As the West Coast was sleeping, Depeche Mode held a press conference in Berlin to announce what they have been teasing for the past week on their socials: a new album and a world tour.
Founding members Dave Gahan and Martin Gore will release “Memento Mori,” their 15th studio album, “towards the end of March” 2023. This will be their first record since the passing of DM’s other founding member, Andrew Fletcher.
“Memento mori” is Latin for “remember that you must die.” While it seems to be a sobering title in this situation, it was actually decided upon while Fletcher was still alive and is a reminder to “live each day to the max,” per Gahan. The band wrote and worked on the album during the pandemic and are “quite far into it now.”
DEPECHE MODE LIVE | PHOTO by Green-Eyed Blonde Photography
The Memento Mori Tour will begin with a limited North American arena tour March 23rd with stops in New York, Chicago, Toronto, and of course, Los Angeles. After the North American dates, the band will head to Europe for a summer stadium tour starting May 16th.
MEMENTO MORI TOUR
KIA FORUM
Los Angeles, California
March 28, 2023
Anton Corbijn is already at work on visuals for the tour and the band is working on a tribute to Fletcher. “We have some thoughts,” Gahan said. “He’ll be there… judging us,” he joked.
This will be Depeche Mode’s first tour in five years, the last being the Global Spirit Tour which supported their 2017 album, “Spirit.”
Since “Spirit,” we have had some Depeche Mode-ish material. In 2021, Dave Gahan and Soulsavers released “Imposter,” a collection of reinterpretations of material from other artists, including Jeff Buckley, Neil Young, Gene Clark, and Elvis Presley.
Also last year, Martin Gore dropped an all instrumental EP titled “The Third Chimpanzee.” At the time, Gore admitted he had been writing songs, but the band had not made any plans: “Really, I think it just depends on what happens with the world. If there’s one positive thing about all this, it’s that it is a nice time to just rethink and reflect and decide what you want to do. Because I think the world is going to be a different place after this.”
The world is indeed different in ways we did not want or expect, but so many of us look forward to what Depeche Mode will bring us in 2023. “We hope to bring you joy in a world that seems to be in constant turmoil,” Gahan said. “To walk on stage and bring joy is something we are proud of.”
Tickets for the Memento Mori Tour go on sale at a variety of days and times; check band’s website to secure yours.
