Tag Archives: Depeche Mode

In Sympathy: Remembering Andrew Fletcher of Depeche Mode

***Andrew “Fletch” Fletcher: July 8, 1961 – May 26, 2022***

It has taken me four months to finally write a blog post about the passing of Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode. And I still can’t believe I’m even typing this, like right now. This is just going to be off the cuff, with little editing because I am truly sad about this. Anyone who knows even just a little bit about me knows that Depeche Mode is my all time favorite band. So when Richard Blade of 1st Wave on Sirius XM made an announcement between songs on the afternoon of May 26, 2022 with a very uncharacteristic somber voice, bearing sad and urgent news, I wasn’t sure what to expect. When he said something to the effect of “…announce the untimely passing of Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode…” I felt the wind get knocked out of me and I sat down in my desk chair, and let out an audible “NO!”, which caused my son to come running into my home office to find out what happened. My husband was already there, and I just burst into tears.

They didn’t say much, because they knew. As I said in my Instagram post, this hit different. I even went on a worldwide Zoom meeting that week with the Depeche Mode Global fan group, just to be with other fans and celebrate the life of Fletch (it was co-hosted by musician, YouTuber and Depeche Mode enthusiast, Vaughn George). My friends reached out to me in sympathy, to find out how I was, because they knew as well.

I think part of the disbelief came from the fact that they just got into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, class of 2020. Fletch had just gone on vacation in Spain the month prior to his death, and was even seen at a soccer match. I feel like he was alive and well one moment, and gone the next.

I still can’t find words to convey the emotions I feel. I know I was sad when Alan Wilder left, but at the time, he was still putting out his own music and had a tour. But Fletch is just gone, and didn’t just leave Depeche Mode. This is a band that has carried me from junior high, comforting me with their music, creating a major part of the soundtrack of my life. I have only missed one major tour since 1985, and have even taken my husband and son to see them in concert with me, just so I could share the music of my band, live with them. I’ve gone to see Strangelove, my favorite Depeche Mode tribute band, many many times, because I just love their music so much. Classmates from junior high and high school have said to me, that when they hear Depeche Mode songs, they think of me. One of my friends even tagged me in a video while she was shopping, because a Depeche Mode song came over the loud speaker. I got tagged easily 10+ times when DMK videos hit the internet (the Depeche Mode family tribute band), because friends from all walks of life thought of me. My blog name is the name of a song from their first album. They permeate all parts of my life, all the time.

People who know Depeche Mode, understand and realize that Fletch was the heart of the band. Not only was he a founding member, he was the foundation and the one who brought them all back together, no matter how long they had been apart, to get them together and make another go at new music. The official Depeche Mode Instagram page recently had a picture of Martin Gore and Dave Gahan, in a music studio with the caption “Finding stability in what we know and love, and focusing on what give life meaning and purpose.” I think they’re providing hope that they would still produce new music, but there’s still uncertainty.

I think I just needed to say something…anything, on my blog, about Fletch, because I had to. Rest in peace, and my deep condolences go out to his family, friends, bandmates and my fellow Devotees. Fletch, you will be missed…

Post Punk Goodness with Baby Teith!

Loving my Baby Teith Summer 2020 Crew Tee!

Hello! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted on the blog, but I promise that I’ve been up to only good things!

One of the amazing things that happened recently is that I’m a crew member/rep for Baby Teith! Baby Teith is an amazing brand out of Arizona, created by Tiffe Fermaint, who started it in 2013 while expecting her daughter. What I love most about this brand is that there is something for your whole family and home (including your furry family members), featuring so many of my favorite bands and music, like David Bowie, Joy Division and of course, Depeche Mode!

As a crew member, one of the perks I get to share is a discount code! Use code ANY2NDNOW for 10% off your purchase at https://babyteith.com/

*Enjoy The Silence Pillow in my home office*

*Stardust Canvas Banner also in my home office*

People Are People

It’s always great when friends can turn you onto a new brand, because it opens up your wardrobe to more choices and creates versatility. Jenna from Lucky Little Mustardseed is one of my favorite local bloggers, who I’m so proud to also call my friend. She has been wearing Cabi for sometime now, and recently turned me onto them after their recent Cabi Clothing Scoop introducing their Spring 2018 collection at the San Diego Convention Center.

What I love about this jacket is that it is SO retro, and completely lends to my style. I wore the jacket with all black, including this now sold-out People are People t-shirt. The shirt is by Christian Siriano in collaboration with Leggo Your Ego. I first saw it on the runway from his Autumn/Winter 2017 collection, where he ended the show with the outfit below. Christian was also featured on Depeche Mode’s Facebook “Fan Takeover”:

I incorporated Depeche Mode’s “People Are People” into our Fall 2017 show at NYFW as a symbol of what I stand for as a brand and designer. We placed the song during the finale walk and I think that got the message across rather strongly because it was placed at the end. The message that is: people are people, we should all be celebrated in our own way no matter what age, size or skin color. It wasn’t a political statement that I was trying to make, but rather a statement on human rights. It’s about supporting everyone, which is why I casted a diverse range of women to walk in the show. Everyone deserves to be represented.

As a brand, it’s important to be inclusive because anyone can be a customer. Clothing should be fun and make women feel beautiful in their own skin.

– Christian Siriano

(Photo from Christian Siriano’s official website)

Believe it or not, Christian Siriano also collaborated with Impress Manicure for matching People are People press on nails! I bought two sets (one to keep and one to wear), and they lasted a little over two weeks. I love the matte finish and easy application. Of course, my retro-outfit was rounded off with some 80’s inspired accessories: a robot cross-body purse, a Duran Duran album cover lip palette (I’m wearing the color “Rock-On”), and a cassette tape cell phone case. Yup, you can take a girl out of the 80’s, but you can’t take the 80’s out of this girl!

Outfit: Windopane Jacket by Cabi (no longer available); “People are People” t-shirt by Christian Siriano x Leggo Your Ego (sold-out); Unknown brand pants; Savannah Animal Print frames c/o Select Specs; Hat from Topshop; Leather ankle boots by Zara; Ring by Wendy Brandes; London Underground cuff c/o designhype; Karl Lagerfeld watch; Cross-body purse from ASOS; Nagel x Urban Decay “Rio” lip palette; Cassette Tape phone cover c/o Banggood

Included this fun outtake, where I’m wearing my sister’s “new wave” sunglasses!

All photos by Rholnna Jiao unless otherwise noted

“Cover Me” in Depeche Mode Tonight!

The day is finally here: DEPECHE MODE’S “GLOBAL SPIRIT TOUR” AT MATTRESS FIRM AMPHITHEATRE!

I believe the show is sold out, but there are verified tickets still available on Live Nation. I have the Live Nation app and I’m taking advantage of the “Fast Lane” Upgrade, since I have lawn tickets. This will allow me, my sister and our kids to get some prime real estate at the front of the lawn area next to the railing.

Keep up with me on my Instagram for all of my concert coverage and I’ve created a separate section here on my blog of all of my Depeche Mode posts!

Cheers!

I’ve Got The (Global) Spirit!

Oh yes, Depeche Mode have announced the title of their new album AND tour! Last week, they held a press conference in Milan, Italy and announced that the new album will be entitled Spirit to be released in 2017, followed by the Global Spirit Tour next summer. Currently, only the European dates are available, which I’ve listed below. I seriously considered going to the London show (tickets are still available for the pitch/general admission), but that would be too difficult to pull off with Dominic still in school. I’ll just have to wait until the US dates are announced to have my shot at seeing my all-time favorite band live. Most dates for the European leg have already gone on sale, so cheers to the lot of you who already have tickets!

May 5 – Stockholm, Sweden – Friends Arena

May 7 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

May 9 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis

May 12 – Nice, France – Stade Charles-Ehrmann

May 14- Ljubljana, Slovenia – Dvorana Stožice

May 17 – Athens, Greece – Terra Vibe Park

May 20 – Bratislava, Slovakia – Štadión Pasienky

May 22 – Budapest, Hungary – Groupama Aréna

May 24 – Prague, Czech Republic – Eden Aréna

May 27 – Leipzig, Germany – Festwiese

May 29 – Lille, France – Stade Pierre-Mauroy

May 31 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Telia Parken

June 3 – London, United Kingdom – London Stadium

June 5 – Cologne, Germany – RheinEnergieStadion

June 9 – Munich, Germany – Olympiastadion

June 11 – Hannover, Germany – HDI Arena

June 18 – Zurich, Switzerland – Letzigrund Stadion

June 20 – Frankfurt, Germany – Commerzbank-Arena

June 22 – Berlin, Germany – Olympiastadion

June 25 – Rome, Italy – Stadio Olimpico

June 27 – Milan, Italy – Stadio San Siro

June 29 – Bologna, Italy – Stadio Rentao Dall’Ara

July 1 – Paris, France – Stade de France

July 4 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany – Veltins-Arena

July 6 – Bilbao, Spain – BBK Live Festival

July 8 – Lisbon, Portugal – NOS Alive Festival

July 13 – St. Petersburg, Russia – SKK

July 15 – Moscow, Russia – Otkritie Arena

July 17 – Minsk, Belarus – Minsk-Arena

July 19 – Kiev, Ukraine – Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex

July 21 – Warsaw, Poland – PGE Narodowy

July 23 – Cluj-Napoca, Romania – Cluj Arena

(Photo courtesy of Depechemode.com)

More Than a Party: Martin Gore’s DJ Set in Santa Barbara

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll already know where I was on June 27th. That’s right, I attended one of the most intimate Depeche Mode gigs ever in my life: Martin Gore’s DJ set at SOhO in Santa Barbara, which was a part of their fundraising show series!

If you read back to 2010 here on my blog, you’ll see that meeting Alan Wilder was probably one of the biggest highlights as a long time Depeche Mode fan because Alan was my favorite member while he was still with Depeche Mode (original post here). Regardless of whether or not he’s with the band, I still follow his career and meeting him was more than memorable. So seeing Martin Gore DJ in the intimate setting of a night club was the next best thing to meeting him because I was just a few feet away from him. Until then, the closest I’ve been to any current member of Depeche Mode was when I was 16, and I went with my sister and best friend at the time to the backstage entrance of the San Diego Sports Arena (now the Valley View Casino Center). We watched Depeche Mode board their bus during the Black Celebration tour (the actual picture from July 11,1986 is below, and you can see Alan Wilder approaching in the white shirt and black pants).

For this fateful trip to Santa Barbara, I went with my good friend Angi, who has attended several Depeche Mode concerts with me over the years. I believe we’ve seen the Singles Tour, the Exciter Tour and the most recent Delta Machine tour together, so it was fitting for us to take a girl’s weekend and see Martin. Once we settled into our hotel room and went out to dinner, we made the trek to SOhO and waited patiently in line, along with a night club full of true fans. Because we arrived so early and also because we are Visual Arts majors (that’s how we met in college), we started off the evening by taking random artsy pictures of the club’s interior.

The highlight, of course, was seeing Martin Gore. Martin didn’t just play random remixed club hits. His set was very eclectic, and really reminded me of Alan Wilder’s show for Recoil, without the visual effects presentation. I recognized a few songs off of his latest album and I couldn’t stop smiling for the entire show because it was just such a cool event.

I’ve captured the evening in a few pictures below, including a You Tube video of Martin’s entrance to his set, a Filpagram I posted on Instagram (with Brink as the backing song, from Martin’s recent album), and a little story of how I got an autographed flier (*squeal!*). Cheers and enjoy!

These awesome bamboo sticks were scattered throughout the club, with lights inside creating some visual interest.

The cool visuals continued outside with projections on the floor and wall of the patio.

From left to right: 1. A shot of the club as the crowd came in; 2. The DJ who played prior; 3. And the final set up for Martin’s set.

Presenting Mr. Martin Gore (along with another attempt at something more artsy)!A picture “with” Martin…sort of?

A selfie with Angi

Angi and I with Freddie (Devotional Dave) and Brent (Counterfeit Martin) of the Depeche Mode tribute band Strangelove (my review of their concert here)!

Backstory (because I always have one): I originally asked for a blank flier from a couple of people who worked at SOhO, just as a take home souvenir. When I asked one of the ladies that worked there for one, she said “Well, I don’t have any blank ones, but I have signed ones, would you like one?” YES, PLEASE! We took home three: one for me, one for Angi, and I sent one to David (@1doudou42 on Instagram), who’s post alerted me to the show, and I would never have gone had I not seen his post!

Covered in Depeche Mode

Being on this shopping hiatus has given me the ability to refocus and put my energy into other endeavors. As I’m sorting and editing pictures for some “Fashionably Late” posts, I’m also putting together more playlists on my Spotify account because I’ve suddenly got a list of concerts this summer that I’ll be attending. In the midst of putting together “My Favorite…” playlists of bands I’ll be seeing like Spandau Ballet and Echo & The Bunnymen (which are my versions of “Greatest Hits” playlists), I decided to put together a playlist of Depeche Mode cover songs. There are some that were known to me already (all of the ones from For the Masses), some I discovered while searching to see if there was a cover version of a certain song (like People are People by A Perfect Circle), and some I wish I could have added but just couldn’t find on Spotify (like Duncan Sheik’s Blasphemous Rumours or Monument by GusGus).

Initially, I posted this playlist on Facebook, and some friends reminded me of some songs that I forgot. Of the songs I found, I placed them in an order that I thought was “audibly aesthetically” pleasing (like the juxtaposition of Marilyn Manson’s Personal Jesus next to the Pitch Perfect sounding Just Cant Get Enough cover by InsideOut). Some songs repeat, because both versions were just too good to be left off (Cage9 and Nada Surf’s versions of Enjoy the Silence). I had to end my playlist with one of my most favorite covers ever: Depeche Mode’s version of Route 66.

Below, you’ll find my Spotify playlist which I called “Covered in Depeche Mode”, and the full list of songs as well. I’ve also added my Spotify playlist to the sidebar of my blog, and will change it up regularly. Cheers and have a great weekend!

I Feel You – Johnny Marr

Personal Jesus – Johnny Cash

Lie to Me – Razed in Black

Leave in Silence – Marsheaux

Enjoy the Silence – Cage9

Stripped – Rammstein

Walking in My Shoes – Finger Eleven

A Question of Time – Clan of Xymox

Ice Machine – Royksopp

Everything Counts – Real Life

World In My Eyes – The Cure

Personal Jesus – Marilyn Manson

Just Can’t Get Enough – InsideOut A Cappella

Master and Servant – Bernd Delbrugge & floorJIVERS

Never Let Me Down Again – Smashing Pumpkins

But Not Tonight – Scott Weiland

People Are People – A Perfect Circle

Policy of Truth – Dishwalla

Enjoy the Silence – Nada Surf

Just Can’t Get Enough – John Lindberg Trio

Route 66 – Depeche Mode

Strangelove: The Ultimate Depeche Mode Tribute Band in Concert!

Earlier this month, I attended a fantastic night of music at San Diego’s House of Blues with my sister Rholnna, and my best friend Janice, featuring three tribute bands: Only-U, a tribute to Kraftwerk; SIN, a tribute to Nine Inch Nails; and Strangelove, a tribute to Depeche Mode.

Unfortunately we missed Only-U, but I swear it was for a good reason! But we did catch SIN, and they were fantastic. They played the staples like Closer and Head Like a Hole, but it was good to hear them include NIN’s version of Joy Division’s Dead Souls.

The highlight of the evening was of course, seeing Strangelove. Prior to the show, we had the honor and privilege of interviewing the band (coming soon), which allowed us to have a backstage view like I’ve never had before.

STRANGELOVE is (left to right):

Jim Evans as “In The Fletch” – keyboards, sequencing, backing vocals, percussion
Freddie Morales as “Devotional Dave”– lead vocals, visuals, lighting design, sequencing
Brent Meyer as “Counterfeit Martin”– music director, keyboards, vocals, guitar, melodic, sequencing, percussion
David Sepe as “Alan Wildest” – keyboards, sequencing, backing vocals, percussion

With Janice and Rholnna backstage.

As a Devotee to the religion that is Depeche Mode, I must insist that you see Strangelove live. If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know how big of a fan I am Depeche Mode, and when I closed my eyes at the Strangelove show, I not only hear them, but I feel them. It is truly amazing how much they devote to not only sounding like them musically, but Freddie (“Devotional Dave”) and Brent (“Counterfeit Martin”) also use British accents to complete the authenticity. Since Dave is the main visual focus of the group, Freddie turns it up a notch by taking the audience through a history of Dave Gahan’s looks, like the fringed jacket in the Personal Jesus video, the white outfit from the World Violation Tour and Dave’s more current sleek suited look from the Delta Machine tour. Freddie truly does Dave’s live persona justice to the point where is it almost uncanny, not just with his near exact replication of Dave’s vocals, but by the way he dances and interacts with the audience. But really all of the members take their rightful place in their true-to-life rendering of when The Mode were a fabulous foursome. Jim (“In The Fletch”) may be in the back, but he is incredibly energetic with his tell-tale Andrew Fletcher glasses. I nearly cried when Dave (“Alan Wildest”) played a spot on version Somebody on piano and Brent had me breathless at how much he sounds like Martin Gore on his amazing renditions of Home and Somebody.

With Brent Meyer as “Counterfeit Martin” (Violator dress by Idil Vice, Some Great Reward clutch purse by Sugar Shox Crafts)

From one song to the next, their set list reads like the greatest Depeche Mode show that would ever be played, and the sold out crowd loved every minute of it! In my upcoming interview with the band, Brent explains that some of the sounds are authentically Depeche Mode, received from none other than Alan Wilder himself! Still need convincing? I’ve included their version of Get The Balance Right below from the HOB show.

I want to thank the gentlemen from Strangelove for taking the time to talk to me and especially to Brent for inviting me, Janice and Rholnna backstage to experience their live show. I hope you enjoy the pictures, and stay tuned for the upcoming interview post!

All live photos of SIN and Strangelove were taken by Rholnna Jiao.

Pay Tribute & Go See Strangelove in Concert Tomorrow!

I have concluded my week-long mind, body and soul refreshing experience, and I’m ending it in spectacular manner by finally seeing Strangelove, “the ultimate Depeche Mode tribute band” tomorrow at San Diego’s House of Blues. My BFF Janice and my sister Rholnna will be in attendance with me, and I believe tickets are still available here. I’ll have a full review of the show, and hopefully a little more. If you go, please make sure come up to me and say hi!

#MODEMAY: Day 17 to Day 31

Here are the rest of my photos from the #ModeMay Instagram photo-a-day challenge by DepecheMode.com. I had SO much fun with this photo challenge! True, part of the fun was getting two of my photos selected to be re-posted by DepecheMode.com, but most of the fun was the creativity, seeing all of the other wonderful pictures and meeting new people to interact with and follow on Instagram. It’s nice to know there are so many kindred spirits who share the same love for Depeche Mode as I do. As always, thank you for following along, especially when I indulge in sharing some of my favorite things. Enjoy!