Depeche Mode have announced their first album and tour since the passing of bandmate Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher.
Dave Gahan and Martin Gore vowed to honour the memory of the co-founding member of the ‘Enjoy The Silence’ group – who died aged 60 in June – by completing the upcoming LP, ‘Memento Mori’, which is due out next spring.
The duo will also embark on a tour of North America, including stops at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Chicago’s United Center, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena in March 2023, and play London’s Twickenham Stadium on June 17, as part of the European leg of the jaunt in support of the record.
Speaking about the album, Martin, 61, commented: “We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time. After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.”
Dave, 60, added: “Fletch would have loved this album. We’re really looking forward to sharing it with you soon, and we can’t wait to present it to you live at the shows next year.”
It will mark their first tour since 2017 and 2018’s ‘Global Spirit Tour’ in support of their chart-topping LP ‘Spirit’.
Dave and Martin thanked fans for the “outpouring of love” for the musician amid this “strange, sad, disorienting” time.
They wrote: “We wanted to take a moment and acknowledge the outpouring of love for Andy that we’ve seen from all of you over the last few weeks.
“It’s incredible to see all of your photos, to read your words, and to see how much Andy meant to all of you.
“As you can imagine, it’s been a strange, sad, disorienting few weeks for us here, to say the least.
“But we’ve seen and felt all of your love and support, and we know that Andy’s family has too.”
Confirming his cause of death, the pair revealed Fletch suffered an aortic dissection, a tear in the large blood vessel of the heart, and “passed naturally” and peacefully.
They added: “A couple weeks ago we received the result from the medical examiners, which Andy’s family asked us to share with you now. Andy suffered an aortic dissection while at home on May 26. So, even though it was far, far too soon, he passed naturally and without prolonged suffering.”
Tickets for the ‘Memento Mori Tour’ go on general sale this Friday 7th October at 10am via Live Nation, where the full dates can be found.