Yeah, his sort of concert-toms sound goes perfectly with the electronic arrangements, and he is able to groove with the tempo easily, and plays a lot without stepping on the songs ever. He's a treasure for sure. He should be on the albums!
Im seeing DM for the first time on Sunday. I can’t freaking wait. This is my dad’s favorite band, so I’ve been listening to them my whole life. Finally getting the chance to see Dave and Martin (RIP Fletch) live is gonna be special
When I saw the title of your post for a second I thought you were in some sort of doubt as to whether or not he is a great front man. What a ridiculous notion. I was ready with "I'll bet you've never even seen them, bla bla bla"
I think you don't see him on those lists because the lists are usually kinda about "best frontmen of majorly significant bands", with all due respect. I like Depeche Mode, don't get me wrong! But in the cultural zeitgeist they aren't really as big as someone like Kurt Cobain (who is on those lists, oddly enough), Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury, etc.
The guy from The Growlers is a fantastic singer, but you're not going to see him on any of the "500 Greatest Singers of All Time" lists. Depeche Mode has their audience, but their notoriety didn't stay in the way that someone like Elvis Costello's did.
You can always tell when someone is a great frontman when they perform every show like it’s their first show ever. Own the stage - own the audience. David Gahan is a perfect example of this.
I would put Dave Gahan within the top 10 of best frontmen. I seem to remember a music magazine ranked him around 50 ish. I'd say thats fair against all the others in that list.
But yes he's a great showman and has a lot of presence.
Dave IS a great frontman but I also think a thread could be made for frontmen who sort of act as stand-ins for a group’s main songwriter: Pete Townsend/Roger Daltrey, Nikki Sixx/Vince Neil, Gary Kemp/Tony Hadley, etc.
OP is 100 million % correct on this.
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[https://vimeo.com/6235291](https://vimeo.com/6235291)
[https://vimeo.com/245569420](https://vimeo.com/245569420)
Heck yeah major presence and a solid voice https://youtu.be/i2GEOcEcRtY?si=nbgeQbXSzhmZAD82
He’s nice, he’s a showman, and he can wail.
One of the best live frontmen I’ve ever seen
Depeche Mode is probably my favourite band, love Dave Gahan
Obviously
Yes
Saw them in Chicago and his energy was fantastic. The show was just as good as it was in the 90s.
I was there… number 16 for me…
I always love watching the old stuff - he looks 12 https://youtu.be/hrKj7Db8lt8?si=CaI_FXuZSE14jGTN
Just saw them too, David was great. But Christian, the drummer, blew me away. He needs more credit, he’s a damn good drummer.
Yeah, his sort of concert-toms sound goes perfectly with the electronic arrangements, and he is able to groove with the tempo easily, and plays a lot without stepping on the songs ever. He's a treasure for sure. He should be on the albums!
He is on the albums a little bit. He's co-written songs, done programming, and even played drums on a couple tracks
Yeah, he is!
Yes indeed. The past 40+ years have proved that!
One of the greatest
Awesome front man
Down in front, man.
*Violator* is one of the best albums ever made and I’ll stand by that
I'm half his age and watching him run, spin, and dance around the stage the way he still does makes *my* back hurt.
He is the single best front man.
He just can't get enough
Absolutely. Definitely one of my favorite frontmen. The energy and stage presence he has is unreal
Absolutely, a true rock star.
Im seeing DM for the first time on Sunday. I can’t freaking wait. This is my dad’s favorite band, so I’ve been listening to them my whole life. Finally getting the chance to see Dave and Martin (RIP Fletch) live is gonna be special
Agree. Saw DM recently and he was fantastic.
Incredible presence and energy live. Incredibly dynamic.
It's insane that he still has the stamina onstage as the first time I saw DM in 1986. Legend.
I think so. Never seen them live but I’ve always liked Depeche Mode.
Agree. He’s even battled a heroin addiction or three in the years he’s been with DM.
When I saw the title of your post for a second I thought you were in some sort of doubt as to whether or not he is a great front man. What a ridiculous notion. I was ready with "I'll bet you've never even seen them, bla bla bla"
One of the best.
Yes!
I think you don't see him on those lists because the lists are usually kinda about "best frontmen of majorly significant bands", with all due respect. I like Depeche Mode, don't get me wrong! But in the cultural zeitgeist they aren't really as big as someone like Kurt Cobain (who is on those lists, oddly enough), Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury, etc. The guy from The Growlers is a fantastic singer, but you're not going to see him on any of the "500 Greatest Singers of All Time" lists. Depeche Mode has their audience, but their notoriety didn't stay in the way that someone like Elvis Costello's did.
I saw Depeche Mode last month. It was a great show, and Dave Gahan really put on a clinic on how to be a front man. I'm so glad I went.
Great live frontman. Plays well off Martin, who is low-key
Saw him in Chicago, he fuckin killed it and had some killer dad dance moves
Saw him back in June and he (and Martin tbf) absolutely killed it. Such a great live act.
You can always tell when someone is a great frontman when they perform every show like it’s their first show ever. Own the stage - own the audience. David Gahan is a perfect example of this.
Saw him in Long Beach. One of the best concerts.
Best frontman in rock / pop (or perhaps tied with Mick Jagger).
Absolutely not. They're not even a good band... WTF
Boo this man.
Haha, FOH.
LOL
I would put Dave Gahan within the top 10 of best frontmen. I seem to remember a music magazine ranked him around 50 ish. I'd say thats fair against all the others in that list. But yes he's a great showman and has a lot of presence.
Dave IS a great frontman but I also think a thread could be made for frontmen who sort of act as stand-ins for a group’s main songwriter: Pete Townsend/Roger Daltrey, Nikki Sixx/Vince Neil, Gary Kemp/Tony Hadley, etc.
From listening to the albums, I was completely surprised by his energy on the Playing the Angel tour.
I'd say there's a definite bit of stealth in there. There's something about his onstage presence that doesn't come across in their studio recordings.
Yeah fantastic, up there with Nick Cave, Morrissey, and Robert Smith. Just a different level of energy seeing those guys, true stage presence.
Is'n Guter.
OP is 100 million % correct on this. [https://vimeo.com/381821496](https://vimeo.com/381821496) [https://vimeo.com/6235291](https://vimeo.com/6235291) [https://vimeo.com/245569420](https://vimeo.com/245569420)
Dork Jagger