It seems Dave Gahan has finally realised he needs to front a rock band. After years behind banks of synthesisers, he's gone organic and pulled out the classic guitar/bass/drum/ keyboards combination for his first solo jaunt. The fact that Depeche Mode have attracted such a fiercely partisan audience certainly gives his campaign a considerable headstart.
Dave has always been a natural performer and this intimate (by his standards) audience laps up his pirouetting, microphone-thrusting act like it's the second coming. Although he's got a smaller stage to work on than he would normally enjoy with his other band, he's stripped to the waist by the third song and continually exhorting his followers in broadest stadium Essex to "Caam ooon!!"
The rockier tracks from his 'Paper Monsters' album like opener 'Hidden Houses' and the single 'Dirty Sticky Floors' give him licence to cut loose. But it's Mode classics most of the crowd really want to hear and they get them interspersed among the solo material. 'A Question Of Time' is suitably heavy, with the familiar keyboard line now coming from Konx Chandler's guitar.
'Walking In My Shoes' inspires a mass show of arm waving while the guitar boogie of 'Personal Jesus' lets Dave prance around in circles and get the crowd to do most of the singing. Regrettably after that high the momentum is rather killed by the closing ballad from his album 'Goodbye'.
Fear not though, for the dirty grinding riff of 'I Feel You' provokes more mass carousing and banner waving and 'Never Let Me Down Again' sets off another sea of hands. After the band have taken their bows again a mini drum kit and acoustic instruments are set up at the front of the stage.
These turn out to be the cue for a brief and incongruous 'unplugged' medley that kicks off with 'Policy Of Truth' before Dave (in a too obviously pre-rehearsed move) says "Stop, I'm bored of this now". Which is the almost inevitable cue for 'Enjoy The Silence'. The instruments gradually quieten down to let the crowd take over before the four musicians down tools and stand at the front with Dave conducting the singing. It's a slightly surreal but touching sight.
So Dave, as ever, plays the crowd-pleaser to perfection, which fortunately helps to make up for the somewhat average nature of some of his solo tracks, particularly a slew of dull ballads. While twenty-plus years into a career might seem a bit late to launch a bid for solo stardom, Lord Gahan of Basildon is definitely giving it a good shot.
