DEPECHE MODE is one of the first bands confirmed for the 2009 Super Bock Super Rock festival. They will be performing on July 11.
One of the most successful electro pop bands of the 1980s, Depeche Mode has been enjoying something of a comeback in recent years following the return of the band in 2005 with the release of the massive hit single Playing The Angel.
The band’s roots stem from 1976 when Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher got together to form the group No Romance in China. It didn’t last long, however, and by 1979, Clarke had formed French Look, another duo featuring Martin Gore, and soon afterwards, Fletcher. They renamed themselves Composition of Sound and in 1980, David Gahan joined the group, to complete the line-up. They changed their name once again and finally settled on Depeche Mode.
Their third single, Just Can’t Get Enough, reached the top ten, and the album, Speak and Spell, was a success. However, their main songwriter, Clarke, quit the band and formed another, Yazoo, with Alison Moyet, leaving Depeche Mode’s future in the balance.
Gore took over the song writing side and Alan Wilder joined the band, allowing for greater success, with Blasphemous Rumours, Master and Servant and then, People Are People – a major all over the world.
Although the band had a huge fan base, they were considered very much an underground cult phenomenon before releasing Violator in 1990, a top ten smash that spawned the hits Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth and Personal Jesus.
Depeche Mode emerged as one of the world’s most successful groups in the early 90s and their 1993 album, Songs of Faith & Devotion, reached the number one spot. The next few years, however, saw Wilder quitting the band and a failed suicide attempt by Gahan, who later went into rehab for heroin addiction. After a four year break, the band regrouped, releasing Ultra in 1997, followed by a hit singles tour, where they played 64 shows in 18 countries, before taking a considerable break before their recent comeback.
