Depeche Mode have had forty-eight songs in the UK Singles Chart and #1 albums in UK, US and throughout Europe. According to EMI, Depeche Mode have sold over 100 million albums and singles worldwide, making them the most successful electronic band in music history. ''Q'' magazine calls Depeche Mode "The most popular electronic band the world has ever known".

History

Formation and debut album (1977–1981)

Soon after the formation of Composition of Sound, Clarke and Fletcher switched to synthesisers, working odd jobs including carpentry to buy or borrow them from friends. Dave Gahan joined the band in 1980 after Clarke heard him perform at a local scout hut jam session, singing to a rendition of David Bowie's "Heroes", and Depeche Mode were born. When explaining the choice for the new name (taken from a French fashion magazine, ''Dépêche mode'') Martin Gore said, "It means hurried fashion or fashion dispatch. I like the sound of that." Gore recollects that the first time the band played as Depeche Mode was a school gig in May 1980. The band made their recording debut in 1980 on the ''Some Bizzare Album'' with the song "Photographic", which was later re-recorded for their debut album ''Speak & Spell''.

While playing a live gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town, the band were approached by Daniel Miller (an electronic musician and founder of Mute Records), who was interested in them recording a single for his burgeoning label. The result of this verbal contract was their first single "Dreaming of Me", recorded in December 1980 and released in February 1981, reaching number 57 in the UK charts. Encouraged by this, the band recorded their second single "New Life", which climbed to number 11 in the UK charts. The next single was "Just Can't Get Enough", this relentlessly upbeat piece of synthpop became the band's first UK top ten hit and it remains one of their best known songs. It was also the first Depeche Mode song to get a music video and is the only one of the band's videos to feature Vince Clarke. Depeche Mode's debut album, ''Speak & Spell'', was released in November 1981 and peaked at number ten on the UK album charts. Critical reviews were mixed – ''Melody Maker'' described it as a "great album... one they had to make to conquer fresh audiences and please the fans who just can’t get enough", while ''Rolling Stone'' was more critical, calling the album "PG-rated fluff".

Clarke departs, Wilder joins (1981–1982)

In late 1981, the band placed an anonymous ad in ''Melody Maker'' looking for another musician. Alan Wilder, a 22-year-old keyboardist from West London, responded and after two auditions he was hired in early 1982 initially on a trial basis as a touring member. In January 1982, the band released "See You", their first single without Clarke, which managed to beat all three Clarke-penned singles in the UK charts, reaching number six. The tour that followed the release of the single saw the band playing their first shows in North America. Two more singles, "The Meaning of Love", and "Leave in Silence", were released ahead of the band's second studio album. Depeche Mode began work on their second album in July 1982. Daniel Miller informed Wilder that he was not needed for the recording of the album, as the band wanted to prove that they could succeed without Vince Clarke. ''A Broken Frame'' was released that September and the following month the band set off on their second tour of 1982. A non-album single "Get the Balance Right!" was released in January 1983, and was the first Depeche Mode track to be recorded with Wilder.

''Construction Time Again'' (1983)

Along with the music, Gore's songwriting was also rapidly evolving, focusing increasingly on political and social issues. A good example of the new sound was on the first single from the album "Everything Counts", a commentary on the perceived greed of multinational corporations. The song got to number six in the UK, also reaching the Top 30 in Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden and West Germany. Wilder also contributed two songs to the album, "The Landscape Is Changing" and "Two Minute Warning".

In September 1983, to promote ''Construction Time Again'' the band launched Construction Time Again Tour, a concert tour all over Europe.

''Some Great Reward'' (1984)

In September 1984, ''Some Great Reward'' was released. ''Melody Maker'' claimed that the album made one "sit up and take notice of what is happening here, right under your nose." In contrast to the political and environmental subjects addressed on the previous album, the songs on ''Some Great Reward'' were mostly concerned with more personal themes such as sexual politics ("Master and Servant"), adulterous relationships ("Lie to Me"), and arbitrary divine justice ("Blasphemous Rumours"). Also included was the first Martin Gore ballad ("Somebody") – such songs would become a feature of all following albums. "Somebody" was released as a double a-side with "Blasphemous Rumours" and was the first single with Gore on lead vocals. ''Some Great Reward'' was the first Depeche Mode album to enter the US album charts, and it made the Top 10 in several European countries.

''The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg'' was the band's first video release. It is an almost complete film of a concert from their 1984 Some Great Reward Tour, in Hamburg, Germany.

In July 1985, the band played their first-ever concerts behind the Iron Curtain, in Budapest and Warsaw.

In October 1985, Mute Records released a compilation, ''The Singles 81>85'' (''Catching Up with Depeche Mode'' in the US), which included the two non-album singles "Shake the Disease" and "It's Called a Heart".

During this period, in some circles, the band became associated with the gothic subculture, which had begun in Britain in the late-1970s, and was now slowly gaining popularity in the United States. There, the band's music had first gained prominence on college radio and modern rock stations such as KROQ in Los Angeles, KQAK ("The Quake") in San Francisco and WLIR on Long Island, New York, and hence, they appealed primarily to an alternative audience who were disenfranchised with the predominance of "soft rock and 'disco hell'" on the radio. This view of the band was in sharp contrast to how the band was perceived in Europe, despite the increasingly dark and serious tone in their songs. In Germany and other European countries, Depeche Mode were considered teen idols and were regularly featured in European teen magazines.

''Black Celebration'' (1986)

The music video for "A Question of Time" was the first to be directed by Anton Corbijn, beginning a working relationship that continues to the present day. Corbijn has directed a further 19 of the band's videos (the latest being 2006's "Suffer Well"). He has also filmed some of their live performances and designed stage sets and album and single covers.

''Music for the Masses'' and ''101'' (1987–1988)

The Music for the Masses Tour followed the release of the album. On 7 March 1988 they played an unofficial gig (as it was not officially announced that Depeche Mode were the band performing that night) in the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle, East Berlin. At that time the communist regime were still in power and Depeche Mode were among the very few western bands that ever played in the former GDR. Around the same period, they also gave concerts in Budapest and Prague (1988) in the then still communist Hungary and Czechoslovakia respectively.

The world tour ended on 18 June 1988 with a concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl with paid attendance of 60,453 (the highest in eight years for the venue). The tour was a breakthrough for the band and massive success in the United States. It was documented in ''101'' – a concert film by D. A. Pennebaker and its accompanying soundtrack album. The film is notable for its portrayal of fan interaction. Alan Wilder is credited with coming up with the name; the performance was the 101st and final performance of the tour.

''Violator'' (1989–1991)

Released in January 1990, "Enjoy the Silence" became one of Depeche Mode's most successful singles to date, reaching number six in the UK (the first Top 10 hit in that country since "Master And Servant"). A few months later it became Depeche Mode's biggest hit in the US, reaching number eight and earning the band a second gold single. It won 'Best British single' at the 1991 Brit Awards. To promote their new album ''Violator'', the band held an in-store autograph signing at Wherehouse Entertainment in Los Angeles. The event attracted approximately 20,000 fans and turned into a near riot. Some of those who attended were injured by being pressed against the store's glass by the crowd. As an apology to the fans who were injured, the band released a limited edition cassette tape to fans living in Los Angeles, which was distributed through radio station KROQ (the sponsor of the Wherehouse event). ''Violator'' went on to reach Top 10 in the UK and US. ''Violator'' was the first of the band's albums to enter the Top 10 of the Billboard 200— reaching #7 and staying 74 weeks in the chart. It has also been certified triple platinum in America, selling over 4.5 million units there. It remains the band's best selling album worldwide. Two more singles from the album "Policy of Truth" and "World in My Eyes" were hits in the UK with the former also charting in the US.

The World Violation Tour marked another high point in Depeche Mode's popularity and saw the band play several stadium shows in the US. 42,000 tickets were sold within four hours for a show at Giants Stadium and 48,000 tickets were sold within half-an-hour of going on sale for a show at Dodger Stadium.

In 1991, Depeche Mode contribution, "Death's Door" was released on the accompanying Warner Brothers album, ''Until the End of the World: original motion picture soundtrack'' for the film ''Until the End of the World''.

''Songs of Faith and Devotion'' and Wilder's departure (1992–1995)

The Devotional world tour followed. It was documented by a concert film of the same name. The film was directed by Anton Corbijn and in 1995 earned the band their first Grammy nomination. The band's second live album, ''Songs of Faith and Devotion Live'', was released in December 1993.

The tour continued into 1994 with the Exotic Tour, which began in February 1994 in South Africa and ended in April in Mexico. The final leg of the tour, consisting of more North American dates, followed shortly thereafter and ran until July. As a whole, the Devotional Tour is to date the longest and most geographically diverse Depeche Mode tour, spanning fourteen months and 159 individual performances. ''Q'' magazine listed 1993 Devotional Tour as "The Most Debauched Rock'n'Roll Tour Ever".

Dave Gahan's heroin addiction was starting to affect his behaviour, causing him to become more erratic and introverted. Martin Gore experienced seizures and Andy Fletcher declined to participate in the second half of the Exotic Tour due to "mental instability". During that period, he was replaced on-stage by Daryl Bamonte, who had worked with the band as a personal assistant for many years.

In June 1995, Alan Wilder announced that he was leaving Depeche Mode, explaining,

He continued to work on his personal project Recoil, releasing a fourth album (''Unsound Methods'') in 1997. Following Wilder's departure, many were sceptical of whether Depeche Mode would ever record again. Gahan's mental state and drug habit became a major source of concern, with a near-fatal overdose at a hotel in Los Angeles.

''Ultra'' (1997–2000)

A second singles compilation ''The Singles 86–98'' was released in 1998, preceded by the new single "Only When I Lose Myself", which had been recorded during the ''Ultra'' sessions. In April 1998 Depeche Mode held a press conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Cologne to announce The Singles Tour. The tour was the first one to feature two backing musicians in place of Alan Wilder – Austrian drummer Christian Eigner and British keyboardist Peter Gordeno.

''Exciter'' (2001–2004)

In March 2001 Depeche Mode held a press conference at the Valentino Hotel in Hamburg to announce the Exciter Tour. In total the tour featured 84 performances for over 1.5 million fans in 24 countries. The concerts held in Paris at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy were filmed and later released in May 2002 as a live DVD entitled ''One Night in Paris''.

In October 2002 the band won the first-ever ''Q'' magazine "Innovation Award".

In 2003 Dave Gahan released his first solo album, ''Paper Monsters'', and toured to promote the record. Also released in 2003 was Martin Gore's second solo album ''Counterfeit²''. Andrew Fletcher also founded his own record label, Toast Hawaii, specialising in promoting electronic music.

A new remix compilation album ''Remixes 81–04'' was released in 2004, featuring new and unreleased promo mixes of the band's singles from 1981 to 2004. A new version of "Enjoy the Silence", remixed by Mike Shinoda, entitled "Enjoy the Silence 04" was released as a single and reached #7 on the UK charts.

''Playing the Angel'' (2005–2007)

To promote ''Playing the Angel'' the band launched Touring the Angel, a concert tour of Europe and North America that began in November 2005 and ran for nine months. During the last two legs of the tour Depeche Mode headlined a number of festivals including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the O₂ Wireless Festival. In total the band played to more than 2.8 million people across 31 countries and the tour was one of the highest grossing and critically acclaimed tours of 2005/06. Speaking about the tour, Gahan praised it as ''"probably the most enjoyable, rewarding live shows we've ever done. The new material was just waiting to be played live. It took on a life of its own. With the energy of the crowds, it just came to life"''. Two shows at Milan's Fila Forum were filmed and edited into a concert film which was released on DVD as ''Touring the Angel: Live in Milan''. A "best-of" compilation was released in November 2006, entitled ''The Best Of, Volume 1'' featuring a new single "Martyr", an outtake from the ''Playing the Angel'' sessions. Later that month Depeche Mode received the MTV Europe Music Award in the Best Group category.

In December 2006, iTunes released ''The Complete Depeche Mode'' as its fourth ever digital box-set (following ''The Complete U2'' in 2004, ''The Complete Stevie Wonder'' in 2005, and ''Bob Dylan: The Collection'' earlier in 2006).

In August 2007, during promotion for Dave Gahan's second solo album, ''Hourglass'', it was announced that Depeche Mode were heading back in studio in early 2008 to work on a new album.

''Sounds of the Universe'' (2008–present)

right|250px|thumb|[[Tour of the Universe (Depeche Mode tour)|Tour of the Universe concert at London's O₂ Arena, December 2009]]On 15 January 2009, the official Depeche Mode website announced that the band's 12th studio album would be called ''Sounds of the Universe''. The album was released in April 2009, it was also made available through an iTunes Pass, where the buyer received individual tracks in the weeks leading up to official release date. Andy Fletcher says the idea for their iTunes Pass was a combination of the band's and iTunes': ''"I think the digital and record companies are starting to get their act together. They were very lazy in the first 10 years when downloads came in. Now they’re collaborating more and coming up with interesting ideas for fans to buy products''." The album went to number one in 21 countries. Critical response was generally positive and it was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Alternative Album" category.

"Wrong" was the first single from the album, released digitally in February 2009. Subsequent singles were "Peace" and the double a-side "Fragile Tension / Hole to Feed". In addition, "Perfect" was released as a promotional-only (non-commercial) single in the US.

Depeche Mode performed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in the Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on 23 April 2009, drawing more than 12,000 fans, which was the largest audience the show had ever seen since premiering in 2003.

In May 2009 the band embarked on a concert tour in support of the album – called Tour of the Universe, it had been announced at a press conference in October 2008 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. There was a warm up show in Luxembourg and it officially started on 10 May 2009 in Tel Aviv. The first leg of the tour was disrupted when Dave Gahan was struck down with gastroenteritis. During treatment doctors found and removed a low grade tumour from the singer's bladder. Gahan's illness caused 16 concerts to be cancelled, but several of the shows were rescheduled for 2010. The band headlined the Lollapalooza festival during the North American leg of the tour. The tour also took the band back to South America for the first time since 1994's Exotic Tour. During the final European leg the band played a show at London's Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, where former member Alan Wilder joined Martin Gore on stage for a performance of "Somebody". In total the band played to more than 2.7 million people across 32 countries and the tour was one of the most profitable in America in 2009. The concerts held at Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain were filmed and later released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc release entitled ''Tour of the Universe : Barcelona 20/21.11.09''.

In March 2010, Depeche Mode won the award for "Best International Group – Rock / Pop" at the ECHO Awards in Germany.

As a conclusion of the 3-year working relationship with EMI, on June 6, 2011, the band released a remix compilation album, entitled ''Remixes 2: 81–11'' that features remixes by former members Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder. Other remixers involved with the project were Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran, Röyksopp, Karlsson & Winnberg of Miike Snow, Eric Prydz, Clark and more. A new remix of "Personal Jesus" by Stargate, entitled "Personal Jesus 2011", was released as a single on 30 May 2011, in support of the compilation.

Legacy and influence

One of the most influential groups over the last 30 years, Depeche Mode have inspired generations of new musicians while consolidating their considerable reputation. In the process they have sold over 100 million records and played to audiences in excess of 30 million.

Techno pioneers Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins regularly cited Depeche Mode as an influence on the development of techno music during the Detroit Techno explosion in the mid 1980s. Appreciation of Depeche Mode within today's electronic music scene is shown by the numerous Depeche Mode remixes by contemporary DJs such as Ricardo Villalobos' remix of "The Sinner in Me" or Kruder & Dorfmeister's remix of "Useless".

Brandon Flowers, the vocalist of The Killers, claimed, "Before I even thought of myself as a musician, I was affected by Depeche Mode as a person. I think about ''Some Great Reward'' or ''Songs of Faith and Devotion'' and they shaped me as an individual before I even wrote a song." According to Matt Smith, the former music director of the modern-rock radio station KROQ, "The Killers, The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand — that whole wave of music owes a tremendous amount to Depeche Mode."

In an accompanying interview for his piece in ''The New Yorker'' evaluating the impact of British acts on the US market, Sasha Frere-Jones claims that "probably the last serious English influence was Depeche Mode, who seem more and more significant as time passes."

Chester Bennington, vocalist of Linkin Park, cites the band as an inspiration. Another Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda has said, "Depeche Mode are one of the most influential groups of our time. Their music is an inspiration to me..."

Chino Moreno from the band Deftones has cited Depeche Mode's lyrics influencing his own. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter has expressed an admiration for them as well, with his own quieter guitar playing in White Pony being inspired by Depeche Mode.

Ken Jordan, member of the LA electronic duo The Crystal Method has said that Depeche Mode are one of their main influences in music. Roger Rose, lead singer of Christian rock band Mad at the World, has also cited the band as an influence on his music.

Raymond Herrera, the drummer of the heavy metal band Fear Factory, says, "A lot of different music influenced the way I play now. Like the band Depeche Mode. If I could sound like Depeche Mode, but be fast like Slayer, I think I might be onto something". According to Darren Smith, the guitarist of the post-hardcore band Funeral for a Friend, "dark, moodier stuff" in his band's music was "Depeche Mode-influenced."

Colombian singer Shakira is also highly influenced by Depeche Mode. Ximena Diego, the author of the book ''Shakira – Woman Full of Grace'' wrote in this book: "At thirteen Shakira especially liked Depeche Mode, an electronic rock band from Great Britain. One day she was listening to the band's song, "Enjoy the Silence". She noticed that she was not only hearing the music but also feeling the music in her body. She said to her mother, "Every time I hear that guitar riff [a rhythmic musical phrase] I feel this weird thing in my stomach".

In August 2008, Coldplay released an alternative music video for their single "Viva la Vida" which was inspired by the "Enjoy the Silence" video. On their website the band are quoted as saying, "This is our attempt at a video cover version, made out of love for Depeche Mode and the genius of Anton Corbijn...". The video shows Chris Martin dressed as a king walking through The Hague.

German heavy metal band Rammstein, who covered "Stripped" in 1999, have cited Depeche Mode as one of their biggest inspirations. Richard Kruspe, the lead guitarist of Rammstein, said that growing up his influence was "heavy metal on the one side and pop on the other. (...) I was afraid to tell my friends I was listening to Depeche Mode. I loved the band. I loved their melodies. That’s why in Rammstein, you can hear a lot of melodies in our music."

"I feel more connected to Depeche Mode" (compared to other acts of the 1980s) claimed Magne Furuholmen, the guitarist/keyboardist of a-ha. In July 2009, a-ha performed a cover of "A Question of Lust" during a live performance for BBC Radio 2 – ''The Dermot O'Leary Show''.

Band members

;Past members

;Timeline