David McElroy asked me to collaborate with his concert review project once again. You can read my review of the February 13th 2024 Berlin show on his blog Almost Predictable Almost. Yes, I will make you read it on his site. 😀
Ok, I’ll start by admiting. I’ve been AWOL from this site for almost the entire year. And what a year it’s been! We got a new Depeche Mode album (and a helluva a fine album). We also got treated to another great tour, which is still on-going (and of course I have plans to catch up with it in 2024). I obviously saw the band a couple of times (yes, I met Martin and he was the sweetest guy in the world). So why was I so absent from this blog so much? Well, dizzy Mr Busy, too much rush to talk to Billy. All the silly frilly things have to first get done. In a minute sometime soon, maybe next time, make it June, until later doesn’t always come. One of the best side effects of a DM tour is meeting with friends from all over the world. Me and the other Spirits also amanged to arrange a mini-reunion (during a DM show, of course) of our own. We didn’t get physical singles from “Memento Mori” (apart from the odd German 7″s and the newly announced white label series). To be honest, with the 12″ Singles box sets being released at the current pace, we’re going to reach MM in 2024 anyway. Since we’re talking about re-releases, “Strange” and “Strange Too” finally got their long-awaited DVD/blu-ray release. I don’t know about you, but I’m very excited for what 2024 will bring.
And yes, the title of this post and the accompanying image would have made more sense if I had pressed “publish” before January 1st, 2024. But you get the spirit. Raise your glasses and let’s have a black celebration!
“After 12 years of creating music as a family, DMK are excited to wrap up this era with the release of our album “Songs of Tiny Devotion: A Family Tribute to Depeche Mode 2010-2022,” which compiles all of our DM covers, remixed and remastered, plus our original song “Pale Blue Dot.” The album is now available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, Pandora, and more.”
Click on the link for access: dmk.hearnow.com
I was so very honored to have been invited to attend the press conference yesterday here in Berlin. What’s there to say? It’s impossible to look at the stage and not miss that extra chair with Fletch. The event would have probably lasted longer if he were around with his witty answers. It’s incredible that they managed to work on the album in such secrecy far better than before. The ideas were already going back and forth between Martin and Dave since the pandemic got us all locked down in 2020. All of the songs and even the grim title had been chosen before Andrew’s passing. Everything suddenly got a new meaning now.
Football jokes aside, after so many press conferences, we know that the band already says upfront what they are going to talk about and what they’re not. The journalists were really rather shy when they had the chance to ask them directly. Even I nearly raised my hand to end the awkward silence. I just didn’t have a question to make that I know that they could answer (and not about geography). In fact, Barbara Cherone, the interviewer, sort of exhausted the questions about the album and the tour that could be made.
The tour kicks off in North America this time with what seems like a warm-up, then heads to Europe for a stadium summer leg. I’m sure more dates will be added.
So many years and Marek Lieberberg still calls Dave GaRRÂN (it’s more like “gone” or “gawn”).
“A quick update from David and Kevin on the release of Halo:
As Depeche Mode fans will acknowledge, it’s been a sad and unsettling time over the last few months, especially for the family and friends of keyboardist and founding member Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher, who passed away suddenly in May.
We were in the process of working through the final edits of ‘Halo’ when the news emerged that week – a massive high for us, which turned very quickly into a shocking and very sad low.
The story behind Depeche Mode’s classic album Violator doesn’t change as a result of Fletch’s untimely death (in fact, many parts in our book that feature him have a certain poignancy now) but we wanted to ensure we respectively give some distance between the grieving among family, friends, the band and fans with the book’s release.
As we write this post, we are also reading proofs from our publisher and getting excited once again about its release.
‘Halo’ will be available from all the usual online retail outlets from Thursday, September 29, via Grosvenor House Publishing in paperback and e-book.
We’re expecting a final pre-order date almost any time soon and a full list of retailers, too. We’ll share that information ASAP!
Thanks.
D+K x”
When Placebo dropped their first single from their upcoming new studio album since 2013’s “Loud Like Love”, I was positively surprised. The title reminded me of the silly “Little James”, Liam Gallagher’s first contribution to Oasis about his then-stepson. It’s as silly as you’d expect for a Liam Gallagher track. But title coincidences apart, it was a very good return. So I waited for the album, which was released last March. But I didn’t get the memo on the second, third and fourth singles. All released prior to the album. I guess that’s the new normal in the 2020’s: just drop all singles ahead of the album. Singles aside, I found more coincidences. “Forever Chemicals” starts with the sounds of pots and pans like “People Are People”. And “Fix Yourself” has a synth line that reminded me a bit of “Cover Me”. But the album didn’t impress me right away. Maybe it’s a grower. It’s better than the two albums they released when we were on a break (“Meds” and “Battle For The Sun”). For now I’m just gonna let it sink in and wait for the placebo effect to kick in.
The book is an oral history of the career-defining album and era for electronic pioneers Depeche Mode, stretching from August 1989 upon the release of the first single Personal Jesus to November 1990 and the end of the World Violation Tour.
Written and published by Kevin May and David McElroy in association with UK-based Grosvenor House Publishing, Halo features interviews with those who had key roles during the making of Violator and the subsequent tour.
David and Kevin also hear from those involved in the iconic artwork of the album and its single releases, videos, publicity and other figures associated with the band before, during and after Violator’s release in March 1990.
Each of the book’s eight chapters includes a first-hand account of the era from fans (“Devotees”, as they came to be known), exclusive photographs and a detailed timeline of an extraordinary period in the British band’s history.
Those sharing their stories include Francois Kevorkian, Steve Lyon, Andy Franks, Roberto Baldi, Pino Pischetola, Nils Tuxen, Paul Kendall, Richard Bell, Richard Smith, Pam Heffer, Angela Shelton, Gareth Jones, Neil Ferris, Bruce Kirkland, Billie Ray Martin and many more.
Halo will be available in paperback print and e-book formats.
Pre-order details and a list of online retail outlets where Halo will be available will be shared ahead of the August 5 publish date.
David and Kevin, commenting on the release of Halo, remark: “We’re both thrilled and excited to be releasing Halo. We’ve tracked down and interviewed a wide range of figures involved in this remarkable era for Depeche Mode, from engineers and musicians in the studio at the time, to publicists, support bands, designers and even extras from some of the videos.
“This oral history is for fans and general music lovers who are curious about how a masterpiece was created. It’s an opportunity to learn first-hand from many of those involved in the making of Violator, in their own words, how this seminal album was made, marketed, toured and the impact it had on music and fans.
“This book has been a long time in the making, delayed by life, injury, a pandemic, work and all sorts, so we’re extremely grateful to those who have given us their patience to complete proceedings!”
Stay tuned for more details.
So more than a week later I get to post about the Berlin stop of Dave Gahan and Soulsavers’ Imposter show sponsored by Telekom, who was kind enough to let me win their online contest and attend the gig. What can I say? You can watch it for yourself here (well, for now). Dave presents his songs in the same order as the album and, if you pay attention to the lyrics, they kind of tell a story. Which could be his. Or not. You can decide for yourself. Other than that, I can only apologize for the anticlimactic crowd wearing mask the entire show. The 2G+ rules were enforced from entry into the theater all the time until we left. Obviously something gets lost in the performer-audience relationship. I hope we soon can enjoy concerts and sing out loud.
I know, I know… This website already has some tumbleweed rolling in the background. In fact, there are a few post in the making. I’m just never 101% satisfied with them to hit “publish”, but I’ll eventually say to myself “if you do it, they’ll come”.
Moving on, our main story tonight is the 2nd anniversary since “Spirits in the Forest” was screened all over the world. Yes, by now only me and my mom watch it on a regular basis. Just kidding, no we don’t. I didn’t get nominated for that Oscar. And just two years ago, life was completely different.
At one point in the film, I say I can only hope things are changing for the better. That statement was caught on camera in 2018 in the context of LGBT rights in Brazil. Since then, I can’t quite say my prophecy materialized as expected. And not just in the intended context, but in several ones. However, as we approach the holiday season of what feels like the 24th month of the year, I hopefully predict 2022 cannot – must NOT – be worse. There can be no worse. 2016 was tough already and we got out if with a new Depeche Mode album and tour.
