BERLIN — Depeche Mode will return next year with a new album, Memento Mori, and a tour that’ll launch with 10 North America arena dates, followed by more than two dozen summer stadium shows in Europe. At a press conference at the Berliner Ensemble on Tuesday (Oct. 4), band members Dave Gahan and Martin Gore said that they started working on songs during the pandemic, and that they decided to continue as an act after keyboard player and co-founder Andy Fletcher died in May.
Gahan and Gore wrote the songs together remotely. “I played guitar and sort of sang on my iPhone,” Gahan said, and Gahan “sent it back with his angelic voice.”
The album isn’t completely done – recording is finished but the songs aren’t yet mixed – and Gahan and Gore said their next stop is New York, to wrap it up. It is due out around the time the tour begins.
At least one of the themes seems to be death – or at least the finiteness of life – as reflected by the title. “‘Memento Mori’ means ‘remember, you must die,’” Gahan said. So, Gore followed, “live each day to the max.”
In the studio, the two missed Fletcher. “We would miss Fletch,” Gahan says, “and some of these songs can’t help but reflect that.”
One of the first questions from the enthusiastic audience of journalists, associates and at least a few super-fans concerned existential issues. Then another journalist asked if the band might do some unplugged shows. After some nervous giggles in the audience, Gahan pointed out that “we can’t really unplug because we’re an electronic band.”
Everyone laughed.
“We could,” Gore added, “try battery packs.”
Depeche Mode 2023 tour dates:
March 23 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
March 25 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
March 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
March 30 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
April 2 – San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
April 5 – Chicago @ United Center
April 7 – Toronto @ Scotiabank Arena
April 9 – Quebec City @ Videotron Centre
April 12 – Montreal @ Centre Bell
April 14 – New York City @ Madison Square Garden
May 16 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome
May 20 – Antwerp, BE @ Sportpaleis Antwerpen
May 23 – Stockholm, SE @ Friends Arena
May 26 – Leipzig, DE @ Leipziger Festwiese
May 28 – Bratislava, SK @ Národný Futbalový Štadión
May 31 – Bordeaux, FR @ Matmut Atlantique
June 2 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival
June 4 – Dusseldorf, DE @ Merkur Spiel-Arena
June 6 – Dusseldorf, DE @ Merkur Spiel-Arena
June 9 – Madrid, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival
June 11 – Bern, CH @ Stadion Wankdorf
June 14 – Dublin, IE @ Malahide Castle
June 17 – London, UK @ Twickenham Stadium
June 20 – Munich, DE @ Olympiastadion
June 22 – Lille, FR @ Stade Pierre Mauroy
June 24 – Paris, FR @ Stade de France
June 27 – Copenhagen, DK @ Parken
June 29 – Frankfurt, DE @ Deutsche Bank Park
July 4 – Lyon, FR @ Groupama Stadium
July 7 – Berlin, DE @ Olympiastadion
July 12 – Rome, IT @ Stadio Olympico
July 14 – Milan, IT @ San Siro
July 16 – Bologna, IT @ Stadio Renato Dall’Ara
July 21 – Klagenfurt, AT @ Wörthersee Stadion
July 23 – Zagreb, HR @ Arena Zagreb
July 26 – Bucharest, RO A@ rena Națională
July 28 – Budapest, HU @ Puskás Aréna
July 30 – Prague, CZ @ Letňany Airport
August 2 – Warsaw, PL @ PGE Narodowy
August 6 – Tallinn, EE @ Tallinna Lauluväljak
August 8 – Helsinki, FI @ Kaisaniemen Puisto
August 11 – Oslo, NO @ Telenor Arena
