Depeche Mode Biography (L2)

Now, it’s time for a biography! First things first, I’m really sorry that I didn’t post this last week, but I was busy. You know, Thanksgiving is a very busy day what with all of the cooking and such. I’m not even sure if that’s a good sentence, but it’s true. Anyways, the band for this week is Depeche Mode!

Depeche Mode: A Biography

The original members of Depeche Mode met in 1980 in Basildon. Basildon is a suburb of London, England. Their name was inspired by a French fashion magazine actually! I found that pretty funny. Depeche Mode is considered as an Eighties techno-pop band. I consider them to be an alternative band, especially because of their vast influence on modern alternative bands. This group originally consisted of four people: Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder, and Andrew Fletcher. Depeche Mode used synthesizers and drum machines because in all honesty, they were cheaper to use. They fit their style of music though, which has been described as moody. Their career began in 1981 with their album, Speak and Spell. It quickly became one of the year’s best-selling albums in England. “Personal Jesus” was Depeche Mode’s first great single. It came out on November 28^th, 1990. This single started them on a roll in the United States where they began to sell out arenas. Depeche Mode entered the American pop album chart at NUMBER ONE. Several other hit singles and albums were released, and their fan base continued to grow. The pressure became too much, as well as the constant touring, so several members of the band left. Gahan nearly died from a drug overdose in May of 1996. He survived, obviously, and was sent to rehab. When the police questioned Gahan, he had told them that he “needed to experience the pain of Depeche Mode’s songs in order to perform them”. The band made a full recovery, and they continued to tour. Depeche Mode’s 2009 tour in the U.S. was the country’s TWENTIETH highest turnout. THAT’S AMAZING! Well, this band is still out there creating amazing music seeing as my aunts went to one of their concerts in California a couple of months ago. Jealous? Yep, me too.