Depeche Mode is an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depeche Mode was formed by the lineup of Gahan, Gore, Andy Fletcher, and Vince Clarke, and released their debut album Speak & Spell in 1981, bringing the band onto the British new wave scene.
After founding member Clarke left following the release of the album, they recorded A Broken Frame as a trio. Depeche Mode have had 54 songs on the UK Singles Chart and 17 Top 10 albums in the UK chart; they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
Q included the band in its list of the “50 Bands That Changed the World!” Depeche Mode also rank No. 98 on VH1’s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. On 4 October 2022, Depeche Mode announced their new album Memento Mori and a tour which will start on 23 March 2023.
What bands are similar to Depeche Mode?
Muse: Many of their songs reflect Depeche’s influence on them, even though their vocal styles are a little different. Their song, Map of the Problematique, uses the same chord progressions and some of the same sounds as DM’s Enjoy the Silence.
Iris: A little less dark sounding, compared to Depeche, but still very similar. Some songs that sound like DM are The Picture, Sorrow Expert, Loom, and When I’m Not Around.
MGMT: Not all of their stuff is very synth-pop, but their most recent album had some tracks that were definitely reminiscent of Depeche Mode, such as Little Dark Age as well as Me and Michael.
The Killers: Two of their albums, Hot Fuss and Battleborn, were influenced by DM, and several other songs from their other albums also show similarities to Depeche’s stuff from the 90s. Change Your Mind, Just Another Girl, On Top, Everything Will Be Alright, and Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine instantly come to mind.
Arcade Fire: Their music has a lot of variety as far as genre goes, but it’s safe to say that they’re deeply rooted in synthpop with Depeche Mode as an influence.
As far as older ones go, you can’t go wrong with classics like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Echo and the Bunnymen.
Camouflage, Cause and Effect, Saint Ettiene, and Morocco are also some great lesser-known bands.