While it wasn’t quite as momentous as last February’s performance of ‘Somebody’ at London’s Royal Albert Hall, former Depeche Mode bandmates Alan Wilder and Martin Gore teamed once again up last night, with Gore appearing as a post-show DJ at Wilder’s Recoil performance in Santa Ana, Calif.
High points of tonight’s ‘Dark Wave’ on Sirius XM’s 1st Wave include Depeche Mode’s greatest B-side (‘Dangerous’), a rare album cut off Morrissey’s solo debut ‘Viva Hate’ (‘Dial-A-Cliché’) and the opening cut from The Jesus and Mary Chain’s third album, ‘Automatic’ (‘Here Comes Alice’).
After teasing fans with a couple 30-second clips from its forthcoming ‘Tour of the Universe: Live in Barcelona’ DVD and Blu-ray, Depeche Mode today offered up something a bit more substantial: a nearly 6-minute electronic press kit for the film, featuring performance footage, backstage clips and interviews with Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher.
With his North American tour now underway, former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder today offered up a free Recoil multimedia EP — ‘Want: The Architect Mixes’ — that fans can download from Mute Records in exchange for a name and e-mail address.
Tonight’s installment of “Dark Wave” featured a few nice surprises, including a live version of Depeche Mode non-album cut ‘Death’s Door,’ rare appearances by Fad Gadget (‘Collapsing New People’) and Misfits (‘London Dungeon’), and, as requested last week, a House of Love track that’s not ‘Christine’ (that would be, this week anyway, ‘Destroy the Heart’).
Ever the teases, Depeche Mode this morning issued a second clip previewing its forthcoming ‘Tour of the Universe: Live in Barcelona’ DVD/Blu-ray, which is due out Nov. 8. This time the excerpt is a whopping 41 seconds long, and shows the band performing ‘Enjoy the Silence’ to an adoring Spanish crowd.
Tonight’s episode of ‘Dark Wave’ — the weekly Sunday night show on Sirius XM’s classic-alternative station 1st Wave — managed a nice selection of lesser-played album cuts from a host of big-name players, including Depeche Mode (‘Sacred’), Siouxsie and the Banshees (‘Night Shift’), Morrissey (‘Disappointed’), The Jesus and Mary Chain (‘Teenage Lust’) and The Cure (‘Disintegration’).
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 