Depeche Mode are on the cusp of kicking off their much-anticipated world tour in support of the recently released Delta Machine, but the English goth icons dug deep into their three-decade-plus history for a recent club gig in Los Angeles, performing 1986 B-side-turned-A-side “But Not Tonight” live for the first time ever (via Slicing Up Eyeballs).
Guitarist Martin Gore handled lead vocals on the Black Celebration leftover, which was originally intended to play backup to Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” single before U.S. label Sire flipped the two. Included on the soundtrack to 1986 film Modern Girls, the fan-favorite is a rainy look at existential crisis, but somewhat atypically features delicate piano. And despite the fact that “But Not Tonight” has never been played in front of an audience before, that night, at L.A.’s Troubadour, the crowd knew all the words. Witness history above.
Depeche Mode @ the Troubadour, Los Angeles, April 26, 2013 set list:
1. “Angel”
2. “Should Be Higher”
3. “Walking in My Shoes”
4. “Barrel of a Gun”
5. “Heaven”
6. “But Not Tonight”
7. “Personal Jesus”
8. “Soft Touch / Raw Nerve”
9. “Soothe My Soul”
10. “Enjoy the Silence”
