SUNDAY AUGUST 23 – US AIRWAYS CENTER

SPECIAL DELUXE EDITION BOX SET SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE

ON APRIL 21^ST IN CONJUNCTION WITH 12^th STUDIO ALBUM

‘SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE’

“Dave Gahan’s voice is as captivating as ever and Martin Gore’s songwriting is still in full form..it serves as foolproof evidence that Depeche Mode has no plans for retirement.”—FILTER MAGAZINE

Groundbreaking electro legends Depeche Mode have announced North American cities and dates for their upcoming “Tour Of The Universe,” which will mark the group’s most extensive outing in the region in several years. The tour will make a stop in Phoenix at US Airways Center on Sunday, August 23. The show will begin at 7:30pm with special guests Peter Bjorn and John. Tickets will go on-sale Saturday, March 14 at 10am.

Depeche Mode’s “Tour of the Universe” is happening in conjunction with the release of the group’s twelfth studio album, Sounds Of the Universe (Mute/Capitol/Virgin), which will be released on April 21^st. Alongside a standard CD format, Depeche Mode has announced that Sounds Of The Universe will also be released as a Special Edition CD/DVD and a Deluxe Box Set that will include a host of exclusive material:

• Three CDs containing the album, bonus songs and remixes, as well as 14 demos available exclusively–  a career first for Depeche Mode.

• A DVD that will feature three films: Making The Universe, a behind-the scenes documentary about the recording of the album, Usual Thing, Try And Get The Question In The Answer (a conversation with the band discussing recording techniques, intercut with personal archive footage from previous album sessions) and Sounds Of The Universe (a short film featuring track by track with the band). The DVD will also include the promo video for the album’s first single “Wrong” (directed by Patrick Daughters), plus four songs filmed live in the studio in December 2008 and a version of the album mixed in DTS 5.1 surround sound
• Two 84-page hardback books, one featuring the lyrics to all the songs from the Sounds Of The Universe sessions, accompanied by exclusive photography by Anton Corbijn. The second book will contain exclusive and candid studio photography by Daniel Miller, Ben Hillier, Luke Smith and Ferg Peterkin.

In addition, the album will also be released as a double vinyl LP (including a Sounds Of The Universe CD) and as a download.

As one of the most influential bands of the post-punk era with global sales in excess of 100 million, Depeche Mode belongs to a select premiere league of super groups who have survived from the early 1980s with their ideals, creative vision and core members intact.  Formed in 1981, Depeche Mode – Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher – continue to win critical and commercial acclaim across the world both in the studio and on the road.  All of the band’s 11 studio albums have reached the Top Ten in not only the UK and USA but 20 plus countries around the world including Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Belgium. Since their inception, Depeche Mode’s live shows continue to be a must-see attraction, with the group playing to 2.8 million people across 31 countries on their last tour alone.

For more information please go to www.depechemode.com