New Wave Giants Depeche Mode to Launch World Tour

The most successful electronic band in history, New Wave giants Depeche Mode have announced plans for a world tour, kicking off next May on the heels of a new album release.

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SHOTLIST PARIS, 23 Oct 2012 SOURCE: AFPTV SOUNDBITE 1, Dave Gahan, Singer (English, 27 sec): "Over the years there's been lots of ups and downs which have all been well documented, but you know…if you're in a relationship with anyone for 32 years, there's going to be those ups and downs. But I think the strength has always come from the music and the performances, it comes from our fans who listen to our music and stay loyal to us and have grown with us." SOUNDBITE 2, Martin Gore, Musician (English, 11 sec): "I am very happy with the new album, and I think there are at least three or four songs which are up there with the best we've ever done." - GVs of photo call, press conference ------------------------ AFP TEXT STORY New Wave giants Depeche Mode to launch world tour by Benedicte Rey =(PICTURE+VIDEO)= ATTENTION - ADDS quotes, details /// PARIS, Oct 23, 2012 (AFP) - The most successful electronic band in history, New Wave giants Depeche Mode on Tuesday announced plans for a world tour, kicking off next May on the heels of a new album release. The British trio, whose last tour dates back to 2010, will launch the new tour on May 7 in Tel Aviv, heading from there to Europe for 34 dates across 25 countries, they told a packed Paris press conference. European gigs are to include Britain -- with a single date in London on May 28 -- Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia, Italy, Germany and France, as well as festivals such as Spain's BBK in Bilbao. Bandmates Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher expect to play to some 1.5 million European fans before heading to North America. There will also be a series of warm-up dates, to be announced later. Depeche Mode have sold more than 100 million albums since the band was founded in 1979, winning over a global audience with such hits as "Personal Jesus" or "Just Can't Get Enough". The new tour will come on the heels of their 13th studio album, the first since "Sounds of the Universe" in 2009, set to hit shelves next year. The album title and release date have yet to be unveiled. "We feel very fortunate that so many people are still interested in what we do, even before hearing it," the 50-year-old Gahan told a scrum of international media at the press conference, beamed live on the Internet. The tour also comes amid a revival of the New Wave genre, with cutting-edge young artists seizing on the 1980s sound, among them British band Savages and Lescop in France. Do they fear the competition? Not one bit. Asked if he was still the best on a synthesiser, Fletcher replied: "Naturally". By way of proof -- as a prelude to the press conference -- the trio unveiled a new song, with a black-and-white video to match, faithful to their trademark sound with heavy bass, synthesisers and saturated guitars. Laid-back and relaxed with reporters, the band members spoke candidly of returning to the stage, and of their wilder excesses of youth. "Personally it's changed a lot for me because I used to be drunk all the time," joked the 51-year-old Gore. "For the last two-and-a-half tours, I really enjoyed it, I actually felt what it was actually like to be on stage." Fletcher, also 51, let slip that the band "will be doing warm-up dates but we haven't decided where." On the contents of their new album, they also offered a few clues. "It's very different but somehow it's got a bit of a feel of 'Violator' and some of the songs have a feel of 'Songs of Faith and Devotion'," the band's 1990 and 1993 albums, Gore said. "It's a kind of hybrid of those two to me." For the new album, Depeche Mode worked for the first time with producer Ben Hillier, and Gahan -- until now an occasional songwriter for the band -- wrote "more than ever this time," according to Gore. "Recording is always a joy, and I think we had a lot of fun," he added. "Basically we have a laugh and we do the thing that we love to do. Making music, it's a miracle that we're still able to do it." The band have yet to settle on a label for the album -- for which they were still in the studio Friday -- although several Sony Music France executives were spotted in the room. "All we can say is that Daniel Miller is still with us and we still rely on him a lot," Gahan said, referring to the head of their longtime label, Mute. ber/ec/jhb