Dave Gahan has seen plenty of the seamier side of life in his 22 years as front man and icon of Depeche Mode. Now he's teamed up with multi-talented mate Knox Chandler, enlisted Ken Thomas (Sigur Rós) as producer and released the first single from his forthcoming solo debut album, Paper Monsters.
Documenting the sleazy world of rock, Dirty Sticky floors is a heady mix of crashing guitars, electronica and Gahan's persuasive voice telling us it really wasn't all glamour on the road. "I've painted a face where I burnt the floor / Now the face has become my devil's door / Laying in the back room / On my dirty sticky floor" - just another day on the job, then.
This isn't the best track from the new album, but it's rocking good fun all the same: Gahan "giving vent to the sleazy alter-ego he half jokingly calls Evil Dave". Those Essex boys - what are they like...
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