guitar in an acoustic duo, Norman and the Worms, with school friend Phil Burdett on vocals.
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 1979, Marlow, Gore and friend Paul Redmond formed a band called the French Look, with Marlow on vocals/keyboards, Gore on guitar and Redmond on keyboards.
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon in 1980.
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.
In March 1980, Clarke and Fletcher formed a band called Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar and Fletcher on bass. 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.
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.
I like the sound of that." However, 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"). Gore recalled that the first time the band played as Depeche Mode was a school gig in May 1980.
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.
The result of this verbal contract was their first single, "Dreaming of Me", recorded in December 1980 and released in February 1981.
"People Are People" became an anthem for the LGBT community, regularly played at gay establishments and gay pride festivals in the late 1980s.
The group consists of a trio of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting) and Andy Fletcher (keyboards). Depeche Mode released their debut album, Speak & Spell, in 1981, bringing the band onto the British new wave scene.
The result of this verbal contract was their first single, "Dreaming of Me", recorded in December 1980 and released in February 1981.
Depeche Mode's debut album, Speak & Spell, was released in October 1981 and peaked at number ten on the UK album charts.
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. Soon afterwards, Clarke joined up with blues singer Alison Moyet to form Yazoo (or Yaz in the United States).
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.
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.
Gore took over as main songwriter and later, in 1982, Alan Wilder replaced Clarke, establishing a lineup that continued for 13 years.
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.
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.
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.
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)=== 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).
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.
In September 1983, to promote Construction Time Again, the band launched a European concert tour. ===Some Great Reward and growing international success (1984–1985)=== 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".
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.
He said that although the concerts were selling well, Depeche Mode struggled to sell records. In September 1984, Some Great Reward was released.
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.
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.
In July 1985, the band played their first-ever concerts behind the Iron Curtain, in Budapest and Warsaw.
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)=== Depeche Mode's musical style shifted slightly again in 1986 with the release of their fifteenth single, "Stripped", and its accompanying album Black Celebration.
He has also filmed some of their live performances and designed stage sets, as well as most covers for albums and singles from Violator and onwards. ===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.
Billboard 200 chart. The Music for the Masses Tour began 22 October 1987.
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.
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.
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.
In early 1990, they released Violator, an international mainstream success.
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. 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").
and earned the band a second gold record, and it won Best British Single at the 1991 Brit Awards.
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.
A new remix of "Personal Jesus" by Stargate, entitled "Personal Jesus 2011", was released as a single on 30 May 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.
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. ===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.
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. 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.
and was influenced by the likes of Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden and Nirvana. 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.
The band's second live album, Songs of Faith and Devotion Live, was released in December 1993.
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. In December 2012, the band officially announced signing a worldwide deal with Columbia Records and releasing a new album in March 2013.
The tour continued into 1994 with the Exotic Tour, which began in February 1994 in South Africa, and ended in April in Mexico.
The tour also took the band back to South America for the first time since 1994's Exotic Tour.
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. 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.
Wilder would later be called the "Musical Director" of the band, responsible for the band's sound until his departure in 1995.
The film was directed by Anton Corbijn, and in 1995 earned the band their first Grammy nomination.
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.
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.
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.
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. ===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.
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).
"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. In March 2001, Depeche Mode held a press conference at the Valentino Hotel in Hamburg to announce the Exciter Tour.
"Dream On", "I Feel Loved", "Freelove" and "Goodnight Lovers" were released as singles in 2001 and 2002.
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.
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.
7 on the UK charts. ===Playing the Angel (2005–2007)=== In October 2005, the band released their 11th studio album Playing the Angel.
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. 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
"Wrong" was the first single from the album, released digitally in February 2009.
There was a warm up show in Luxembourg and it officially started on 10 May 2009 in Tel Aviv.
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.
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". 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.
Gahan's illness caused 16 concerts to be cancelled, but several of the shows were rescheduled for 2010.
In March 2010, Depeche Mode won the award for "Best International Group – Rock / Pop" at the ECHO Awards in Germany. On 6 June 2011, as the final commitment to their contract with EMI, the band released a remix compilation album, entitled 81–11 that features remixes by former members Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder.
But since 2010, the band has applied their celebrity and cultural longevity to help promote and raise funds for several notable charity endeavours.
Since 2010, Depeche Mode have partnered with Swiss watchmaker Hublot to support Water, aimed at the provision of clean drinking water in developing countries.
In March 2010, Depeche Mode won the award for "Best International Group – Rock / Pop" at the ECHO Awards in Germany. On 6 June 2011, as the final commitment to their contract with EMI, the band released a remix compilation album, entitled 81–11 that features remixes by former members Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder.
A new remix of "Personal Jesus" by Stargate, entitled "Personal Jesus 2011", was released as a single on 30 May 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.
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. In December 2012, the band officially announced signing a worldwide deal with Columbia Records and releasing a new album in March 2013.
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. In December 2012, the band officially announced signing a worldwide deal with Columbia Records and releasing a new album in March 2013.
On 24 January 2013, it was confirmed that the album was titled Delta Machine.
"Heaven", the debut single from Delta Machine was released commercially on Friday 1 February 2013 (although not in the UK).
The release date in the UK was pushed back to 18 March 2013 (17 March 2013 on iTunes).
Also they were nominated at the category "Album des Jahres (national oder international)" for Delta Machine, but lost against Helene Fischer's Farbenspiel. On 8 October 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.
In June, other European dates were confirmed for early 2014.
The final gig of Delta Machine Tour took place in Moscow (Russia) on 7 March 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 8 October 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 17 November 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 (2016–present)=== On 25 January 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.
It was released on 17 November 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 (2016–present)=== On 25 January 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 December 2016, Billboard named Depeche Mode the 10th Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists.
It was released on 17 November 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 (2016–present)=== On 25 January 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 October 2016, the band announced that their fourteenth album, titled Spirit and produced by James Ford, would be released in spring 2017. "Where's the Revolution", the lead single from Spirit, was released 3 February 2017, along with its lyric video.
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. ==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.
Corbijn has directed 20 of the band's videos (the latest being 2017's "Where's the Revolution.").
In October 2016, the band announced that their fourteenth album, titled Spirit and produced by James Ford, would be released in spring 2017. "Where's the Revolution", the lead single from Spirit, was released 3 February 2017, along with its lyric video.
The Global Spirit Tour officially kicked off on 5 May 2017 with a performance in Stockholm, Sweden, at the Friends Arena.
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.
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. ==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.
The band ended the tour in Europe with two sold-out shows on 23 and 25 July 2018 in Berlin, Germany, at the Waldbühne.
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.
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, 21 November 2019. On 7 November 2020, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ==Style and influences== Original bandleader Clarke was responsible for transforming the fledgling Depeche Mode from a conventional rock outfit into an electronic music act.
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. ==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.
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, 21 November 2019. On 7 November 2020, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ==Style and influences== Original bandleader Clarke was responsible for transforming the fledgling Depeche Mode from a conventional rock outfit into an electronic music act.
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