Synthpop legends Depeche Mode were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight in a zoom version of an induction ceremony that was originally scheduled at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland on May 2nd.
The band were inducted by Actress Charlize Theron:
“Depeche Mode is the soundtrack of my adolescence. I’m not kidding — there was literally a song for every occasion of my life: my first date, my first time leaving South Africa, and of course the first time I got my heartbroken. And so when I finally got to see them live a couple of years ago, it was like this epic slap in the face of nostalgia. But more than that, when I was at the show I realized what else I loved about their music: They celebrate the outsider. Their music brings people together from all diff walks of life and makes them feel like it’s OK to be different. That really hit me watching the videos at the concert. I was moved to tears. I came home, I told my daughters about it, and I was also really f—ing pissed because I don’t usually go to rock concerts to bawl my eyes out.
“But truthfully, it speaks to the immense power Depeche Mode has had over the years. It also why, when I got the chance to pick some songs for the ‘Atomic Blonde’ soundtrack, they were the first on my list. It’s no surprise they are joining the ranks of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — they should have been there 20 years ago, if it was up to me. But what an incredibly well-deserved honor. Thank you, guys, for being the soundtrack to my life.”
Accepting the award in the four-minute clip were the band’s current core trio of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher, who thank their fellow inductees and former bandmates Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder, both of which unfortunately did not make an appearance.
Watch the video of the band’s acceptance speech below:
Depeche Mode were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Nine Inch Nails, Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G., T. Rex and The Doobie Brothers, as well as reknowned managers Jon Landau and Iriving Azoff.
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