1981-09-25 Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany
Notes
Andy Fletcher said in 1990 (translated from German): "We went to the Markthalle in Hamburg. There I was, most amazed at the many punks who were among our audience. I was even more surprised that the hall was sold out at all, because the advance sales figures in Germany had given us little hope. And while the whole of Europe danced to our sounds, we couldn't even get into the hit parade in Germany. The Hamburg fans seemed enthusiastic - but a malicious review in 'Musik-Express', a leading German magazine, made us have doubts: "Kraftwerk meets Bay City Rollers" - was the headline of the article. Vince was furious: "Bay City Rollers - what's this nonsense? We'll show the German press.""
Hans Derer, press chef for Intercord, wrote in 1993 (translated from German): "[...] For the Hamburg concert, Depeche Mode showed off their new outfit for the first time. Chic and elegant, with ties and oversized suits, they almost looked like young yuppies. At their first photo session for the German press, the four very young musicians also acted very cool. Dave and Vince put cigarettes in the corner of their mouths, Martin put on a hat and Vince later looked back on it with a shudder: "My God, we were silly." The first concert exceeded the wildest expectations. Although Depeche Mode didn't have an album on the market at the time, around 600 people came. Rock critics were surprised by the large tape machine that stood in the middle of the stage instead of a drum kit. The band played the rhythm parts on it. Dave had to switch the machine on and off manually before each song. The show is certainly historic. It was the only concert in Germany with Vince Clarke."
In 2011, German newspaper Welt and Musikexpress magazine did a long interview with cornerstones of the band to ask them about DM's early days. Here's what they had to say about DM's first concert in Germany (translated):
Rainer Drechsler, photographer: "In September, Depeche Mode gave, as part of a mini-European tour, a concert in Germany, in Hamburg's Markthalle. I was allowed to photograph them during the soundcheck, and there I noticed just how serious they were about it all. It surprised me. Personally, I didn't like their Synth-soundstyle at the time, seeing as I was more into Hardrock. But anyway: in the evening at the concert, it was actually already too full. The Markthalle was actually too small for the guys. The line was violent, the mood was euphoric. Everyone could sense that something special was happening here. The British Wave had flooded Hamburg entirely."
Daryl Bamonte: "The people were dancing, singing, holding each other. People, who didn't even understand English, would sing along, feel the music. Madness! I was standing there and understood just how much potential my friends' band could have.
Daniel Miller: "The four concerts went exceptionally well, Depeche Mode and the European continent seemed to be a perfect match. Especially in Hamburg it seemed to be love at first sight. Still, something was wrong. I was still mainly busy with the sound, and on top of that I was the driver, and so I noticed that Vince would rather sit with me in front of the van and stared at the streets, than hang with his colleagues and their girlfriends in the back. He barely spoke a word with them. Then it became clear to me that this would not go on for long."
Thomas Fehlmann a.k.a. Palais Schaumburg, said:
"I remember when they first came to Hamburg and played at the Markthalle and it was alright: not empty or anything, but it wasn’t like they were the new hot shit either. It was really something we saw develop."
