Andy Fletcher

Andrew John Fletcher 1961 - 2022

Andrew Fletcher
Andrew Fletcher, photograph by Anton Corbijn
Birth name	Andrew John Fletcher
Origin	Basildon, Essex, England
Born	8 July 1961 Nottingham, England
Died	26 May 2022 (aged 60) Brighton, East Sussex, England
Occupations	Musician • Manager • DJ
Labels	Mute Records • Sire Records • Reprise Records • Capital Records, LLC • Virgin Records • Columbia Records
Formerly of	Depeche Mode Composition Of Sound No Romance In China
Years active	1977-2022

Andrew John Fletcher, (8 July 1961 – 26 May 2022), also known as Andy or Fletch, was an English musician, DJ, and founding member of the electronic band Depeche Mode.

Early life

Fletcher was born Andrew John Fletcher in Nottingham on 8 July 1961 to parents John, an engineer, and housewife Joy on 8 July 1961. Fletcher’s sisters Karen and Susan were born in 1964 and 1966, followed by his brother Simon in 1976.

At age two, Fletcher and his family were among the first to move to Basildon, where he played football in the local Boys’ Brigade at his father’s suggestion until age eighteen. Enrolled at St. Nicholas Comprehensive co-educational secondary school, Fletcher shared the same form class as Alison Moyet and fellow Depeche Mode founder Martin Gore. Completing his A-Levels in politics, Fletcher began job training as an administrator at SunLife insurance company in 1979, where he continued to work even as Depeche Mode’s chart success began in 1981 with the release of singles "Dreaming Of Me" and "New Life".

A practicing Christian, Fletcher attended church with friend Vince Clarke. Fletcher developed a serious interest in music at age fourteen through church, where he played the guitar for the first time.

Career

Depeche Mode

Formation

By sixteen, Fletcher joined Clarke in forming the band No Romance In China, with Fletcher on bass guitar. “We were into their Imaginary Boys LP,” Fletcher recalled, “Vince used to attempt to sing like Robert Smith.” Inspired by the musical output of electronic music band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), Fletcher shared Clarke’s interest in becoming an electronic act, working odd jobs to buy synthesizers.

While rehearsing at local punk haunt The Van Gogh, the two musicians crossed paths with classmate and fellow musician Martin Gore. In 1980, the three musicians formed Composition Of Sound at Woodlands Youth Club, with Fletcher and Gore on synthesizers and Clarke serving as chief songwriter and lead vocalist until singer Dave Gahan was recruited into the band as lead vocalist, after which the group adopted the name Depeche Mode at Gahan’s suggestion. Clarke left Depeche Mode in 1981 shortly following the release of their debut album Speak & Spell.

Depeche Mode’s 1982 sophomore album A Broken Frame was recorded as a trio with Gore taking Clarke’s role as chief songwriter. Responding to the band’s advertisement in British weekly music magazine Melody Maker, musician Alan Wilder was recruited initially as a tour keyboardist in January 1982, becoming a full member and primary musical director of the band later that year until his departure in June 1995.

Role

After Wilder’s arrival in 1982, Fletcher’s role in Depeche Mode began to evolve as the band members gravitated to the functions that most naturally suited them and benefitted the band as a collective. Fletcher famously clarified these roles in a scene in D.A. Pennebaker’s 1989 documentary film 101: “Martin’s the songwriter, Alan’s the good musician, Dave’s the vocalist, and I bum around.” For the duration of his time on tour with Depeche Mode, Fletcher’s musical contributions consisted primarily of supporting synthesized or sampled sounds that were limited in complexity to accommodate his musical ability.

Though Fletcher did not contribute audible vocals during live performances post-1981, Fletcher’s vocal stylings can be heard on studio recordings such as 1982’s "The Sun & The Rainfall" and in vocoded form on “Interlude #2 (Crucified)”, the musical interlude that bridges the gap between album tracks "Enjoy The Silence" and "Policy Of Truth" on 1990’s Violator.

In 1994, citing mental instability, Fletcher declined to participate in live performances for the remainder of the second leg of the Devotional tour (promoted as the 1994 Exotic Tour/Summer Tour ‘94), characterised by Q magazine as “The Most Debauched Rock’n’Roll Tour Ever.” In total, Fletcher participated in twenty-one of the sixty concerts performed on the tour, and was replaced by Daryl Bamonte for the remaining thirty-nine concerts, who had worked with the band in a variety of roles since their founding in 1980.

Following Wilder’s departure in 1995, Depeche Mode continued as a trio, with Gore as primary songwriter, backing and occasional lead vocalist; Gahan serving as lead vocalist and later a secondary songwriter; and Fletcher in a limited keyboardist role. Due to the band having not employed a full-time manager, Fletcher’s role as a musician took a backseat as he gravitated towards performing business, legal, and other non-musical functions for Depeche Mode until his death in May 2022.

Among Fletcher’s most notable management achievements was the crafting of a compromise between Gahan and Gore in the wake of a serious songwriting dispute following the 2001 Exciter tour. This agreement saw Gahan and Gore agree to including three Gahan-penned songs on Depeche Mode’s 2005 album Playing the Angel, including Grammy-nominated single "Suffer Well". Gahan would continue to see success as a secondary songwriter within Depeche Mode, penning singles such as 2009’s "Hole to Feed", 2013’s "Should Be Higher", and 2017’s "Cover Me".

Fletcher’s other non-musical responsibilities included an unofficial “spokesman” role, with Fletcher often taking the lead in album and tour announcements, online promotions and videos.

Prior to Fletcher’s death, Depeche Mode enjoyed success with fifty-four songs in the UK Singles Chart, seventeen Top 10 albums in the UK chart, and more than one hundred million records sold worldwide. Fletcher was the only member of Depeche Mode to not receive a songwriting credit.

Toast Hawaii

While continuing his work within Depeche Mode, Fletcher launched his own record label in 2002. Named after a dish Fletcher enjoyed, Toast Hawaii was an imprint of parent label Mute Records which signed English electronic music group CLIEИT. Fletcher coordinated the recording and promotion of their eponymous 2003 debut album as well as 2004’s follow-up City while also overseeing the production of extended remixes for their singles “Price of Love”, “Rock and Roll Machine”, “Here and Now”, “In It for the Money”, “Radio”, and “Pornography”.

No further Toast Hawaii activity was announced following CLIEИT’s departure from the label in 2006.

DJ career

Initially to support CLIEИT’s live performances, Fletcher promoted a series of festival and club shows as a touring DJ beginning in 2003, which he would continue over the years in periods of downtime.

Fletcher continued to tour as a DJ as late as October 2015, when he embarked on a limited tour spanning Italy, Poland, Germany, and Ukraine.

Personal life

Andrew Fletcher enjoyed a private life with his wife Gráinne for nearly thirty years. He is survived by his two children. Fletcher was a fan of Chelsea F.C. and an avid chess player.

Death

Andrew Fletcher passed away from natural causes at his home in the United Kingdom on 26 May 2022, aged 60.

Following the announcement of Fletcher’s death on Depeche Mode’s social media, bandmates Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder expressed their shock and sadness over his untimely passing, describing Fletcher as “a dear friend, family member, and bandmate” who “had a true heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh, or a cold pint.” Wilder stated in a social media post “A real bolt from the blue to hear about former Depeche Mode colleague Andy Fletcher yesterday. My thoughts and condolences are with his wife Grainne and all the family at this distressing time. RIP 'Fletch'.”