It’s one of their biggest hits. It was the beginning of her world career. Depeche Mode got off to a flying start in the early 80s with “Just Can’t Get Enough”. The European tour starts in a few days. But it crackles at the fan base.
Englishmen Kevin May and David McElory have been ardent supporters of the band for over 30 years. Something should change.
“I gotta say – please skip ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’. The new set design is really cool and it’s good to see a few surprises on the set. I hope they’ll add a few surprises for the summer and remove a few songs that we’ve heard too many times,” David McElory told BILD.
Martin Gore (l) and Dave Gahan
I’m sorry, what? “Just Can’t Get Enough” is actually part of every concert. The fans love it. Or not anymore? The internet is hotly debated. What should the band play live and what not.
“Depeche Mode has a finely tuned and successful model when it comes to touring and it seems to be working well again. Nevertheless, many fans would probably appreciate it if some big surprises came up at some point during the tour,” says Kevin May to BILD.
Surprises? The new album “Memento Mori” convinces the fan community. Many fans want more songs from the current album on the upcoming tour.
BILD spoke to the Depeche Mode experts
“I think the new songs are all very strong, except for ‘Caroline’s Monkey’ which I just don’t like. ‘Ghosts Again’ is their best pop single since ‘Precious’ and tracks like ‘Before We Drown’ and ‘People Are Good’ are fantastic. Martin’s vocals on ‘Soul With Me’ is, in my opinion, the best Martin song since ‘Home’. It’s wonderful,” says David McElory.
Adds Kevin May: “It’s the first time that everything seems to have clicked at once, from the songwriting and overall atmosphere of the record to the instrumentation and studio work. It doesn’t feel overproduced like some recent albums have, with ‘Speak To Me’ and ‘Soul With Me’ being the standout tracks.”
Archive image: Andy Fletcher at a concert in London in 2017. The musician died in May 2022
But David McElory is also grateful to the band: “After Fletch died we all feared there would be no Depeche Mode at all, so it’s a fantastic thing to have a new tour and a new album. I think ‘Memento Mori’ is the band’s strongest album since ‘Ultra’ (released in 1997) and it contains a number of songs that are excellent. I really like the album and am really looking forward to seeing them play live in Dublin, London and Berlin this summer.”
Andy “Fletch” Fletcher died in May 2022. Fletcher formed Depeche Mode in 1980 with Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Vince Clarke (left the band in 1981). With hits like “Enjoy The Silence”, “Personal Jesus” and also “Just Can’t Get Enough” the Brits achieved world fame.
Kevin May: “In the face of adversity, Depeche Mode often produces some of their most interesting material. The album is a perfect tribute to Fletch and a tribute to the creativity of the remaining members of the band.”
Martin Gore and Dave Gahan in October
David McElory saw his first Depeche Mode concert in London in 1993. He first heard the Depeche-Mode hit “Enjoy The Silence” in his parents’ car while they were taking him to school. Kevin May first saw the band on the 1990 World Violation tour.
The album “Violator” was released in March 1990 and has sold over 15 million copies to date. No other Depeche Mode album was sold more successfully. A musical milestone.
What made “Violator” what it is? The two Depeche Mode experts wrote down their experiences in the book “Halo” (The story behind Depeche Mode’s classic album “Violator”, now published by Hannibal Verlag).
David McElory: “’Violator’ is a groundbreaking album in many ways. First, it was their first worldwide hit album and made Depeche Mode one of the biggest bands in the world, certainly at the time. It propelled them to fame they had never seen before and was the launch pad for their future and continued global success.”
“Violator” stayed in the German album charts for a total of 48 weeks. With “Enjoy The Silence” and “Personal Jesus” the long player also contained the biggest hits of the band to date.
“‘Violator’ proved that electronic music could fill large venues and paved the way for them and other bands in the electronic genre to fill arenas and stadiums for years to come,” says Kevin May.
Depeche Mode in the mid ’80s: From top: Dave Gahan, Martin L. Gore, Alan Wilder and Andrew Fletcher
In early 2023, “Enjoy The Silence” even re-entered the charts after 33 years. Kevin May: “It’s a testament to the quality of the song! Now that streaming numbers count towards chart positions, it only seems logical that classics like ‘Enjoy The Silence’ would reappear on the charts.”
David McElory: “It’s because of the overall quality of the songs. ‘Violator’ is a timeless album – which means it could be released today in 2023 and sound fresh and unique.”
The “Memento Mori” tour is Depeche Mode’s 19th tour and will take them to Germany for six stadium concerts. Dates: Leipzig May 26th, Düsseldorf June 4th and 6th, Munich June 20th, Frankfurt June 29th and July 1st, Berlin July 7th and 9th.
