UP
© BBC PicturesAnton Corbijn unveils new
Depeche Mode documentary
Depeche Mode’s fans are the focus of the band’s
latest tour fi lm. In a move that recalls classic Depeche
documentary 101, the new docu-concert fi lm SPIRITS In
The Forest follows the stories of six fans. Directed by long-
time collaborator Anton Corbijn, the project weaves
concert footage from Depeche’s fi nal Global Spirit shows
in Berlin with intimate and often emotional interviews of
a diverse fanbase brought together by DM’s music.
“I’m exceptionally proud to share this fi lm and the
powerful story that it tells,” said Dave Gahan. “It’s
amazing to see the very real ways that music has
impacted upon the lives of our fans.”
Martin Gore added: “In today’s world of turmoil and
divisiveness, music really can be a force for good and
bring people together.”
OSPIRITS In The Forest premieres in cinemas
worldwide on 21 November.
Hologram tour for Whitney
Whitney Houston’s long-mooted hologram tour will kick
off at Sheffi eld’s City Hall on 25 February next year.
Dubbed An Evening With Whitney, it’s a “theatrical
concert experience” featuring a live band and dancers.
Pat Houston, the late star’s former manager said:
“Whitney is not with us but her music will live with us
forever. We know we made the right decision partnering
with [hologram creators] BASE because they understand
how important it is to produce a phenomenal hologram.
They also know that engaging her fans with an authentic
Whitney experience would resonate worldwide because
of the iconic status that she created over three decades.
Her fans deserve nothing less because she gave nothing
less than her best.” Ticket prices for the shows range
from £45-£70.
W
ith Bananarama’s
Sara Dallin
and Keren
Woodward
playing a
celebratory set at this year’s Radio 2
Festival In A Day in Hyde Park we
caught up with them backstage to
talk about the reception of their
current album In Stereo, their last
round of live gigs – including intimate
‘Audience With’ dates – and their
reaction to Siobhan Fahey’s reunion
with Marcella Detroit in the
reactivated Shakespears Sister.This year’s Hyde Park
headliners Pet Shop Boys
said that you turned down a
song they wrote for you called
One Way Street. What
happened there?
Sara I’m not sure they wrote a song
for us specifi cally. They did send us a
song, but we already had enough
material for our album [by then], so
we didn’t do it. We would love to do
something with them at some point.
They’re one of my favourite bands.
KerenI’d like to do my own version
of Left To My Own Devices – all the
pomp and ceremony in that intro?
That’s my anthem, that song.How pleased are you with the
reaction to In Stereo?
Sara It’s been absolutely amazing.I don’t think we expected anything.
We put together all the songs we’d
been writing over the years and
wrote some new ones. But then we
thought, “Will people like it?” And
we didn’t know. We funded it all,
got the team together and did it
ourselves. The reaction has been
absolutely fantastic. To have a Top
30 album this year, that’s been great.
Two A-Listed singles at Radio 2?
Fantastic. We’ve just done the
Summer Sonic festival in Japan and
that was up there, too.After you had Dance Music on
the new album, when was the
last time you went clubbing?
SaraIt’s restricted to the kitchen
these days.
Keren It’s the kitchen and my local.
We sometimes have a lock-in at my
local, and I’ll dance to the music
in there.
Sara We haven’t really been
clubbing for a while, have we?Have you got ideas for
new songs?
SaraYes, lots of things have
happened and I shall be channelling
those into songs. [Keren laughs] We
do enjoy the channelling, don’t we?
Keren I’m looking forward to us
getting started while we’ve got time
to breathe after the shows we’ve
been doing all year.BANANARAMA
SARA DALLIN AND KEREN WOODWARD
REFLECT ON THEIR GLORIOUS 2019