Waiting in Line for Depeche Mode on the Fan Bus in Dresden

Fan bus in Dresden: queuing for Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode’s new album “Memento Mori” is being celebrated with a fan campaign in Dresden. Hundreds of people queued up to get hold of merchandise items – among them die-hard fans.

Dresden. He’s been standing there with a proud chest and stoic calm – for a full three hours. Marcel Bolz gave everything this Saturday to get pole position on the double-decker bus of the British band Depeche Mode. He came all the way from Limbach-Oberfrohna for this. The new album of his favorite band called “Memento Mori” is just one day young.

The double-decker bus, which stops in seven other German cities in addition to Dresden, is stuffed with merchandise items for the new album – shirts, tote bags, cassettes. But Marcel Bolz only wants one thing: the red vinyl record. He has been a collector of the fine pieces for over 30 years. “I first heard Depeche Mode in 1991 and fell in love,” he says.

The love even goes so far that his whole body is now covered with tattoos of his favorite band. A very special rarity dangles around his neck: singer Dave Gahan’s ring. “I was at a concert in Interlaken at the time and wanted to storm onto the stage. Security stopped me and took me backstage. Dave Gahan was there and we talked for ten minutes,” he enthuses. He got the ring that day and has always carried it with him ever since.

Depeche Mode’s last album?

For the new album he is now standing with his partner and her daughter. “It took forever for a new album to come out. It might be the last,” he says. When the checkout on the double-decker bus opens at 6 p.m. sharp, his Depeche Mode collection is expanded to include a red vinyl S.

And the fan is not alone in his love for Depeche Mode. Songs like “Just Can’t Get Enough”, “Enjoy the Silence” or “People Are People” shaped a whole generation of young people who couldn’t get enough of the unmistakable creative electronic sound between rock and pop and the profound lyrics and Depeche Mode to one of the best known and most important bands with more than 100 million records sold.

Three generations of Depeche Mode fans in Dresden

One for whom the day was actually over is not far away. In the afternoon Dynamo Dresden lost in the 3rd division against Bayreuth 1:2. Not a good day for Dynamo fans, but for Depeche Mode fans it is. York Walter has been listening to the British band’s music since 1983. He has his daughter Cindy Kloß in tow, who “inherited” his love for the British band. She has her youngest fan with her in a shoulder strap – just ten weeks old. Three generations of Depeche Mode fans are there.

But while York Walter is keen to snag some merchandise, he’s not a big fan of the new album. “It’s a gloomy album and rather unusual,” says the fan. The first time he heard it, none of the songs knocked him off his feet.

“Memento Mori” means “to be aware of mortality”. It is closely tied to the sudden death of co-founder Andrew Fletcher, aka Fletch. “I’m the same age as the band members. The fact that life is coming to an end is somehow an issue for me too,” says York Walter.

“We want to celebrate the album”

There are certainly numerous fans at the Mitte power plant who see things differently. Frank Swierza, for example, who stirred up a record release party for Saturday evening with 850 guests at the Stromwerk. “As organizers, we’re happy that we have the double-decker bus in front of the door,” he says, outing himself as a fan with the carrying bag for the new album.

The day before he had already organized a party in Berlin, where the bus was also nearby. “We do the parties for the love of Depeche Mode,” he says. He also organizes summer and winter lounges with hits from his favorite band in Dresden with a friend.

“We want to celebrate the new album. It took six years and now the band consists of only two musicians,” he says. He calls the band members by their first names and knows the release year of every record inside out. “Nobody thought there would be another record, let alone a tour. It’s electrifying for people,” he says. The album is emotional, coherent and very well mixed, enthuses Swierza.