Depeche Mode have revealed why they hand-picked Kelly Lee Owens to open for the band on their upcoming US dates.
- READ MORE:Â Depeche Mode: âDo the best you can â you donât know if youâre going to be doing it againâ
In February, the band announced the support acts for the North American leg of their 2023 âMemento Moriâ world tour.
The band confirmed that Kelly Lee Owens would open for them on the first leg of their US/Canada trek, with dates including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago and Toronto.
In a new interview with NME, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore spoke about their respect for the Welsh electronica genius and former NME cover star.
âWe were given a massive list of potential support acts; some of them I knew, like Kelly Lee Owens who I actually really liked, and we decided sheâd be a perfect fit,â Gore said.
âWhat she does is very atmospheric and it never seems like thereâs only one person playing â she really puts her soul into it.â
Elsewhere in the interview, the band spoke about their long-awaited upcoming album âMemento Moriâ, which is Depeche Modeâs first record since 2017âs âSpiritâ and their first since bandmate Andy Fletcher died at the age of 60 in May 2022.
âThe most important thing is to be putting out good music and that people like it,â Gore said. âOnce we finish this tour weâll take a break, then weâll see if and when we feel like doing it again. Up until now we always have. You never know, and Iâm not saying that in a negative way. We just take each project as it comes.â
Earlier this month, the band released an eerie new song, âMy Cosmos Is Mineâ. The song is the second, following âGhosts Againâ, to be lifted from âMemento Moriâ, and is set to serve as the albumâs opening track.
Depeche Mode will head to Europe, the UK and Ireland after the North American run. Find tickets for the UK shows here.
The post Depeche Mode on why they picked Kelly Lee Owens to support them on US tour appeared first on NME.