The artists who inspired the stagecraft of Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode remain one of the most well-loved electronic outfits in British music history. After spending the 1980s pioneering synth-pop amongst peers Devo and Soft Cell, penning hits like ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’, they veered into darker alternative electronic territory in the 1990s. Alongside their studio recording, Depeche Mode enjoyed a successful live career which is still ongoing today.
Long before they were emboldened by sold-out stadiums and became the self-described “biggest alternative band in the world”, a young Dave Gahan struggled to find his onstage persona. Luckily, the 1970s and ’80s were full of stars to be inspired by, from David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust to the flamboyance of Prince.
When asked which performers helped to inspire his stagecraft, Gahan gave a lengthy list of names which included the likes of David Bowie, The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, and Dave Vanian from punk rock outfit The Damned.
Speaking with The Guardian, Gahan said: “From an early age, Mick Jagger. When I was a kid I danced around a lot and mimicked people on Top of the Pops. Bowie was a big influence, but when I was 13 I was infatuated by Dave Vanian from the Damned, his whole stage persona”.
In his teen years, Gahan recalls, he saw “all the glam stuff on Top of the Pops and then took from people like James Brown, Prince and Elvis”.
It’s an eclectic mix of inspirations, from the magnetic strut of Jagger to the smooth moves and dark looks of Vanian. You can see elements of each performer in Gahan’s own live presence, which contains quiet confidence in his sleek movement and audience interaction. Their influence on Gahan’s stagecraft was not only in the specifics; it also emboldened him with the confidence to find his own onstage identity.
The combined influence of the legendary performers encouraged Gahan to overcome his fear of performing and to find a style that worked for him: “When I first started performing, I was paralysed with terror,” he said. “I’d hang on to the microphone, and my knuckles would still be clenched afterwards. Then I found that if I moved around, I didn’t feel so nervous. I kept moving, and gradually, within all the stuff I was nicking, I found something of my own”.
That something Gahan found has translated to Depeche Mode’s powerful, moving performance, equally qualified to make a crowd dance and cry. Gahan’s stagecraft is so unique and the perfect match for the cathartic, electronic sounds of Depeche Mode.
