Depeche Mode have been around for the better part of four decades and managed to survive the new wave movement of the 1980’s with their credibility intact.  They have gone on to become one of the biggest electronic rock stadium acts in the world whilst still retaining three original band members. Earlier this year Depeche Mode released their 14th studio album – Spirit to critical acclaim. They embarked on their Global Spirit tour in May, we were lucky enough to see them in Berlin last month and  were eager to see them again at the 80,000 capacity Stade De France in Paris.

©Laurian Ryan

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 We arrived just in time for the support band Algiers – a political post punk electronic gospel outfit from Georgia, Atlanta with two albums already under their belt. They only had half an hour but they made it count by launching into the singles from their debut album and also played a few tracks from their brand new long player, The Underside of Power. Combining drum machines with live drums, bass & leads guitars with vocal loops is no mean feat in a stadium environment but Algiers carried it off with aplomb. Frontman Franklin James Fisher’s voice held up well and he was also fluent in French much to the surprise of the crowd. Former Bloc Party drummer Matt Tong kept up a frenetic pace with Ryan Mahan’s bass whilst Lee Tesche utilised a violin bow to create an otherworldly drone on his guitar to create a truly flooring experience in just under 30 minutes.

The Beatles Revolution blared out across the stadium signalling the start of the show. Songwriter and guitarist Martin Gore walked onto the stage to rapturous applause from the crowd, followed by fellow original band member and keyboardist Andy Fletcher, bass/keyboardist Peter Gordeno and drummer Christian Eigner. The band launched straight into Going Backwards, the opening track from their new album – whilst frontman Dave Gahan strutted onstage behind the drum riser. The LED wall behind the band morphed into a moving Jackson Pollock style painting as Gahan danced around the stage and played up to the crowd. This was followed by another new song – So Much Love, a classic Depeche Mode 80’s style synth stomper with a catchy chorus that is perfect for arena-style shows. They then dived into their back catalogue with a grungy trip-hop infused version of Barrel Of A Gun from their 1997 album, Ultra. Gore improvised with some funky guitar riffs and Gahan encouraged the fans to sing along and ended the track with “Don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge, I’m trying not to lose my head” – a nod to Grandmaster Flash’s The Message. A quick thank you from Gahan and the band took things up a notch with a disco inspired remix of A Pain That I’m Used To by Jacques Lu Cont where Gordeno took centre stage with his bass keeping in perfect time with Eigner’s relentless drumming.

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©Laurian Ryan

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Anton Corbijn has worked with Depeche Mode as a photographer & director for quite some time and is also responsible for all of the tour’s visuals and stage design. One of the standout moments visually was for Cover Me from Spirit, where Corbijn’s trademark grainy black and white video style complimented the song perfectly. Giant sized images of Gahan dressed in an Astronaut suit wandering around urban streets created the unique juxtaposition of being alone but wanting to be part of something else, perhaps on another planet? From here the pace slowed down as Gore took the limelight for Judas from 1993’s Songs of Faith & Devotion and Home from Ultra with the crowd singing along to every word whilst frontman Gahan took a breather backstage. He came back onstage and the hits started coming thick and fast with the new single Where’s The Revolution, to the dystopian nightmare of Wrong, the early 80’s classic Everything Counts and crowd favourite Stripped from Black Celebration. Enjoy The Silence was another highlight with Corbijn’s visuals taking prominence and Gahan thrusted the mic stand out triumphantly to the audience to sing the chorus “All I ever wanted, all I ever needed, is here in my arms”. This was followed by Never Let Me Down Again which started with Gore’s slow build up guitar before Eigner’s drums came crashing over the top and Gahan bellowing out the opening line ”I’m taking a ride with my best friend”. Gordeno & Fletcher provided some heavy bass synths that reverberated throughout the stadium while Gahan used a t-shirt launcher to shoot off shirts from the clutching hands of the fans.

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The encore gave Gore a perfect opportunity to delve into the Depeche Mode archives for Somebody with Gordeno accompanying on piano and the crowd raised their mobile phones & cigarette lighters in appreciation and they stayed up for a reworked version of Walking In My Shoes. This was followed by a heartfelt cover of David Bowie’s Heroes with Gahan’s voice hauntingly similar to the original vocals and it was hard to hold back the tears. Gahan still had enough energy in the tank for the electronic blues behemoth that is I Feel You and then finally one of the best live versions of Personal Jesus I have ever heard. Gahan once again prowling the stage ferociously and offering up the mic to the masses to sing “Reach out and touch faith”.  The band then took a bow and it was over. The energy in crowd was palpable as we left the stadium and still ringing through our ears and in our veins the next day. I want to do it all over again.

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AMNPLIFY – DB