Strangelove’s Brent Meyer has been honoring Depeche Mode since 2006. But finally, he has found his “dream team” in singer Leo Luganskiy, acoustic/electronic drummer Chris Olivas, and keyboards/percussionists Julian Shah-Tayler and James Evans.
“We’ve rotated out members until we landed our superhero Avengers dream team,” says Meyer, the “Martin Gore,” music director and multi-instrumentalist. When questioned, he’s “clearly” the Thanos of the group.
Depeche Mode has been in the band members’ blood for some time, thanks to the strength of the material.
“Depeche Mode has everything — fun, dancey beats, an emotional maturity and depth, especially as they evolved from the early ’90s onward,” Meyer says. “They expanded their sound. It challenges us and keeps us connected to it in an honest way. We connect with those feeling like we had when we were young fans of Depeche Mode.”
Strangelove is on tour with ’80s stars Flock of Seagulls, and the jaunt comes to The Van Buren on Friday, March 24. Touring with an original band gives credibility to Strangelove, even though Shah-Tayler released a much-acclaimed album, “Elysium,” recently, and Olivas is a former member of Berlin.
“I think one of the attractions of us doing the tour was getting to perform for exactly the right audience who weren’t aware we existed because of us operating within the tribute paradigm,” Meyer says.
“People in their 40s and 50s who love new wave is the target demographic, and Depeche Mode may be one of their favorite bands.”
Shah-Tayler adds that a tour with Flock of Seagulls keeps it fresh for Strangelove.
“We’re used to headlining,” says Shah-Tayler, who hails from Leeds, England. “On this tour, we’re with the people who made the music. It keeps us humble and shows us different aspects of touring. We haven’t not headlined for the entire time I’ve been in the band. It’s humbling and marvelous as well.”
Songs from throughout the Depeche canon are recreated from the band’s debut, “Speak and Spell,” to 2017’s “Spirit.” Stage set pieces and in-show costume changes recall Depeche Mode’s different eras.
In the Valley, Strangelove has headlined and sold out the Chandler Center for the Arts and several shows at the Marquee Theater and The Van Buren.
“It’s nice to come back to some of these same venues, but in a different context,” Shah-Tayler says.
Although Strangelove is successful, Shah-Tayler admits that sometimes there’s a bit of pushback among music fans because it’s a tribute act.
“We’ve been getting some very, very, very excellent reactions, though,” he adds. “They’re very gracious with us — especially Mike (Score, Flock of Seagulls singer) and his wife.
“Depeche Mode fans are incredibly passionate about Depeche Mode, and they’ve been very embracing of us. We call them #depechefamily. We love them. We know we have people we get along with. We do meet-and-greets after every show. We meet such wonderful people and, certainly, Arizona has some vociferous Depeche fans and I love it.”
The “David Gahan” in the band is Luganskiy, who was born in post-Soviet Union Russia and has lived in Brooklyn since he was a teen. He embodies Gahan onstage, from the Essex accent to dance moves and hand gestures. He says Depeche Mode’s songs are tricky.
“Ironically, the hardest songs to learn are the ones that are my favorite,” Luganskiy says. “There are some unexpected intricacies. For example, ‘In Your Room’ has lots of unconventional vocals and you don’t want to do it robotically. I keep relieving that intense emotion all the time.
“I call them so-called fun obstacles, even though that’s my toughest stuff.”
Depeche Mode is releasing a new album, “Memento Mori,” on March 24. Meyer calls it the perfect time for Strangelove’s tour.
“It only helps us when people are enquiring about us doing shows,” Meyer says. “On this tour, Depeche Mode is only playing eight cities in North America. It’s a pretty sparse tour. They’re expected to come back later in the year and fill in some gaps. That’s where we step in. They’re not playing Miami, but we are.”
Shah-Tayler adds, “It really helps that Martin talks about us in a positive light. We’re playing the songs that Depeche Mode normally doesn’t play live.”
Flock of Seagulls w/Strangelove
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, March 24
WHERE: The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren Street, Phoenix
COST: Tickets start at $27.50
INFO: thevanburen.com, depechetribute.com
