Description
Depeche Mode[a] are an English electronic band formed in Basildon in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals, co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals, primary songwriting).
Depeche Mode, originally formed by the lineup of Gahan, Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, released their debut album Speak & Spell in 1981, bringing the band onto the British new wave scene. After founding member Clarke left following the release of the album, they recorded A Broken Frame as a trio. Gore took over as main songwriter and later, in 1982, Alan Wilder replaced Clarke, establishing a lineup that continued for 13 years. The band’s last albums of the 1980s, Black Celebration and Music for the Masses, established them as a dominant force within both the electronic and alternative music scenes. A highlight of this era was the band’s June 1988 concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, where they drew a crowd in excess of 60,000 people. In early 1990, they released Violator, an international mainstream success.
