Depeche Mode denounce alt-right leader’s claims

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Depeche Mode respond to comments made by Richard Spencer who called Dave Gahan and co “the official band of the alt-right”

Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode have moved swiftly to denounce the so-called alt-right movement after its self-proclaimed leader Richard Spencer praised the band.

When asked by New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi if he liked rock music, Spencer answered: “Depeche Mode is the official band of the alt-right.”

He later moved to clarify his comment, telling Rolling Stone: “My tongue was firmly in cheek. They aren’t a typical rock band, in terms of lyrics and much else. Depeche Mode is a band of existential angst, pain, sadism, horror, darkness and much more.

“It’s not bubblegum pop, with frontmen who sing about love and sugarplum fairies. There was a certain Communist aesthetic to an early album like 1982’s A Broken Frame as well as titles like Music For The Masses but then there’s a bit of a fascist element, too.

“It’s obviously ambiguous, and as with all art, everything is multi-layer, contradictory and ambivalent.”

And when asked for a comment by the website, a rep from the left-leaning band responded: “Depeche Mode has no ties to Richard Spencer or the alt-right and does not support the alt-right movement.”

Last year, Gahan compared US President Donald Trump to Hitler. He said: “The things that he’s saying sound very similar to what someone was saying in 1935 – and that didn’t work out very well. The things that he’s saying are just cruel, heartless and promoting fear.”

Depeche Mode will release their 14th studio album Spirit on March 17, with Gahan previously revealing the record wasn’t political but was “definitely about humanity and our place in that.”

He continued: “We called the album Spirit, because it’s like, ‘Where’s the spirit gone?’ or ‘Where’s the spirit in humanity?’ We considered calling it Maelstrom – that was a bit too heavy metal.”

Depeche Mode will head out on tour from next month in support of Spirit, which is now available for pre-order.

The Spirit cover

The Spirit cover

Depeche Mode Spirit tracklist

  1. Going Backwards
  2. Where’s The Revolution
  3. The Worst Crime
  4. Scum
  5. You Move
  6. Cover Me
  7. Eternal
  8. Poison heart
  9. So Much Love
  10. Poorman
  11. No More (This Is The Last Time)
  12. Fail

Depeche Mode Dave happy to influence metal acts

Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.