Bong 23 (December 1994)
Articles:
Ask Daryl
Devotional Diary II (tour recollections) by Daryl Bamonte
Guten Abend Deutschland! (fan convention report) by Michaela Olexova
Rushing For Depeche Mode (band biography) by Brian Do
In Our Eyes (international fan club news) by various contributors
Pictures:
page 1 Dave live
page 2 some of the band and crew off duty in Durban
page 3 promotional shot by Anton Corbijn
page 4 Dave live
Articles:
Ask Daryl
Devotional Diary II (tour recollections) by Daryl Bamonte
Guten Abend Deutschland! (fan convention report) by Michaela Olexova
Rushing For Depeche Mode (band biography) by Brian Do
In Our Eyes (international fan club news) by various contributors
Pictures:
page 1 Dave live
page 2 some of the band and crew off duty in Durban
page 3 promotional shot by Anton Corbijn
page 4 Dave live
Attachments
ASK DARYL
[From Bong 23, December 1994.]
Did you enjoy being on stage?
Yes, although I was very nervous.
Have you ever thought of taking on the career as a musician?
Not really.
How did you feel when fans started recognizing you as “a member” of Depeche Mode?
They didn’t.
Do you think your personality has changed after you started to work with DM and especially after you appeared on stage with them?
No, unfortunately I’ve always been this way.
Would you like to be a full member of Depeche Mode?
No thank you.
How did you meet the band and get to work with them?
At school and growing up in Basildon. I offered to hump equipment for them in return for beer.
Which of the DM members have you known longest?
Fletch, then Martin, then Dave, then Alan.
Which of the DM members are you closest to?
I’ve just spoken to Dave on the phone, so at the moment it’s him.
Have you ever played in a band?
Never (except DM).
What musical instruments can you play?
Keyboards (a bit).
Why do you think they picked you as a “fill-in” for Andy?
Because I’m “part of the gang”.
What do you consider to be the best show you performed with DM? The most enjoyable?
Santiago, Chile was good. Apparently the last show in Indianapolis was good but I don’t remember it.
Did you make any mistake such as pressing the wrong key on the keyboard during any show at all?
Yes. Once during “Behind The Wheel”. Can’t remember where.
If you could choose to work with a different band who would it be?
Personal Assistant to John Secada.
What’s the biggest experience you’ve had with DM over the years?
Playing on stage with them and getting a new van.
What is your favourite DM album and why?
“Violator” and “S.O.F.A.D.”. They are the most accomplished, also I was involved in co-ordinating both of these albums.
What responsibilities does your job include?
Taking care of business.
What football team do you support?
Manchester United.
Wouldn’t you like to work for The Cure as your brother Perry is a member of the band?
It would be a privilege to serve under him.
What country and city do you like the most (visited)?
Barcelona, New York, Milan and Cape Town.
What foreign languages do you speak?
Basildonian.
Did you enjoy co-producing the S.O.F.A.D. album and what was involved in such a task?
Yeh, sure, sure. I enjoyed it. Tasks involved making sandwiches for Flood!
Before you started to work for DM, were you a fan?
I’ve worked for them since they were “Composition Of Sound”.
In general, what do you think of the DM fans?
I’m intrigued by their obsessiveness, and moved by their passion.
You can see all the changes of the audience, so is there a big difference between the crowd in 1980/81 and 1994.
Yes, 1994 audience was much bigger.
What is your favourite DM song?
Black Celebration.
Are you often or ever recognised by fans in the streets?
Never.
What is the best practical joke you have played on the band?
I wouldn’t dare.
Who has been your favourite support band for DM over the years?
Book Of Love.
What other jobs have you ever had?
None.
What is the worst thing about working with DM? Cos I once spotted you behind the stage at Wembley, during the concert. Dave was standing on the top level, back to audience and you gobbed at each other!
There are some bad points, being gobbed at is one of the good points.
When the band is not touring what are your day to day duties?
Office bound.
What DM song begins “And”?
Told You So.
Have you got any nicknames?
“Monty Bamonte” – Alan
“DAZ” – Dave
“D” – Bobby Gillespie.
Did you ever sweat on stage – even though you’re a keyboard player?
Only my hands (nerves).
Do you think you & your brother could arrange some kind of co-operation between Depeche Mode and The Cure?
If DM and The Cure ever wanted to “co-operate”, I’m sure they’d be capable of arranging it themselves.
Would you consider making a solo album now that the Devotional Tour is over?
What, as opposed to all my well known non-solo albums?
Which DM track did you enjoy playing the most?
“Enjoy The Silence”, because it was an encore, and I could relax (a lot). It’s also an enjoyable song to actually play.
Will you be replacing Andy for the rest of the DM career?
I did not replace Andy in DM. I merely stood in for him for the remainder of the tour.
Would you go to a Depeche Mode Convention if you had time?
I went to a couple of conventions a few years ago.
Are you DM’s best soccer player?
I am definitely DM’s best soccer player, although this is not difficult to maintain.
Do you find it hard to live with the fact that Holland stopped England from going to the World Cup?
My torment is marginally eased by the fact that England actually won the World Cup in 1966, whereas Holland have never won the World Cup.
Who took over your job backstage when you were on stage?
A great man called Alan Sullivan.
How did Andy tell everyone he wasn’t going to finish the tour?
He had a private meeting with the band.
How are you coping with fame?
I’m not famous.
Now you’ve had a taste of fame, do you think you’ll form your own band?
No, my “taste of fame” has satisfied my craving.
When did you learn to play keyboards?
During 10 days’ rehearsal with Alan in Hawaii.
If you were a passenger in a demolition derby stock car race who would you most want and least want (out of the band) to be your driver?
Most want: Anyone but Martin. Least want: Martin.
What is the most important thing you have forgotten to do at work?
Get out of bed, be efficient, smile, be polite, etc.
What do you consider are the best and worst aspects of touring with the band?
Best: You live in a fantasy world. Worst: You live in a fantasy world.
Have you ever been called up for a jury service?
No.
What has happened to the DM football team?
You can’t play forever, you know.
Were you at the Wherehouse record store in 1990 when it all “went off” – was it scary or was it exaggerated by news reporters?
Yes, I was there. No, it wasn’t scary, just a bit “edgy”. The scale of the whole thing was not exaggerated. The misleading reports were that fans rioted. Actually they did nothing of the sort. There were just too many people in too small an area.
Now that you’ve been a member of Mode, will you stay clear of conventions like the others?
I haven’t been to one for a few years anyway, but I’d like to go to one again.
Questions by Stephanie Cruche – France, Gunar Vykus – Germany, Anja Kohlert – Germany, Andreas Trotzkowski – Germany, Andrea Krauss – Germany, Philipped – France, Agniezska Baranoliska – Poland, Thomas Franken – Germany, Gavin Rose – England and others.
[From Bong 23, December 1994.]
Did you enjoy being on stage?
Yes, although I was very nervous.
Have you ever thought of taking on the career as a musician?
Not really.
How did you feel when fans started recognizing you as “a member” of Depeche Mode?
They didn’t.
Do you think your personality has changed after you started to work with DM and especially after you appeared on stage with them?
No, unfortunately I’ve always been this way.
Would you like to be a full member of Depeche Mode?
No thank you.
How did you meet the band and get to work with them?
At school and growing up in Basildon. I offered to hump equipment for them in return for beer.
Which of the DM members have you known longest?
Fletch, then Martin, then Dave, then Alan.
Which of the DM members are you closest to?
I’ve just spoken to Dave on the phone, so at the moment it’s him.
Have you ever played in a band?
Never (except DM).
What musical instruments can you play?
Keyboards (a bit).
Why do you think they picked you as a “fill-in” for Andy?
Because I’m “part of the gang”.
What do you consider to be the best show you performed with DM? The most enjoyable?
Santiago, Chile was good. Apparently the last show in Indianapolis was good but I don’t remember it.
Did you make any mistake such as pressing the wrong key on the keyboard during any show at all?
Yes. Once during “Behind The Wheel”. Can’t remember where.
If you could choose to work with a different band who would it be?
Personal Assistant to John Secada.
What’s the biggest experience you’ve had with DM over the years?
Playing on stage with them and getting a new van.
What is your favourite DM album and why?
“Violator” and “S.O.F.A.D.”. They are the most accomplished, also I was involved in co-ordinating both of these albums.
What responsibilities does your job include?
Taking care of business.
What football team do you support?
Manchester United.
Wouldn’t you like to work for The Cure as your brother Perry is a member of the band?
It would be a privilege to serve under him.
What country and city do you like the most (visited)?
Barcelona, New York, Milan and Cape Town.
What foreign languages do you speak?
Basildonian.
Did you enjoy co-producing the S.O.F.A.D. album and what was involved in such a task?
Yeh, sure, sure. I enjoyed it. Tasks involved making sandwiches for Flood!
Before you started to work for DM, were you a fan?
I’ve worked for them since they were “Composition Of Sound”.
In general, what do you think of the DM fans?
I’m intrigued by their obsessiveness, and moved by their passion.
You can see all the changes of the audience, so is there a big difference between the crowd in 1980/81 and 1994.
Yes, 1994 audience was much bigger.
What is your favourite DM song?
Black Celebration.
Are you often or ever recognised by fans in the streets?
Never.
What is the best practical joke you have played on the band?
I wouldn’t dare.
Who has been your favourite support band for DM over the years?
Book Of Love.
What other jobs have you ever had?
None.
What is the worst thing about working with DM? Cos I once spotted you behind the stage at Wembley, during the concert. Dave was standing on the top level, back to audience and you gobbed at each other!
There are some bad points, being gobbed at is one of the good points.
When the band is not touring what are your day to day duties?
Office bound.
What DM song begins “And”?
Told You So.
Have you got any nicknames?
“Monty Bamonte” – Alan
“DAZ” – Dave
“D” – Bobby Gillespie.
Did you ever sweat on stage – even though you’re a keyboard player?
Only my hands (nerves).
Do you think you & your brother could arrange some kind of co-operation between Depeche Mode and The Cure?
If DM and The Cure ever wanted to “co-operate”, I’m sure they’d be capable of arranging it themselves.
Would you consider making a solo album now that the Devotional Tour is over?
What, as opposed to all my well known non-solo albums?
Which DM track did you enjoy playing the most?
“Enjoy The Silence”, because it was an encore, and I could relax (a lot). It’s also an enjoyable song to actually play.
Will you be replacing Andy for the rest of the DM career?
I did not replace Andy in DM. I merely stood in for him for the remainder of the tour.
Would you go to a Depeche Mode Convention if you had time?
I went to a couple of conventions a few years ago.
Are you DM’s best soccer player?
I am definitely DM’s best soccer player, although this is not difficult to maintain.
Do you find it hard to live with the fact that Holland stopped England from going to the World Cup?
My torment is marginally eased by the fact that England actually won the World Cup in 1966, whereas Holland have never won the World Cup.
Who took over your job backstage when you were on stage?
A great man called Alan Sullivan.
How did Andy tell everyone he wasn’t going to finish the tour?
He had a private meeting with the band.
How are you coping with fame?
I’m not famous.
Now you’ve had a taste of fame, do you think you’ll form your own band?
No, my “taste of fame” has satisfied my craving.
When did you learn to play keyboards?
During 10 days’ rehearsal with Alan in Hawaii.
If you were a passenger in a demolition derby stock car race who would you most want and least want (out of the band) to be your driver?
Most want: Anyone but Martin. Least want: Martin.
What is the most important thing you have forgotten to do at work?
Get out of bed, be efficient, smile, be polite, etc.
What do you consider are the best and worst aspects of touring with the band?
Best: You live in a fantasy world. Worst: You live in a fantasy world.
Have you ever been called up for a jury service?
No.
What has happened to the DM football team?
You can’t play forever, you know.
Were you at the Wherehouse record store in 1990 when it all “went off” – was it scary or was it exaggerated by news reporters?
Yes, I was there. No, it wasn’t scary, just a bit “edgy”. The scale of the whole thing was not exaggerated. The misleading reports were that fans rioted. Actually they did nothing of the sort. There were just too many people in too small an area.
Now that you’ve been a member of Mode, will you stay clear of conventions like the others?
I haven’t been to one for a few years anyway, but I’d like to go to one again.
Questions by Stephanie Cruche – France, Gunar Vykus – Germany, Anja Kohlert – Germany, Andreas Trotzkowski – Germany, Andrea Krauss – Germany, Philipped – France, Agniezska Baranoliska – Poland, Thomas Franken – Germany, Gavin Rose – England and others.
DEVOTIONAL DIARY II
[From Bong 23, December 1994. Words: Daryl Bamonte.]
This is the second part of Daryl’s person diary from the Devotional Tour. We hope you are going to enjoy reading it as much as you did the first part we printed in Bong 22. What other way would you get so close to the band on tour anyway???
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.
[From Bong 23, December 1994. Words: Daryl Bamonte.]
This is the second part of Daryl’s person diary from the Devotional Tour. We hope you are going to enjoy reading it as much as you did the first part we printed in Bong 22. What other way would you get so close to the band on tour anyway???
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…
To be continued…
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…
To be continued…
GUTEN ABEND DEUTSCHLAND!
[From Bong 23, December 1994. Words: Michaela Olexova.]
Still not over the excitement of the last Depeche Mode Fan Club Convention which took place last June in London’s Limelight Club, yet there was another Fan Club Convention to come. But this time all the chaos with organizing such an event was left on the shoulders of the “Devotee” club in Jena and Indie Tours operating from Berlin. One less thing to worry about and it worked out very well in the end. So after a couple of months of hard work (many thanks Peter, Connie, Kay and others involved), countless phone calls and faxes, Paul Green who’s been the DJ at various Bong conventions since I can remember was also invited to do the same in Jena and with me carrying all the prizes and promotional stuff from our office we set out on our way to a foreign land…
The date was set for November 19, 1994 and the place was Kulturzentrum (“culture centre” for those who don’t speak German!) “Lobeda” in Jena, Germany. If you were not there you should be sorry you missed it because it turned out to be a brilliant night, not to mention successful as well.
The doors were opened with a small delay thanks to a late soundcheck so our apology to all the fans who stood in line in the rain and waited patiently to be let in. Before the convention began at 9:30pm, the fans had plenty of time to browse around all the stands that were set up in the foyer, giving them the opportunity to purchase and add even more DM merchandise missing from their collections as there was a limited number of BONG T-shirts made especially for this occasion. Also there was a chance to sign yourself up for one of the “musical” trips organized by Indie Tours who have in the past managed to bring quite a few fans to several DM gigs in Europe. “Strange Promotion”, a merchandise company had the official merchandise from the American leg of the Devotional Tour on offer and merchandise available only at the Crystal Palace gig. The stuff was sold out within minutes. For fans of industrial music, the guys from the mail order service called “Crazy Horse” were ready to show them what they had in store. “The Fan Association” based in Germany made sure that every fan had a leaflet with information about their latest activities (find out more on page 8). Last but not least, I should mention the presence of the radio station “MDR Sputnic” which is transmitted via Astra satellite system and was promoting the DM convention on their programme. Also coverage on DM fans was scheduled for broadcasting the following Monday.
At 9:30pm, we finally said hello to over two thousand fans who came to Jena from al over Germany, France, Italy and Greece. After the welcoming speech the endless night began…
The venue itself was a great choice because those who didn’t want to spend the entire evening listening to Depeche Mode music in the main hall could change the frequency and enter an adjoining room where industrial music was played, but I am pleased to say that this room was almost empty every time I popped in.
The atmosphere was warming up minute by minute and reached boiling point at 11:30 when the local band, called “On Friday”, went on stage to play a half hour set. Although their native language is German and the songs were sung in English, they didn’t lose any contact with the audience where a few fans could be spotted singing along and even jumping on stage to do a bit of dancing with the singer. After this concert, there was much more DM music to be played and plenty of time to meet new people and talk to the fans.
The first competition, a “Dave look-and-dance-a-like” was held at 1:00am. Around eight “Daves” entered and each of them had to perform on stage one DM song of their choice. The three best contestants were chosen by the audience. The winner was Matthias Brauer from Rostock, Germany who performed “Rush” and won one of Alan’s drumsticks and a bag full of DM goodies.
Matthias: “I felt really nervous on stage at first but as soon as I heard the response from the audience I began to enjoy myself.”
Eighteen year old Lars Krantz from Jena, Germany became the second Dave look-a-like with the song “Never Let Me Down Again”. He won a white label of “S.O.F.A.D.”, a T-shirt and some other things. He told us he felt like one of the band. It was like the others were standing behind him and that he had to give the best performance. Third in this competition came Gunar Vykus from Schonebeck, Germany whose choice of music was “A Question Of Time”. His prize included a “Violator” picture disk, a T-shirt and a few more items.
Gunar: I am having a great time and love the idea of conventions when all the fans get together for one common reason.”
After giving the fans another two hours of DM music and a chance to move their bodies, a ticket draw was organised at 3:00am. Ten plastic bags packed with special prizes and DM merchandise were brought on stage and the tickets of the lucky people were picked in random. The top three prizes consisting of a plectrum signed by Martin, a signed song list from the US tour from Alan, a copy of a “Violator” album signed by the whole band, were won by Stefan Helmert from Pausa, Bela Olah from Jena and Dirk Menzel from Penig.
The excitement of the ticket draw was followed by more music and dancing up to 5:00am when the fans started to leave the venue either due to exhaustion or travel arrangements. And so we felt it was time to say “good-bye”.
Thanks to everyone for coming and making the night so special. See you next time!
[From Bong 23, December 1994. Words: Michaela Olexova.]
Still not over the excitement of the last Depeche Mode Fan Club Convention which took place last June in London’s Limelight Club, yet there was another Fan Club Convention to come. But this time all the chaos with organizing such an event was left on the shoulders of the “Devotee” club in Jena and Indie Tours operating from Berlin. One less thing to worry about and it worked out very well in the end. So after a couple of months of hard work (many thanks Peter, Connie, Kay and others involved), countless phone calls and faxes, Paul Green who’s been the DJ at various Bong conventions since I can remember was also invited to do the same in Jena and with me carrying all the prizes and promotional stuff from our office we set out on our way to a foreign land…
The date was set for November 19, 1994 and the place was Kulturzentrum (“culture centre” for those who don’t speak German!) “Lobeda” in Jena, Germany. If you were not there you should be sorry you missed it because it turned out to be a brilliant night, not to mention successful as well.
The doors were opened with a small delay thanks to a late soundcheck so our apology to all the fans who stood in line in the rain and waited patiently to be let in. Before the convention began at 9:30pm, the fans had plenty of time to browse around all the stands that were set up in the foyer, giving them the opportunity to purchase and add even more DM merchandise missing from their collections as there was a limited number of BONG T-shirts made especially for this occasion. Also there was a chance to sign yourself up for one of the “musical” trips organized by Indie Tours who have in the past managed to bring quite a few fans to several DM gigs in Europe. “Strange Promotion”, a merchandise company had the official merchandise from the American leg of the Devotional Tour on offer and merchandise available only at the Crystal Palace gig. The stuff was sold out within minutes. For fans of industrial music, the guys from the mail order service called “Crazy Horse” were ready to show them what they had in store. “The Fan Association” based in Germany made sure that every fan had a leaflet with information about their latest activities (find out more on page 8). Last but not least, I should mention the presence of the radio station “MDR Sputnic” which is transmitted via Astra satellite system and was promoting the DM convention on their programme. Also coverage on DM fans was scheduled for broadcasting the following Monday.
At 9:30pm, we finally said hello to over two thousand fans who came to Jena from al over Germany, France, Italy and Greece. After the welcoming speech the endless night began…
The venue itself was a great choice because those who didn’t want to spend the entire evening listening to Depeche Mode music in the main hall could change the frequency and enter an adjoining room where industrial music was played, but I am pleased to say that this room was almost empty every time I popped in.
The atmosphere was warming up minute by minute and reached boiling point at 11:30 when the local band, called “On Friday”, went on stage to play a half hour set. Although their native language is German and the songs were sung in English, they didn’t lose any contact with the audience where a few fans could be spotted singing along and even jumping on stage to do a bit of dancing with the singer. After this concert, there was much more DM music to be played and plenty of time to meet new people and talk to the fans.
The first competition, a “Dave look-and-dance-a-like” was held at 1:00am. Around eight “Daves” entered and each of them had to perform on stage one DM song of their choice. The three best contestants were chosen by the audience. The winner was Matthias Brauer from Rostock, Germany who performed “Rush” and won one of Alan’s drumsticks and a bag full of DM goodies.
Matthias: “I felt really nervous on stage at first but as soon as I heard the response from the audience I began to enjoy myself.”
Eighteen year old Lars Krantz from Jena, Germany became the second Dave look-a-like with the song “Never Let Me Down Again”. He won a white label of “S.O.F.A.D.”, a T-shirt and some other things. He told us he felt like one of the band. It was like the others were standing behind him and that he had to give the best performance. Third in this competition came Gunar Vykus from Schonebeck, Germany whose choice of music was “A Question Of Time”. His prize included a “Violator” picture disk, a T-shirt and a few more items.
Gunar: I am having a great time and love the idea of conventions when all the fans get together for one common reason.”
After giving the fans another two hours of DM music and a chance to move their bodies, a ticket draw was organised at 3:00am. Ten plastic bags packed with special prizes and DM merchandise were brought on stage and the tickets of the lucky people were picked in random. The top three prizes consisting of a plectrum signed by Martin, a signed song list from the US tour from Alan, a copy of a “Violator” album signed by the whole band, were won by Stefan Helmert from Pausa, Bela Olah from Jena and Dirk Menzel from Penig.
The excitement of the ticket draw was followed by more music and dancing up to 5:00am when the fans started to leave the venue either due to exhaustion or travel arrangements. And so we felt it was time to say “good-bye”.
Thanks to everyone for coming and making the night so special. See you next time!
RUSHING FOR DEPECHE MODE
[From Bong 23, December 1994. Words: Brian Do.]
1. Songs For The Faithful And Devoted
A beautiful ballad titled “Death’s Door” was the first song to be heard after a few months of silence. The track wasn’t meant to be released as a new single but was in fact the band’s contribution to the Wim Wenders film, “Until The End Of The World”. Nevertheless, the song was featured on the soundtrack and also a special flexi-disc featuring “Death’s Door” (Jazz Mix) was available from the official Fan Club as a give-away at the time.
Just prior to the release of their new album, the band members appeared at a listening party at the club “Ministry Of Sound” in London, on March 12, 1993 to launch their LP “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” and also to meet their fans and to take part in an interview that was broadcast worldwide by satellite. [1]
With the global release of “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” on March 23, 1993, Gahan’s best performance could be heard all over the world. With tracks like “Judas” and “One Caress” which Martin sings, the band continued to prove that they could craft music of any style. Other numbers like “Walking In My Shoes” and “Rush” immediately became the favourites among their fans. Once again, they proved that they could reach new heights and musical wizardry with each passing album. As “Violator” was a dramatic change from “Music For The Masses”, so was “Songs Of Faith And Devotion”. This was especially evident in the way in which they used more guitar and added the surprising use of orchestral ensembles on a few of their tracks, most notably, “One Caress” which included strings. Depeche Mode had never before used independent extras and outside musicians. Until now…
Just within a week after its release, “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” had reached #1 in many countries including the UK, USA, Italy, Germany and France to name just a few. It also reached the top 10 in many other countries around the world.
With that momentum, the band set out on its boldest world tour yet. An extensive 18 month world-wide tour was planned which would take them across the globe twice and playing to a total number of over 2 million devotees by the tour’s end. That number is equal to the band playing 30 performances just like at the Rose Bowl “101” performance.
The first stage was ingeniously titled “Devotional” and played to audiences throughout Europe and North America. The second instalment titled The “Exotic” Tour, which began in early 1994, brought the crew to far off places like Australia, Singapore and South America. Returning to the United States in 1994, the tour was simply titled “USA ’94 Tour” and they closed out their extensive ventures with a bang.
2. Walking In Mode’s Shoes
The second single from the album, “Walking In My Shoes” was released on April 26 as the band was just under way into their tour. The single climbed to #1 in Czechoslovakia where DM fans are a stronghold. Some of the track’s outstanding lyrics are seen here: “I’m not looking for a clearer conscience / Peace of mind after what I’ve been through / And before we talk of any repentance / Try walking in my shoes / You’ll stumble in my footsteps / Keep the same appointments I kept / If you try walking in my shoes”.
The tour started on May 19th 1993 in Lille, France and continued in full swing throughout Europe and then headed for North America where the band played out over 50 performances in less than 3 months. The band swept through the continent nearly selling out every single night “en route” to a five night finale at L.A.’s Forum in Inglewood, California.
“Condemnation”, released on 13th September, was the third single from the album and included a version of the haunting ballad “Death’s Door”. The CD also featured remixes of “Rush”, which had become a crowd pleaser in their concert performances and the single made it to No. 9 in the UK Chart.
Anton Corbijn, the band’s visual director, had compiled “Devotional”, a concert film taken from selected shows in Lievin, Barcelona and Budapest. The video captures Depeche Mode at their finest during the Devotional Tour and was released in December 1993 as the band then toured Mexico and returned to England for a mini second leg tour at selected venues in Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and London. It would be but only a few weeks rest then the band would be off again. This time to South Africa playing five nights in Johannesburg, then onward to Singapore, Australia and South America.
Much of the new excitement from the tour stemmed from the expanded roles of Martin in full swing with his guitar playing and Alan pounding away on the drums. This gave new direction to some of their old classics such as “I Want You Now” or “A Question Of Time”, which was the encore track to the USA ’94 performances. The uplifting tour from Devotional also spawned the release of a live version of “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” which pieced together the tracks from the studio album in the same order, but taken from live performances from the first leg of the tour. Compare the two albums and it is clear how far the band has come since their last concert experience.
The final instalment from “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” was the release of the fourth and final single “In Your Room” (January 10). Mute records had ingeniously packaged the single in a 3 CD gatefold that folded out into a cross and featuring a painted picture depicting Dave Gahan.
The SOFAD era has ended, with the last tour performance on July 8 in Indianapolis, USA. But rest assured, there will surely be lots more to see as we venture into the next era and see what Depeche Mode surprises us with next time. Until then, “enjoy the silence”…
[From Bong 23, December 1994. Words: Brian Do.]
1. Songs For The Faithful And Devoted
A beautiful ballad titled “Death’s Door” was the first song to be heard after a few months of silence. The track wasn’t meant to be released as a new single but was in fact the band’s contribution to the Wim Wenders film, “Until The End Of The World”. Nevertheless, the song was featured on the soundtrack and also a special flexi-disc featuring “Death’s Door” (Jazz Mix) was available from the official Fan Club as a give-away at the time.
Just prior to the release of their new album, the band members appeared at a listening party at the club “Ministry Of Sound” in London, on March 12, 1993 to launch their LP “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” and also to meet their fans and to take part in an interview that was broadcast worldwide by satellite. [1]
With the global release of “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” on March 23, 1993, Gahan’s best performance could be heard all over the world. With tracks like “Judas” and “One Caress” which Martin sings, the band continued to prove that they could craft music of any style. Other numbers like “Walking In My Shoes” and “Rush” immediately became the favourites among their fans. Once again, they proved that they could reach new heights and musical wizardry with each passing album. As “Violator” was a dramatic change from “Music For The Masses”, so was “Songs Of Faith And Devotion”. This was especially evident in the way in which they used more guitar and added the surprising use of orchestral ensembles on a few of their tracks, most notably, “One Caress” which included strings. Depeche Mode had never before used independent extras and outside musicians. Until now…
Just within a week after its release, “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” had reached #1 in many countries including the UK, USA, Italy, Germany and France to name just a few. It also reached the top 10 in many other countries around the world.
With that momentum, the band set out on its boldest world tour yet. An extensive 18 month world-wide tour was planned which would take them across the globe twice and playing to a total number of over 2 million devotees by the tour’s end. That number is equal to the band playing 30 performances just like at the Rose Bowl “101” performance.
The first stage was ingeniously titled “Devotional” and played to audiences throughout Europe and North America. The second instalment titled The “Exotic” Tour, which began in early 1994, brought the crew to far off places like Australia, Singapore and South America. Returning to the United States in 1994, the tour was simply titled “USA ’94 Tour” and they closed out their extensive ventures with a bang.
2. Walking In Mode’s Shoes
The second single from the album, “Walking In My Shoes” was released on April 26 as the band was just under way into their tour. The single climbed to #1 in Czechoslovakia where DM fans are a stronghold. Some of the track’s outstanding lyrics are seen here: “I’m not looking for a clearer conscience / Peace of mind after what I’ve been through / And before we talk of any repentance / Try walking in my shoes / You’ll stumble in my footsteps / Keep the same appointments I kept / If you try walking in my shoes”.
The tour started on May 19th 1993 in Lille, France and continued in full swing throughout Europe and then headed for North America where the band played out over 50 performances in less than 3 months. The band swept through the continent nearly selling out every single night “en route” to a five night finale at L.A.’s Forum in Inglewood, California.
“Condemnation”, released on 13th September, was the third single from the album and included a version of the haunting ballad “Death’s Door”. The CD also featured remixes of “Rush”, which had become a crowd pleaser in their concert performances and the single made it to No. 9 in the UK Chart.
Anton Corbijn, the band’s visual director, had compiled “Devotional”, a concert film taken from selected shows in Lievin, Barcelona and Budapest. The video captures Depeche Mode at their finest during the Devotional Tour and was released in December 1993 as the band then toured Mexico and returned to England for a mini second leg tour at selected venues in Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and London. It would be but only a few weeks rest then the band would be off again. This time to South Africa playing five nights in Johannesburg, then onward to Singapore, Australia and South America.
Much of the new excitement from the tour stemmed from the expanded roles of Martin in full swing with his guitar playing and Alan pounding away on the drums. This gave new direction to some of their old classics such as “I Want You Now” or “A Question Of Time”, which was the encore track to the USA ’94 performances. The uplifting tour from Devotional also spawned the release of a live version of “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” which pieced together the tracks from the studio album in the same order, but taken from live performances from the first leg of the tour. Compare the two albums and it is clear how far the band has come since their last concert experience.
The final instalment from “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” was the release of the fourth and final single “In Your Room” (January 10). Mute records had ingeniously packaged the single in a 3 CD gatefold that folded out into a cross and featuring a painted picture depicting Dave Gahan.
The SOFAD era has ended, with the last tour performance on July 8 in Indianapolis, USA. But rest assured, there will surely be lots more to see as we venture into the next era and see what Depeche Mode surprises us with next time. Until then, “enjoy the silence”…
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IN OUR EYES
[From Bong 23, December 1994. Words: Various contributors.]
To inform you about the activities of the fan clubs that exist all around the world and work locally for Depeche Mode fans in that particular area or country, we have decided to create a new page in Bong called “In Our Eyes” which is open to every fan club who wants to share some of their experiences during their conventions or parties. We will also welcome any photographs to go with your stories. All contributions should be sent to the usual Bong address. To give you an idea, here are the first ones we have received.
Please note, the official DM Fan Club BONG is not associated with the activities expressed below, doesn’t take part in the events and therefore takes no responsibility.
workHard, Spain
Here’s just a few lines to report on a DM convention held in Valencia on November 4, 1994. It was organized by a local fan club that in spite of the tight time between the arrangements and the party itself managed to gather a pretty good crowd of devotees, some 300.
The convention ran all night from 11pm to 5:30am. There was plenty of DM music, but also some Nitzer Ebb and more.
There was love music by a local band called “Odysea” whose DM covers of “Black Celebration”, “Enjoy The Silence” and “Photographic” were warmly acclaimed by the audience.
Fans also had the chance to go on stage to perform their favourite DM songs. Although there was no look-a-like competition, we all enjoyed the presence of our own “Personal Dave”, a guy called Luis Montoliu, who looked very much like Dave and who did a great job cheering and encouraging everybody to keep dancing and singing. The party was a great success as everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Marisol Diaz
Valencia, Spain
Rush, Holland
At first I thought there might not have been any DM parties in Holland before, but boy was I wrong. As I found out later on, there were quite a few parties before this, but this one happened to be my first.
It was held in Venray, a town near the German border, in a club called “Dingus”. The party started at 8pm but long before that there were many fans waiting outside to get in. Some of them were very nervous as it was their first DM party ever and so they didn’t have the slightest idea what to expect.
At 8 o’clock, we entered a nicely decorated dance hall with a few DM posters hanging around on the wall, burning candles, large video screen, bar etc. The place was covered in complete darkness apart from the candlelight. But we got used to that after a while. But as soon as the music started to play, you were in the middle of the light show. The songs were a personal choice of our own DJ Richard who sometimes swapped his CD player for a video and showed us some of DM’s top videos.
The number of party visitors was more than our host had expected, mainly because of the late promotion, we only found out about this party thanks to other Dutch fans who had given us a flyer at the Bong convention last year in London.
So let’s hope there will be some more parties and conventions like this one.
Gwen den Ouden
Gouda, Holland
[From Bong 23, December 1994. Words: Various contributors.]
To inform you about the activities of the fan clubs that exist all around the world and work locally for Depeche Mode fans in that particular area or country, we have decided to create a new page in Bong called “In Our Eyes” which is open to every fan club who wants to share some of their experiences during their conventions or parties. We will also welcome any photographs to go with your stories. All contributions should be sent to the usual Bong address. To give you an idea, here are the first ones we have received.
Please note, the official DM Fan Club BONG is not associated with the activities expressed below, doesn’t take part in the events and therefore takes no responsibility.
workHard, Spain
Here’s just a few lines to report on a DM convention held in Valencia on November 4, 1994. It was organized by a local fan club that in spite of the tight time between the arrangements and the party itself managed to gather a pretty good crowd of devotees, some 300.
The convention ran all night from 11pm to 5:30am. There was plenty of DM music, but also some Nitzer Ebb and more.
There was love music by a local band called “Odysea” whose DM covers of “Black Celebration”, “Enjoy The Silence” and “Photographic” were warmly acclaimed by the audience.
Fans also had the chance to go on stage to perform their favourite DM songs. Although there was no look-a-like competition, we all enjoyed the presence of our own “Personal Dave”, a guy called Luis Montoliu, who looked very much like Dave and who did a great job cheering and encouraging everybody to keep dancing and singing. The party was a great success as everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Marisol Diaz
Valencia, Spain
Rush, Holland
At first I thought there might not have been any DM parties in Holland before, but boy was I wrong. As I found out later on, there were quite a few parties before this, but this one happened to be my first.
It was held in Venray, a town near the German border, in a club called “Dingus”. The party started at 8pm but long before that there were many fans waiting outside to get in. Some of them were very nervous as it was their first DM party ever and so they didn’t have the slightest idea what to expect.
At 8 o’clock, we entered a nicely decorated dance hall with a few DM posters hanging around on the wall, burning candles, large video screen, bar etc. The place was covered in complete darkness apart from the candlelight. But we got used to that after a while. But as soon as the music started to play, you were in the middle of the light show. The songs were a personal choice of our own DJ Richard who sometimes swapped his CD player for a video and showed us some of DM’s top videos.
The number of party visitors was more than our host had expected, mainly because of the late promotion, we only found out about this party thanks to other Dutch fans who had given us a flyer at the Bong convention last year in London.
So let’s hope there will be some more parties and conventions like this one.
Gwen den Ouden
Gouda, Holland