The 2013 ACL Festival happens in Austin, TX on two consecutive weekends: October 4 - 6 and October 11 - 13. Weekend passes are on sale now and the full line-up is below...

Continue reading "2013 ACL Music Fest lineup announced (Depeche Mode, The Cure, Atoms for Peace, The National, Vampire Weekend + more)"

Bat for Lashes, whose album The Haunted Man came out last year, will be touring the West Coast around her appearances at the two weekends of Coachella 2013. For those on the East Coast, Natasha Khan and her band will be opening for Depeche Mode on previously announced dates from August 22 - September 15, which includes both NYC-area shows: Barclays Center on September 6 and Nikon at Jones Beach on September 8. Tickets for those two shows go on Facebook presale today at 10 AM (password is "DELTA"). The general on-sale happens Saturday (4/6) at 10 AM.

All Bat for Lashes tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Bat for Lashes opening for part of Depeche Mode's 2013 North American tour, including NYC-area shows (tickets on pre-sale)"

Depeche Mode, who played Letterman and SXSW last week and will be in NYC for shows in September, release their eagerly-anticipated new album, Delta Machine, next week (3/26). But you can stream it right now via iTunes.

by Bill Pearis

Depeche Mode's new album, Delta Machine, is out soon (3/26) and if first taste, "Heaven," didn't quite do it for you, the album's second single, "Soothe My Soul" is definitely more what most people were expecting. You can stream it below.

Depeche Mode, who played "Live on Letterman" earlier this week, will play SXSW tonight in Austin.

Continue reading "stream new Depeche Mode single "Soothe My Soul""

As mentioned, Depeche Mode were in NYC yesterday to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman and you can watch them performing new single "Heaven" (from Delta Machine, out 3/26) below. Additionally, the band stuck around to play the "Live on Letterman" webcast series. The band's nine-song set gave a first listen to a few Delta Machine cuts, plus old favorites "Walking in My Shoes," "Barrel of a Gun," "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence." You can watch the whole thing below.

Meanwhile, the synthpop legends will be in Austin for SXSW this week and have announced their North American tour with two stops in the NYC area in September.

Continue reading "watch Depeche Mode 'Live on Letterman'"

Synthpop icons Depeche Mode will release their new album, Delta Machine, in a couple weeks. Tonight (3/11) they'll play The Late Show with David Letterman. We knew they'd be announcing the North American wing of their 2013 tour sometime soon and now we have details. They'll be in the NYC area for two shows, including Barclays Center on September 6 and Nikon at Jones Beach on September 8. Tickets go on sale Saturday, April 6 at 10 AM, with a CiTi presale starting April 1 at 10 AM, an Amazon presale beginning April 3 at 10 AM, a Facebook presale on 4/4, and LiveNation mobile and venue presales hitting 4/5. That's a lot of presales!

Meanwhile, Depeche Mode are in Austin later this week for SXSW where they'll play on Friday night with Feathers (who play our day party the next day) opening. All Depeche Mode North American dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Depeche Mode are on 'Letterman' tonight, announce North American tour dates (two NYC area shows included)"

by Bill Pearis

You already (maybe) listened to the song and now you can watch the video to Depeche Mode's somewhat turgid new single "Heaven" from the forthcoming Delta Machine. The clip was directed by Timothy Saccenti (Animal Collective's "Peacebone") and features the band performing in an old church while some weird, possible supernatural phenomena happens around them. Watch it below.

Continue reading "watch the video for Depeche Mode's "Heaven""

While we've heard snippets from Depeche Mode's new, supposedly back-to-basics album, Delta Machine (due March 23) but we now have the first full song from the album. You can stream the ballad-y "Heaven" at KROQ.

by Bill Pearis

Depeche Mode held a press conference in Paris today (10/23) to discuss more details on their new album and world tour, which will take place in 2013. The tour kicks off May 7 in Tel Aviv and will hit 25 countries before reaching North America sometimes in the late summer or fall. European tour dates are below.

As for the new album, the still-untitled record -- the band's 13th in their 33-year career -- was produced by Ben Hillier and the band. Twenty songs have been recorded, whether they'll all appear on the LP when it's released in April 2013 is unclear. You can, however, hear one of the tracks (no title for it either, but has a "I Feel You" vibe) right now, below.

Continue reading "Depeche Mode announce new album and world tour (stream a new track, dates)"

photos by Debi Del Grande

Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan recently did some moonlighting as the singer on the new Soulsavers album The Light The Dead See. And [Saturday] night in L.A. at the famed studios of the Capitol Records building, the collaborators came together on the stage for a stunning seven-song set.

Backed by a six-piece band, Gahan and Soulsavers brought to life the full drama of the haunting new album. Opening with the gorgeous gothic tune "Presence Of God," a track that marries the sounds of Johnny Cash and Nick Cave, the group delivered one standout after another for a crowd of at most 150 people.

After the orchestral swirl of "In The Morning," Gahan said, "I've never been this close to people." This was likely true for a guy who's spent the last three decades in arenas and stadiums. And following the forty-five minute set, Gahan and Soulsavers' Rich Machin were overheard walking through the crowd talking about the sensation of playing at "eye level" for people.

It may have been unusual for them, but the performance was only enhanced by the intimacy. Among the other standouts were the simple ditty "Just Try," a song Gahan introduced as "the fun one," and the album's lead single, "Take Me Back Home," which took on a gospel feel with the back-up vocalists doing a call and response to Gahan's soulful wails of desperation.

Following the closing "Gone Too Far," Gahan said, "Thank you, that's all we've got," which wasn't an exaggeration. As of now, this was the only U.S. show scheduled for the group. After the set, Depeche Mode manager Jonathan Kessler explained that Gahan is now fully immersed in his day job. He is recording the new Depeche album in Santa Barbara, California, where Martin Gore resides, for an April 2013 release with a full world tour to follow, according to Kessler. [Rolling Stone]

Continue reading "Dave Gahan played with the Soulsavers in LA (pics)"

After 30 years working on their respective ongoing music projects, Vince Clarke (Erasure / Yazoo / Depeche Mode) and Martin L. Gore (Depeche Mode) come together for the first time since 1981 as VCMG to release a brand new album preceded by a series of EPs.

VCMG is the fruit of initially tentative discussion and subsequent enthused collaboration where Vince and Martin, both influential as pioneers in electronic music, get to exercise their lifelong love of the genre as the techno inspired VCMG.

As Vince explains: "I've been getting into and listening to a lot of minimal dance music and I got really intrigued by all the sounds... I realised I needed a collaborator... so it occurred to me to talk to Martin."

Says Gore: "Out of the blue I got an e-mail from Vince just saying, 'I'm interested in making a techno album. Are you interested in collaborating?' This was maybe a year ago. He said, 'No pressure, no deadlines,' so I said, 'OK'."

Erasure played Austin recently, as part of a round of tour dates supporting their new LP Tomorrow's World. That tour hit Terminal 5 in NYC on 9/13 and 9/14.

Listen to some Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure & VCMG below...

Continue reading "VCMG (Vincent Clarke + Martin Gore) EP released; LP coming"

After officially splitting from Depeche Mode in 1995, longtime member Alan Wilder finally went ahead with his side project Recoil. Wilder started Recoil in 1985, but efforts were halfhearted due to his responsibilities with DM... In 1997 Wilder was freshly ready for Recoil, following up with the project's first album, Unsound Methods. This album, a cathartic set of techno-bombastic scores, brought in a wide range of artists such as spoken word sassy girl Maggie Estep, Songs of Faith and Devotion session vocalists Douglas McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb) and Hildia Cambell, and Recoil mainstay Siobhan Lynch. Unsound Methods was critically labeled as "difficult" and "dark," but it didn't distract Wilder. Certainly that was the reaction he was searching for. Three years later, his cunning musical mystery continued on Liquid. After a long hiatus, Wilder revived the Recoil name in 2007 with the album Subhuman. -[allmusic]

The criss-crossing of the globe is in celebration of Recoil's new LP Selected, a compilation of previous works featuring vocals from Diamanda Galás, Douglas McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb), Maggie Estep and many others. The disc is packaged with a second remix disc as well, and is available now.

Tour dates and some live Recoil video is below....

Continue reading "Alan Wilder's Recoil released a new album, touring the USA"

"[A Grammy] definitely doesn't hold as much credence in the indie world," said Amy Phillips, news editor of online music tastemaker and news site Pitchfork.com.

Though the Grammys occasionally have bestowed their highest reward on albums that pretty much everybody agrees are great - such as OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, in 2004, or The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in 1998 - the Recording Academy's choices usually don't match those of the music press.

(And that's as true this year as ever, despite the academy's efforts to get hipper and younger. After wins in the last two years by Herbie Hancock and the duo of Robert Plant and Alison Kruass, there's a notable absence of geezer entries in the top categories this year.)

That's because the critical consensus of what makes for good pop music in 2010 has coalesced around indie bands - all of them at least partly based in Brooklyn - such as Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors and, most of all, Animal Collective, which won the Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll, published earlier this month.

You won't find any of those bands up for any Grammy Awards. But you will find all of them on 2009's Top 10 list from Pitchfork, the online music magazine whose 1-to-10 scoring system - down to scientifically precise decimal points - is taken as gospel in the indie universe. (Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion garnered a world-beating 9.6.)

As Chuck Eddy skeptically pointed out in his essay accompanying the Pazz & Jop poll, eight of the Pitchfork Top 10 also made the P&J Top 10, suggesting that "indie-rock is suddenly better than everything put together." [Philadelphia Inquirer]

The Ting Tings, Silversun Pickups, and MGMT all appear in the Grammy's Best New Artist category. David Byrne & Brian Eno, Death Cab For Cutie, Depeche Mode, Phoenix, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are all up for Best Alternative Music Album (the latter two also made the top 10 albums list in Pazz & Jop).

UPDATE: Phoenix won it.

"I'm sure Lady Gaga will do something amazing, and I can't wait to see that," said Pitchfork's Phillips. "That's really good, but the awards themselves don't seem to be relevant.

"I think what people don't really realize is that it's all industry people voting for themselves. The fact is that it's taken so seriously, and it really shouldn't be." [Omaha World-Record]

Continue reading "good albums don't win Grammys (tonight), Pazz & Jop 2010 looks like Pitchfork, & other obvious statements "

Beast @ CMJ 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Lady Gaga was nominated five times. Considering her rocket to fame over the last year, many were expecting more for her. But at least the contests are going to be really interesting: Beyoncé, [Taylor] Swift and Lady Gaga are going head to head in three of the most important categories: album, record and song of the year. Will one of them sweep, or will the lady vote be split?

One of the usual complaints about the Grammys is that it over-rewards older, established, familiar acts at the expense of newer, fresher ones. MGMT, the Brooklyn synth-rock duo, was nominated for best new artist, a big coup although not unexpected. But some of the shoulda-been names that have been circulated and Tweeted: Grizzly Bear, another acclaimed Brooklyn group; Regina Spektor, a young New York songwriter who started in the underground and has found some mainstream popularity; Diane Birch, a young soul-style singer, just the revivalist type the Grammys usually adore; and the Decemberists, an alt-folk-rock band from Portland, Ore., that released an ambitious concept album this year. [NY Times]

One surprise (for me anyway) came this year in the video category. Montreal's Beast were nominated for "Mr. Hurricane". That video with a list of some of the other nominees, below...

Continue reading "Beast's 'Mr. Hurricane' video & other 2009 Grammy nominees "

by Bill Pearis

Westword: What was the catalyst for the recent reunion, this tour and the new album?

Bon Harris: Douglas got in touch with me, sent me an email, and said that he'd been doing some shows with FixmerMcCarthy. Because Douglas had been doing some live shows in Europe, people were asking about the Ebb and if there was any chance of the Ebb every doing shows again. Douglas said he doubted it because he and I hadn't spoken for seven years at that point. But he called me and it just so happened that I had been doing a lot of studio projects and was looking for a change of pace.

So he caught me at the right time and I said, "Let's meet up and talk about it." Mute had been working on doing a Best Of release as well and we spoke to them and the idea was that that would give Mute the push to finish the Best Of and we would do a handful of shows to promote it and that was going to be it. When we got back together and did the shows, we were having such a good time with it and the response was so good and the demand was there and we decided to see what happens and here we are three years later with a new album. It's been interesting because there have been long-standing fans who have been at the shows but there has also been a whole crop of people, younger kids in their early twenties who have only heard the hand-me-down tales and have got the records and stuff but have never seen us. For a lot of people it's kind of a strange thing and with Depeche Mode a lot of people in Europe are going nuts because that's kind of their dream team show.

In the late '80s, when Front 242, Moev, the Neon Judgement, The Weathermen and other such groups were college radio staples, Nitzer Ebb were near the top of the heap thanks to iconic shout-a-long singles like "Join in the Chant" and "Control, I'm Here." The new album is being sold at shows and via iTunes currently (officially out January 22, 2010), mixes acoustic drums (moreso than I remember them doing in the past) with the band's usual clanking rhythms and throbbing synths, and you might have even heard songs from it if you watch Fringe, C.S.I. or went to see the new Saw movie.

After their U.S. tour, Nitzer Ebb will open for their onetime Mute Records label-mates Depeche Mode on their upcoming 2010 European tour. If you're old like me, you might have even seen these two groups -- the "dream team' -- tour together on DM's Violator tour way back in 1990. For me, it was at the Starlake Amphitheatre outside Pittsburgh, where I interviewed Nitzer Ebb after the show for my college radio station. I thought I was going to solve the "nitt-zer"/"nite-zer" debate once and for all by asking singer Douglas McCarthy which was the official pronunciation. "I say both," he admitted. "It doesn't really matter."

All 2009 Nitzer Ebb North American tour dates, and a couple videos, are below....

Continue reading "Nitzer Ebb back with a new album & on tour (NYC Friday)"

photos by Paul Birman

The gray skies grew darker Sunday in Chicago when a man allegedly punched a horse as the Lollapalooza music festival drew to a close.

Pablo Fernandez, a 21-year-old Mexican national, is accused of approaching a Chicago police horse at around 9 p.m as the three-day festival was winding down, and when he was told by the mounted officer that he could not pet the working animal, Fernandez became angered and allegedly punched the equine.

The assault caused the horse to rear back in a panic while in the middle of the concert-goers, police spokeswoman Gabrielle Lesniak told the Chicago Tribune. Fernandez was charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct.

Police News Affairs Officer Kevin Kilmer told the Chicago Sun-Times that he couldn't confirm that the violence was Lolla-related, but it did take place as the festival was wrapping up and police were trying to get crowds to disperse from Grant Park. Approximately 75,000 people a day attended the festival, which was headlined by acts like Jane's Addiction, Depeche Mode and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Kilmer had no word on the status of the horse. [LA Times]

Depeche Mode were one of the headliners on the first day (Friday). Since then they had to cancel a few shows. Crystal Castles also played that day. From there that band went on to just barely played at HARD Fest in LA. Thievery Corporation were also one of the many bands on that day's bill. They have since announced a Halloween show in NYC at Terminal 5. Tickets for that are on sale.

More pictures from the first day of Lollapalooza, below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2009 - Day 1 in Pictures "

Depeche Mode @ MSG (more by Tim Griffin)

"Depeche Mode has been forced to cancel their appearance Friday, August 14th at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in San Diego due to doctor's orders that lead singer Dave Gahan continue on complete vocal rest. Because of their busy schedule, a new San Diego date will not be rescheduled this year. "We are incredibly disappointed to not be able to perform for our fans tonight in San Diego," said Dave Gahan. "We hope to be back soon to play for all our fans in the area." Refunds will be issued at the point of purchase. The tour will resume on Sunday with the band's sold out two night stand at the Hollywood Bowl."

Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan @ MSG (more by Tim Griffin)

(August 11, 2009) Depeche Mode has been forced to cancel their scheduled appearance on Wednesday, August 12th at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California due to doctor's orders that lead singer Dave Gahan be on complete vocal rest for 48 hours. Because of their busy schedule, a new Bay Area date will not be rescheduled this year. "San Francisco is one of the most important cities to the band and we are devastated that we have been forced to cancel this date," said Dave Gahan. "We hope to be back soon to play for all of our fans in the area." Refunds will be issued at the point of purchase.

Peter Bjorn and John, who just added a NYC show at Terminal 5, were scheduled to open that cancelled California show.

Video from MSG below...

Continue reading "Depeche Mode cancel San Francisco show "

photos by Tim Griffin

"I was suffering from panic attacks, I was always irritable and grumpy, and when I added up all the units of alcohol I'd been consuming, the total was truly horrifying," [Martin Gore] says. It was even scarier to realize "that I'd never been onstage sober in my life before. So this is the first tour I've ever done, alcohol-free, and I prepared for it like a professional boxer."

Was there a final-straw moment when Gore knew he had a problem? He laughs.

"There were loads of those moments, but they never hit home," he says. "I mean, I had seizures one day on a boat in a Louisiana swamp, and fell forward, just by chance. And if I'd have fallen backward, I would've landed in a swamp full of alligators -- no joke. But even that didn't stop me." [San Francisco Examiner]

Continue reading "more photos of Depeche Mode & Peter Bjorn & John @ MSG"

photos by Zach Dilgard

"I thought I had great seats for the first night of Depeche Mode's 2-night stand at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but tonight my seats were ridiculous! I was in section 1 on the floor of the arena and it was another dream come true.

The setlist (which you can see after the jump) was pretty much the same, but last night [8/3], Martin Gore performed "Little Soul" and "Home" and tonight he did "Jezebel" and "A Question of Lust" [8/4]. Also, last night, they played "Come Back" and tonight they played "Miles Away/The Truth is." Both nights were fantastic! The crowd was every bit as into it as they were last night as Depeche Mode rocked the Garden again." [According to G]

Continue reading "Depeche Mode & PB&J @ MSG (night 2) - pics & setlist "

photos by Tim Griffin

"Of all the bright-eyed groups from the bushy-tailed class of 1982 British New Wavers, few would have picked Depeche Mode as the one still selling out multiple nights at Madison Square Garden 27 years down the road....

...And then there's Gahan. Though he's been forced to cancel some shows due to a bout with gastroenteritis and tearing a calf muscle onstage in Spain [...and cancer], he sashayed and posed and spun across the stage without a care in the world. His stage performance has been tweaked, just like Depeche Mode's music, all for the better.
Instead of picking up the mic stand and whirling like a dervish, Gahan now spins in moderation and he occasionally tangos with the stand or makes broad ballroom moves like he was training for "Dancing With the Stars." His vocals are different as well, giving a sweeter twist to "Wrong" and a broader snarl to "I Feel You," which opened as a blues number. He even threw some Michael Jackson-esque "hee-hee hees" into "Strangelove."
Yes, you read that right. Who knows what Depeche Mode will think of next?" [Newsday]

Continue reading "Depeche Mode @ Madison Square Garden, NYC - pics, setlist"

John (more by Tim Griffin)

Peter Bjorn & John have been no stranger to NYC this new-album year. In March there was the show in a hotel, and in April it was Webster Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg. It's now the third day of August and they are back for two more shows, each at the enormous Madison Square Garden; they're opening for Depeche Mode (weird match, I know). In November they (PB&J) might be back again. AND, last but not least, they are playing a list-only show at Cake Shop tonight (8/3) ("after midnight") ("Peter, Bjorn and John will be playing a stripped down set in this intimate setting for friends and fans").

The Stereogum-presented, intimate show was available to Stereogum contest winners (who have already been contacted), and I have some pairs to give out as well. Details on entering the contest below...

Continue reading "Peter Bjorn & John playing semi-private show @ Cake Shop after they open for Depeche Mode @ MSG tonight "

"Depeche Mode are pleased to announce they will restart their interrupted Tour Of The Universe in Leipzig, Germany on June 8th. On May 12th, lead singer Dave Gahan suffered a severe bout of gastroenteritis, leading to his hospitalization and the cancellation of the Athens concert. While in hospital, further medical tests revealed a low-grade malignant tumour in Dave's bladder, which has since been successfully removed. At doctors' orders Dave Gahan must take a break until June 8th, to ensure that he makes a full recovery. The Leipzig show on June 8th will be the first concert following Dave's recovery.

Dave Gahan sincerely thanks his fans for their support, understanding and patience. Depeche Mode deeply regret any problems or inconveniences the cancellations and postponements may have caused."

Continue reading "Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan recovering from cancer surgery"

05.20.2009

Depeche Mode regret to announce that they are forced to cancel a further three shows on their "Tour of the Universe". Doctors have advised that more time is needed to allow singer, Dave Gahan, to fully recover from his recent illness and ensure that the tour can resume shortly.

Depeche Mode apologise to all their fans for this inconvenience and wish Dave a speedy recovery.

The following additional shows have been cancelled:

MAY
Sat 23 - Warsaw, Poland, Gwardia Stadium
Mon 25 - Riga, Latvia, Skonto Stadium
Wed 27 - Vilnius, Lithuania, Zalgiris Stadium

Ticket holders for the above shows are advised to hold onto their tickets, as an announcement will follow soon with regard to either new rescheduled concert dates, or their final cancellation.

Good point: "WTF. BV still hasn't posted anything about Dave Gahan being hospitalized and DM cancelling concerts." [Anonymous]

WEDNESDAY:

Depeche Mode have been forced to cancel two shows on their 'Sounds of the Universe' tour, yesterday's show in Athens (May 12) and tomorrow's show in Istanbul (May 14), due to the illness of singer Dave Gahan.

Dave fell ill with a severe bout of gastroenteritis shortly before he was due onstage in Athens which resulted in his immediate hospitalization. At this stage, Dave's primary concern is to return to full health and resume the tour as soon as possible.

Fans in Athens and Istanbul have been advised to hold onto their tickets as an announcement will be made shortly with regard to rescheduled dates or cancellation.

Depeche Mode have been forced to cancel an additional four shows on their Sounds of the Universe tour due to further complications from singer Dave Gahan's severe bout of gastroenteritis. Dave is currently
undergoing further tests.

Depeche Mode apologizes to all their fans for this inconvenience and wish Dave a speedy recovery. Further information will be released in due course.

The following shows have been cancelled:

May 16th Bucharest, Romania, Izvor Park
May 18th Sofia, Bulgaria, Vasil Levski Stadium
May 20th Belgrade, Serbia, USCE Park
May 21st Zagreb, Croatia, Arena

Ticket holders for the above shows are advised to hold on to their tickets as an announcement will be made shortly in regard to rescheduled dates or final cancellation.

Continue reading "Depeche Mode cancels shows while Dave Gahan gets better - canceled & all 2009 Tour Dates "