Depeche Mode’s frontman Dave Gahan has reflected on his relationship with keyboard player, Andy Fletcher following his death.
The musician and band’s founding member died of an aortic dissection aged 60 in May.
Earlier this week, Depeche Mode announced news of their new album and their first live dates in five years.
Speaking to NME, Gahan admitted that the death of his bandmate was “the last thing we expected to happen”.
"I will forever wish I’d been a little bit kinder to Fletch as I go forward,” said Gahan reflecting on their relationship. “I will try to remember that with people I meet in the future too. I was always a bit of a d*** with him, he was always a bit of a d*** with me too.”
“That was the relationship we had. That’s what was good about him. He would also be the first person to call me if I was going through something, saying, ‘You alright Dave? I hear you’re not feeling so good’. He was that guy too.”
The last time the frontman saw Fletcher in person was at a London concert in 2020. Fletcher had been involved in the early stages of the album, but hadn’t heard any of the results, said Gahan.
“He never got to hear any of it, which is really sad to me because there are songs on this record where I know he’d be like, ‘This is the best thing we’ve had in years’,” he imagined.
His sentiments echoed those shared earlier this week while in Berlin announcing the news of the album with bandmate Martin Gore. “Fletch would have loved this album,” he said.
Guitarist and keyboardist Martin Gore added: “After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.”
The world tour will begin with a selection of North American arena dates beginning on 23 March 2023, before the band heads over to Europe. The European stadium tour will begin on 16 May 2023, visiting venues across London, Paris, Berlin and Milan.
You can find out how to get tickets here.
