Depeche Mode, Wembley Stadium, London
[Smash Hits, 7th May 1986. Words: William Shaw. Pictures: Andy Catlin, d.i.d. Circle.]
Five years ago Depeche Mode were one of the worst live groups ever imagined. Sheepishly standing behind their synthesisers, they’d plink and plonk away while Dave Gahan sang and swung his hips mechanically from side to side. It wasn’t very exciting. [1]
But these days that hip motion has developed into one of the most famous bits of bottom waggling ever and Depeche Mode have developed into… well, simply brilliant performers. Dave Gahan bounds madly around the stage clapping his hands over his head, twirling round, wiggling that bum and sweating buckets. And Martin Gore, who in the early days used to look like he wished the stage would open under him and he could just disappear, has changed completely and actually seems to be enjoying himself – particularly during “A Question Of Lust” when he steps down to the front of the stage, displaying his usual “off-beat” dress sense (i.e. a black mini-skirt over his trousers and a couple of leather belts strapped across his chest), and sings in his fragile but really effective voice.
Now, Wembley Stadium is a pretty huge place and the chances are that you’re going to be sitting miles away from the stage, but Depeche Mode have taken care of that by rigging up a huge video screen to relay the performance (with all sorts of arty “mixing” and special effects thrown in). So wherever you are in the vast hall, you can see the group as they stand on platforms surrounded by science fiction-type lighting and turn out hit after hit from behind their keyboards, occasionally whacking strange, tree-like objects with drum sticks to produce loads of weird metal bashing noises, and occasionally even grinning. You can also see – quite clearly – that, five years on, Depeche Mode are a shockingly good live group.
[Smash Hits, 7th May 1986. Words: William Shaw. Pictures: Andy Catlin, d.i.d. Circle.]
Five years ago Depeche Mode were one of the worst live groups ever imagined. Sheepishly standing behind their synthesisers, they’d plink and plonk away while Dave Gahan sang and swung his hips mechanically from side to side. It wasn’t very exciting. [1]
But these days that hip motion has developed into one of the most famous bits of bottom waggling ever and Depeche Mode have developed into… well, simply brilliant performers. Dave Gahan bounds madly around the stage clapping his hands over his head, twirling round, wiggling that bum and sweating buckets. And Martin Gore, who in the early days used to look like he wished the stage would open under him and he could just disappear, has changed completely and actually seems to be enjoying himself – particularly during “A Question Of Lust” when he steps down to the front of the stage, displaying his usual “off-beat” dress sense (i.e. a black mini-skirt over his trousers and a couple of leather belts strapped across his chest), and sings in his fragile but really effective voice.
Now, Wembley Stadium is a pretty huge place and the chances are that you’re going to be sitting miles away from the stage, but Depeche Mode have taken care of that by rigging up a huge video screen to relay the performance (with all sorts of arty “mixing” and special effects thrown in). So wherever you are in the vast hall, you can see the group as they stand on platforms surrounded by science fiction-type lighting and turn out hit after hit from behind their keyboards, occasionally whacking strange, tree-like objects with drum sticks to produce loads of weird metal bashing noises, and occasionally even grinning. You can also see – quite clearly – that, five years on, Depeche Mode are a shockingly good live group.
