LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, LOLLAPALOOZA PARIS, PARIS, 21 JULY 2018

The third last review of this at one point seemingly impossible project comes from Henno Taams who I really have to thank for getting this to me less than 24 hours after the gig so that I could publish it before Berlin. Thank you for that Henno and for this great review and pictures. Given the other bands you list as being favourites of yours, I'm pretty sure we'll bump into each other at a gig in the future!

Saturday, 21 July 2018 

9:50 PM 

A 4 part review of DM's performance at Lollapalooza Paris 

So we meet again. Last time I saw Depeche Mode it was on a freezing cold winter night in January, but today it sweltering, so hot in fact you can feel the sweat running down your back, just like the first time i saw them in Lille's Stade Pierre Mauroy just over a year ago. 

With most bands that sheer sense of excitement when you see them for the first time slowly fades away, unlike Depeche Mode for me, who together with Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Rammstein and Arcade Fire make up my top 5 live bands I've ever seen, and that's well over a hundred and sixty odd of them. Unique to them is the excitement i felt the first time remains, if not becomes even more. 

Same old, same old... 

Depeche Mode, together with Rammstein are the only bands in my top 5 live bands who have, on their latest tour, stuck to roughly the same set every night. This can be seen as either a good thing or a bad thing. 

Unlike Rammstein, DM's show doesn't use so many special effects that limit any unpredictabilities in the setlist, and also given the ridiculous amount of great songs DM has written it's slightly disappointing even they don't mix them up. Personally i would love to hear some songs from Exciter, some more Playing The Angel, Sounds Of The Universe or heck, even Delta Machine. 

Almost Predictable, almost... 

However the setlist they do play, as predictable as it may be, still feels very well put together. The lack of spontaneity is completely made up by the performance these lads put on every night. Though the set is predictable, the extent to which it comes from the stage is not. 

Having read some reviews by the French press here and there about their recent stint of French festivals, I was slightly worried. Quite a few wrote about Dave sounding tired, the band being slightly disconnected from the festival crowd, which could be explained by their lack of festival performances in the last few years. 

But at their final headlining slot of the tour ap my worries slowly faded away as the band picked up steam during Going Backwards, one of my favourite tracks of the new album together with Eternal and Poison Heart. Dave voice sounded like a well oiled machine, as if it was the first show of the tour not the 128th show. 

It also struck me Dave was feeling rather talkative, addressing the crowd after almost every song, unlike Amsterdam on January 13th of this year, where he wouldn't go any further than an obligatory "Good evening Amsterdam!" a single "Well thank you very much!" and "Have a good night!" as if he really wanted us to know he loves us before the band disappearing again, for God knows how long it will be this time. 

Never Let Me Down Again... 

Festivals always feel different from their own shows in a closed setting, festivals come with a certain amount of uncertainty, as we experienced earlier in the the day with one of my favourite new, up and coming bands. 

Nothing But Thieves were the unlucky ones today. They saw their set almost cut in half due to technical difficulties out of their control. For a band like them (I love them very much) they don't deserve to have to put up with that shit. 

Now don't get me wrong, I love festivals and I try to fit as many into my jam packed travel schedule as I can. But the unpredictability of technology when 5 to 7 bands play on the same stage every day can become a real nuisance. 

Not everyone gets a sound check, resulting in quite a few shows with their audio levels all messed up. But Depeche Mode seemed not to have that problem, when I saw them for the first time in Lille I was worried about the audio, as closed roofed concrete stadiums are notorious for terrible audio, as was the case with the support that day. The Horrors sounded like horror. 

But surprisingly as soon as DM came on the audio was near perfect. As was the case last night. A near perfect mix, the bass could have been turned up a little and the drums were a bit too loud but apart from that flawless. 

Yes it was very loud but a song like Never Let Me Down Again has to be loud to transfer al the vigour and energy that it contains. Now we all know the field of wreaths gimmick that comes with it, and even after seeing it so many times it never fails to amaze me. Definitely a highlight if not my favourite moment of the show, there is a certain energy and connection between the band and the crowd during that Song that can't be explained in a mere single blog post, moreover, I need to head back to the festival again as there's plenty more good music coming up, but Depeche Mode, they never let me down. 

Just can't get enough... 

There's a reason why live music is always so invigorating that once you get to experience it, there's this instant feeling of fulfilment, but also another feeling of emptiness that needs filling. We music lovers all know it we need more, we always need more. So as the Global Spirit Tour head to its final halt in the wonderful Waldbühne in Berlin, having seen Rammstein there in 2016, it's truly one of the most beautiful venues, this feeling of emptiness slowly starts to kick in. 

2 more shows until the band goes of on a well deserved holiday after what has been one of the longest tours they've ever done, they'll leave us fulfilled, but still yearning for more. As music lovers we all know, we just can't get enough, and to close out my review with another quote by Dave I'd like to say goodbye and thanks for having me. 

"Well thank you Paris, We'll see you some other time!"

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Thank you Henno

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, ACCORHOTELS ARENA, PARIS, 5 DECEMBER 2017

After enjoying my first ever Depeche gig in Paris on Dec 3 (link), I would happily have stayed on for the next show on 5 December. Sadly, the realities of life and work sometimes have to be given precedence over Depeche Mode, so I had to head back to Glasgow. Sandrine Specia from Barcelona did go however and happily she reviewed the gig for the blog. Thanks to Sandrine for this great review and for the superb pictures too.

After the Olympic Stadium in London on a sunny day, and the Stade de France in Paris on a rainy day last summer, I started my European winter-leg tour in Paris on 5 December.

I’m now aware that this exercise is gonna be a tough work for me. If I could, I would write it like a movie scenario in my head. Depeche Mode has to do with the story but it’s not just about them. The soundtrack is also ready. I know who I would submit it to: Ken Loach (if I ever could contact him). I’m unable to write it though, so I'll just tell it. To put words on feelings, my own feelings, to structure and tell a 2-hour gig, then share them, I’m not good at it. I live the moment, that’s all there is. The next one takes place. It’s impossible to go backwards and live it over and over.

It has been a long very long wait that made me think I was living a dream that would never come true. I almost lost hope. My daily routine meant that the initial energy I'd felt knowing I was going to this show started to fade.  How could it happen? As Dave stated several times through interviews, “well, you know, life is made of ups and downs”. I was down, spiritually, physically. Life and its share of sad news meant I got so depressed, I actually believed that something wrong might happen and that I would not make the gig.

It was a cold, cloudy day when I landed in Paris on Sunday late afternoon. I couldn't attend the Sunday night gig, but was there in spirit with my “French David” who was there without me. I needed to be on the spot two days before the second-winter Parisian show to soak up the upcoming moment, and strolling around the Parisian streets, losing myself again, in my homeland. I’ve been living in Barcelona for 23 years and I always go back to Paris to see them.

It might be a cliché saying it, but DM music is the soundtrack of my life, although I do understand it is for so many devotees.

Depeche Mode music is my personal drug, an intravenous painkiller injection for each listen. Some particular songs have different functions, comforting, tranquility, relaxing or just to give me a boost. Some say DM’s music is dark and sad, but I’m the kind of person who gets depressed because the sky is grey. Paradoxically, I feel comforted by Dave’s voice, so soothing, sometimes acting like an anesthetic. Indeed, an excellent and healthy anti-depressing medicine. Healing lyrics in order to relieve the pain. What pain? I don’t know … the world we’re living in and life in general.

This gig was what I deeply needed, as soon as possible. I know I’ll have my head in the clouds. I won’t be the everyday me but more myself. For two hours. I don’t know who is the real me, but she’s happy and joyous - this is priceless.

During a disappointing and fairly useless Early Entry experience, the fortunate among us spent our exciting waiting time sat on the cold floor inside the hall of the venue. DM was in the heart of all the conversations around, best live songs, number of shows attended, years of devotion, favorite tours … Once we came into Bercy, we decided to head to the end of the catwalk where Dave comes and greets some lucky fans, touching their hands. My French friend David finally joined us and all in a sudden …. I’m hanging on your words, living on your breath, feeling with your skin, will I always be here? I think he doesn’t know but he’s my Personal Jesus by just being close to me. As a die-hard fan, he’s immediately able to detect every single lyrics mistake that Dave may make. Shit happens. Dave got the words wrong during Precious. 

I had heard comments that Re-Tros would properly warm up the show. I never heard about them before. Thirty minutes of a weird stuff to my ears, a sort of experimental music.

We watched the clock so many times it felt like we were stuck in a time-warp, feeling like the moment would never end.  In reality though, thankfully, we were closer to our beloved band acting. 

How do I feel 15 minutes before DM takes the stage?

Moved

Lifted higher

Moved

My soul is on fire

Moved

By a higher love

… The lights turned off and the Beatles’ Revolution resounded, announcing Depeche Mode. The crowd welcomed the band with screams, applause and whistles.

I think I’ve been tele-transported to another dimension, with all the DM community. This is what we are. Not a random bunch of fans. We become one. 

I couldn’t yell their names, I never do. Martin, Fletch, Peter and Christian took to the stage the air filled with the shouts of joy of the Parisian room.  At this point, I cannot even scream their names as the others did, or scream my happiness (no one would hear me !!!), no, I applauded and I raised my arms up making the V of victory. As the first notes of Going Backwards rang out, I know that we will enter into communion. We all waited for the master of the place, we were all in master-slave mode.

Dave, since the beginning of the tour is generous, smiling, happy, grateful to his loyal audience. He seems totally fulfilled on stage.

I’ve followed the American tour on FB, and what a disappointment when the European tour resumed without "Heroes". I fell in love with this delicious and poignant cover, I was dying to listen to it live again.

It was a pleasant surprise for me to hear several Ultra era songs, it’s my favorite album.

Judas, performed only with piano and voice, thrilling. However, it can't beat the Devotional Tour version.

Somebody has also been skipped this day in favor of Sister of Night. Beautiful but boring. This song works far better with Dave's warm and mesmerizing voice.

Policy Of Truth doesn’t move me anymore musically speaking, but it's an opportunity for Dave to revel in his incomparable sex appeal, playing with the mic like he’s doing pole dance.

He always tries to speak few French, with "ça va?”, or "merci!" and it gives him a sort of shy mood that I like. He who always seems so self-confident.

I confess that I do not really enjoy on Enjoy The Silence on this tour. This is a hymn for us, I think it lost a lot on this tour, by dint of too many updates for each tour, it is less punchy although it still causes the same enthusiasm among fans. It is a must-have in their concerts. I am nostalgic for the version of Devotional or WVT.

A Question Of Time that had been zapped altogetherduring the summer tour was very welcome this winter, an opportunity to jump and sing it our lungs out altogether. That's what I thought. Four years ago, we all jumped in unison. The choice to perform it at the end of the concert is definitely not the most judicious, we do not have more energy after 2 hours for most of us, or the first 20 seconds, in particular for those who have been in line for hours to rush the first rows.

We left Bercy (people still call the venue by its old name) with stars in our eyes, we could have lighted on the Ville des Lumières.

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Thanks Sandrine

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, ACCORHOTELS ARENA, PARIS 3 DECEMBER 2017

This review is by me. So are the photos. 

The most common question I have been asked by friends and colleagues since March this year (the Barrowlands gig) is "why do you go and see them so many times?" Tonight was my 5th gig of the tour, not counting the Barras show as that was technically a warm up and not on the tour itinerary. Ok, it's on the back of the blog t-shirts, but we're now splitting hairs. My point is that I am someone who in the context of the normally sane music fan sees a specific band far too much. I consider what I do to be perfectly normal, and indeed I find myself jealous of the likes of Claudia and Thomas, reviewers for this blog past (here's Claudia on Manchester) and present (Thomas on Stuttgart to come soon), both of whom I was delighted to meet tonight and both of whom have seen Depeche Mode over 30 times on this tour alone! 

Depeche Mode do this you see. They draw you in, grab you and never let you go. They rarely alter the set, yet many people go to multiple shows on every tour and there has to be a reason for that. Let's not get bogged down in arguing about the lack of variation in setlists - that has been a DM thing since God knows when. Ok, Black Celebration was an astounding, era defining record, but have a peek at the setlist on that tour. Try and find a Cure like variation of tunes. It doesn't happen. World Violation? A tour viewed as THE Depeche Mode tour universally. EVERY gig was the same bar Martin's acoustic rotation. Why we should expect the band to be playing setlist A one night, then a mix of b-sides including the Pre -Deportation Mix of Flexible the next night I don't know.

So what is the reason people like me, Claudia, Thomas and many, many more people see Depeche Mode multiple times on each tour? It's highly likely that as a reader of this blog you know why. You buy the records, get the t-shirts, buy the Golden Circle tickets - you know what you like and you know that you will get what you like when you see the gigs. What keeps us going is the power and beauty of the music. There's something unique about Depeche Mode, a thing that has outlasted their peers. The Smiths had the poetry of Morissey and the genius of Marr, New Order the chemistry of their main players constantly at odds with themselves, but both bands burned brightly and either faded out relatively poetically or did what New Order did and became a messy shadow of themselves. Depeche have a mystery about them, a mystery borne of 7 albums (excluding compilations and live albums) in 9 years, 7 albums that defined electronic music and were released so close to each other that we never had the time to ask why or what each one meant. They delivered a catalogue most bands would kill for in that spell, and that first part of their discography is their bedrock, the tie that binds us all to them.

"Yeah fine you massive dullard, we're reading this seemingly endless run of reviews so that we can read about the current tour. What about that?"

You make a good point.

I'd wanted to see Depeche in Paris ever since I bought my first bootleg from Rage Mail Order, a double cassette of the first World Violation gig at Bercy. It's always talked of as being a home from home for Depeche Mode and a venue that has a special atmosphere whenever they play there. And here's the thing - that is absolutely right.

From the off tonight, the crowd were on fire. The support act Re-Tros were wonderfully received and rightly so. Their mix of Neu meets LCD Soundsystem was a joy and I'd recommend them to you all. Do check them out on this tour. The usual advert for DM's charity work followed Re-Tros and that was greeted with the sort of cheer usually reserved for last minute winners in a cup final. At that point it was clear that this was going to be a special gig.

I was at the gig with my wife Pam tonight. She likes Depeche Mode but not in the way I do which is perfectly understandable. I wanted to stand near the back of the floor tonight which she was fine with as it meant we could avoid the high percentage of oddly tall Depeche fans one finds at shows. She thought tonight was the best she had seen Depeche play and that says it all for me. People who have seen them multiple times on this tour have said the band are on the form of their lives and I agree. When we hear casual fans say the same however, it's worth paying attention. Depeche Mode are playing in a way they've not played for years and that really is worth celebrating.

I won't run through the gig song by song as there's nothing I can tell you that you probably won't already know. Going Backwards remains their best opener since Higher Love, So Much Love is much missed but It's No Good has found its natural home at number 2 on the set and Cover Me is a late period classic that deserves to be considered as one of the band's finest. Dave is on sensational form, gurning, preening, chicken dancing and twirling as if he was 20 years' younger; a man who surely MUST be considered one the Britain's, if not the world's finest frontmen. Martin still looks anxious despite the love the Parisian crowd bombards him with as he skips around waving his arms in that unique shooing away a wasp whilst hopping way only Gore can do. And Fletch remains Fletch - which is just what you want, arms raising and waving in that Fletch way, almost regal, safe in the knowledge that he is a member of Depeche Mode and you and I are not. 

Tonight, the Bercy crowd demanded the best from Depeche Mode and that is what they got. I struggle to recall a more powerful Never Let Me Down Again and I know I've never seen a livelier  A Question Of Time. Dave stuck his tongue out at Fletch at the end of a stunning It's No Good and Andy himself grooved like a madman during Barrel Of A Gun. The terrace like chant at the end of Enjoy The Silence  as the crowd sang the sampled vocal line of Martin's from the original back at the band was stunning and they were just the highlights I recall as I type this now, There was no lull tonight, no "this is the toilet/bar break song," no let up in the power and intensity of the set. I saw people much older than I am (and I'm old) having a whale of a time and I saw kids no more than 5 years old on their parents' shoulders, bouncing along to Enjoy The Silence. This was a special, special gig and I feel honoured to have been there.

How do you do it Depeche Mode? How do you make people like me, Claudia, Thomas and even Pam, this was her 5th DM gig after all, come back again for more and more?

"Why do you go and see them so many times?"

Because they are Depeche Mode.

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, STADE DE FRANCE, PARIS, 1 JULY 2017

There are few bigger dates on the Global Spirit Tour than the Stade De France one, so to make sure it's covered properly, you need someone who knows what they're doing. Happily for me, Mr Halo, Kevin May kindly agreed to cover his second show for the Global Spirit Tour Project and, believe me, you are in for a real treat. He also provided the stunning pictures for the article too. Once you've enjoyed this as much as I know you will, go and tell him about it on Twitter. Links to his social media sites can be found at the end. I'd also like to thank Kevin for the blog promotion with his choice of t-shirt. Very cool! If the junior Mays stay fans long enough for the next run, I'll ask if we can get child sizes. Anyway, enough from me. Here we go...

I am making a fairly confident guess that the vast majority of those both writing and reading this wonderful series of reviews for the Global Spirit Tour are not newbies to Depeche Mode.

They probably range from hardcore devotees who go to ten or more gigs on a tour and collect every format of every bit of new material, to those who probably take in one show each time and buy the latest album.

We, both readers and scribes of this series, generally know our stuff and can relate in some way to most of the reviews, and we all certainly have an opinion about the band and how they are performing.

For this review, my second in the series (I penned a piece about night #2 of the tour in Amsterdam - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/live-review-depeche-mode-ziggo-dome.html), I wanted to come at it from a different angle, primarily because I had two newbies in tow.

And this particular pair of Depeche debutants happened to be my two kids, aged 12 and 9 respectively.

They certainly know of the band (their father is obviously a fan and just happens to be writing a book about them - so there's a fair amount of discussion at May Towers about all things Depeche!) and they both have opinions of sorts about songs.

Ella, the more senior of the two, is typical for her age - she likes Katy Perry, Little Mix (she saw them at the O2 in London a few years back) and Justin Beiber, claiming they are all "AMAZING" compared to the 1980s-formed boys from Basildon.

Sam, alternatively, recognises many songs and even says he has a few favourites: World In My Eyes and Personal Jesus, for example.

I've played them many live clips and enthused about how seeing Depeche at a gig is a wholly different experience to listening to the recorded output.

At this point, I usually get something along the lines "well, i'm too young - I'm never going to get to go" or "yeah, whatever, Dad".

I was determined to prove them both wrong at some point...

* * *

Late last year, as the first gigs on the tour were announced, I figured it was time to act - getting some money from a speaking engagement, snapping up tickets for the Stade de France show and deciding to make a weekend of it, with both elements kept as a surprise.

Through a combination of stealthy tactics and a few small lies here and there (they were told I was doing a speech in Manchester for my day job), eight months later, we found ourselves getting off Metro Line 13 at one of the stations close to the stadium.

I’d already had a funny conversation earlier on the Metro with Ella, who was asking “huh, how can something be ‘almost predictable’?” when she noted the t-shirt for David McElroy’s blog that I was wearing for the evening.

I explained it was a line from a Depeche song – “oh, right, okay...”, she remarked before, in that way kids do so well, moving on swiftly to something else of more interest to her.

The game was nearly up though.

Having already been taken aback somewhat as they boarded a train to Paris, rather than Manchester, we got within a few hundred metres of the stadium before my daughter asked why a group of men (old school ticket touts!) were holding up bits of paper with Depeche Mode written on them.

It’s time to confess.

Within minutes of them slowly absorbing the news that they weren't going to be "watching a sunset from a famous hill in Paris" after all, but seeing Depeche instead (“NO WAY?!?!?!”), they were immersed into the pre-gig world of hundreds of fans milling around the stadium.

"I can't believe how many people are smoking!", says Ella. Welcome to France :) ...

Sam, innocently and rather amusingly, asks: "Are they going to sing all the songs in French?"

It's easy to forget, as fans of music generally for many years and regular gig-goers, how alien and surreal the experience might be for a kid.

The Stade de France and its surrounding pedestrian areas are easy to navigate, and within minutes of moving quickly past the merchandising stands (come on, lads, it's pretty hard to feel revolutionary against the "system" when being bled dry for a tour t-shirt - sorry, rant over), we are in our seats.

As fans, especially during active periods for the band, it is fairly typical to get wrapped up in the Depeche Mode universe.

Many live and breathe the meanderings of life for the band - examining set lists, checking pictures on forums, wondering about the crowd configuration at shows, looking for hints of strains (or not, it seems, at the moment) between band members.

But in the heads of two kids who are about to experience Depeche Mode for the first time, the questions come thick and fast, covering every type of issue:

· "So, there are three in the band [looks at my DM-branded beer cup], but five are going to play? I don't get it."

· "Does the song Personal Jesus mean they are really religious?"... Let's not get started on that one!

· "Will the neighbours complain if it's too noisy?"

· "What happens if they need the toilet?"

· "The front cover of your book has four people on it. Why did the other guy leave?"... Let's also not get started on that one!!

Thankfully, Algiers (who are excellent as the support act) create enough noise and visual interest from our vantage point on the second tier, between the stage and halfway line of the pitch, to stem the flow of questions.

It is perhaps the general atmosphere of the huge stadium that they absorbing like sponges by this point, as the Martin-curated techno set builds ahead of the first strains of Revolution by The Beatles.

Much to their delight, after exchanging messages, I point out a friend who waves up at us from the Golden Circle.

And then, Depeche finally arrive shortly after 9pm (giving rise to perhaps the most frenzied reaction I've seen so far on the tour, at least where we’re perched), with the now well-known run of songs that make up the first half a dozen songs of the set.

A Pain That I'm Used To is the first where the crowd appears to unanimously get to its feet, including - much to my surprise - both of the kids.

There is clapping and cheering, a few questions here and there ("Does he always wiggle his bum like that?"... "Err, yeah."), but, perhaps most wonderfully, they have taken the plunge into our little world.

Never underestimate the impact of live music, whatever its form - it can truly surprise and thrill, especially to those that rarely experience it or, as in this case, are witnessing the power and passion of a Depeche Mode on top of their game and clearly enjoying themselves.

The wonderful In Your Room triggers the first "that's a bit weird" about Anton Corbijn's visuals but any confusion or distraction is soon forgotten as the opening bass line of World In My Eyes rings out and both the Stade de France and son Sam cheer loudly.

Dave’s first foray on to catwalk at the close of Cover Me brings about a huge cheer, plus an “oh no – is he going to fall in at the end?!?” from one of the kids.

Some brief fan punditry coming up:

Judas is a very welcome addition to the set, replacing A Question Of Lust and ensuring Martin gets a gentle and genuinely moving "if you want my love..." chiming around the stadium.

Home has its usual and loud sing-a-long at the end but I feel there is (after seeing three gigs so far on this tour) an awkward dialling down of the momentum, not least after two slower numbers from Martin.

Perhaps this is the point where Everything Counts or another old fave (maybe even Where’s The Revolution) should get their airing, rather than the plodding and lesser-known Poison Heart.

By now, close to 10.15pm, Paris has finally fallen dark enough for the light show to really kick in.

It’s a bizarre sight to see both kids singing “WRONG!” at the top of their voices and pointing to the sky, clearly picking up on what the crowd is doing around them.

By the time we get to Enjoy The Silence, a song that the kids actually know the words to, much to my surprise, enjoyment and total immersion in the show takes over.

Ella leans over and shouts: “Will they sing the ‘I’m taking a ride with my best friend’ song?” – again, surprising me somewhat as I never realised she even knew the song.

Martin still says how incredible it was seeing an entire crowd waving their arms in unison for the first time on Never Let Me Down Again, back in 1988, so it must be equally breathtaking for a child to witness 70,000+ people doing it for the first time.

I’m not usually one for hyperbole, but it is a moving experience for a parent, seeing their children lapping up the experience, waving frantically along with everyone else – perhaps finally getting what all the fuss is about.

The encore (“oh, they’re coming back – YES!”) glides through with the rendition of Somebody, with mobile phone lights twinkling everywhere, a stomping Walking In My Shoes and a gentle "Heroes" before the final pair of I Feel You and Personal Jesus.

As the final “reach out and touch faith” comes and goes, with both jumping in the air and shouting at the tops of their voices, there is the immense relief that eight months of mild subterfuge and planning worked out, and pleasure knowing that it really was worth the effort.

It is arguable that they would perhaps have the same level enjoyment at any other large gig – experiencing an enormous crowd and the living passion that live music can create amongst the fans attending.

But this is something else – there is also an emotional connection for them as they know how much this band and the buzz around it (not least with my decision to spend a lot of time writing about it) means to me.

And, yet, weirdly, the most satisfying part of the whole experience was not something that happened in the stadium on the night of the gig – it was the following morning, when all I could hear was them quietly talking about it and sharing their favourite moments as they woke up.

Kevin May is a UK-based journalist who usually writes about the travel industry and technology. He is also the author of HALO, the forthcoming book from Grosvenor House examining the story behind Depeche Mode's classic album, Violator.

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Thanks very much for that Kevin. You're possibly now officially the coolest Dad on the planet. At least until the next Little Mix gig...

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