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Dave Gahan and Martin Gore, founders of the legendary electronic band Depeche Mode, were honored at Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday, which was officially proclaimed as “Depeche Mode Day” in L.A.
Depeche Mode just wrapped up two nights at Inglewood’s Kia Forum in support of their new album, Memento Mori, and will take the stage for two shows at Crypto.com area on Friday and Sunday.
“We’ve always had a special relationship with Los Angeles,” said Gore. “It was really Los Angeles and New York [that] were the springboards for our career in America. The first stadium we ever [headlined] was here in Los Angeles, so another big part of our history.”
The proclamation, which honors the band’s “musical genius and the enduring message of unity and love,” was presented by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez.
“Having sold more than 100 million records and played to more than 35 million fans worldwide, Depeche Mode remains an ever-evolving and singularly influential musical force,” the proclamation reads. “Over their ascent to multi-platinum-selling status and record-breaking live performances, as well as a 2020 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Depeche Mode has been the musical lifeblood of multiple generations.”
Gahan, 61, and Gore, 62, founded the band in 1980 with Andy Fletcher and Vincent Clarke. Their first album, Speak & Spell, featured two enduring hits, “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “New Life.”
Clarke left the band in 1981 to form Yazoo and later Erasure. Fletcher died in May 2022 from an aortic dissection, or a tear in the main artery from his heart.
While many of their contemporaries continue to tour on the strength of songs recorded forty years ago, Depeche Mode is still releasing relevant new music and hasn’t stopped doing so since those early days.
“Ghosts Again,” the first single from Memento Mori, has reached the top 10 of three Billboard charts.
On Wednesday, Gore also briefly reflected on the infamous Wherehouse record store incident of March of 1990 when upwards of 20,000 fans showed up for an in-store record signing. The crowd became unruly, forcing L.A. police to shut down the event which led to a small riot.
“Sorry we didn’t sign the records but thank you. It helped our career a lot because we made nationwide news,” Gore recalled, with a chuckle.
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