Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, 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, originally formed by the lineup of Gahan, Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, released their debut album '' Speak & Spell'' in 1981, bringing the band onto the British new wave scene. After founding member Clarke left following 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 Fletcher's 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.

History

Formation and ''Speak & Spell'' (1977–1981)

Depeche Mode's origins date to 1977, when schoolmates Vince Clarke and Andy Fletcher formed a band called No Romance in China, 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-influenced band, The Plan, with friends Robert Marlow and Paul Langwith. In 1978–1979, Martin Gore played guitar in an acoustic duo, Norman and the Worms, with school friend Phil Burdett on vocals. In 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. 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". The first live concert of Composition of Sound as a four-piece with Dave Gahan on vocals was on 14 June 1980 at Nicholas School, Basildon, England, UK. There is a plaque commemorating the gig at the James Hornsby School in Basildon, where Gore and Fletcher were pupils. Gahan's and Gore's favourite 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.

Later Composition of Sound would become embarrassed of their band name and started thinking on changing it. There were several potential variants, including the name 'Musical Moments' that was suggested by Vince Clarke for as both a band name and the name of their first album. Starting at the 1980-09-24 Bridge House gig, Composition of Sound changed the name to Depeche Mode. When explaining the choice for the new name, taken from French fashion magazine ', Gore said, "It means hurried fashion or fashion dispatch. I like the sound of that." However, the correct 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'', "fashion").

The band made their recording debut in late 1980 for the ''Some Bizzare Album'' (released in 1981) 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
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