With the recording of the yet to be named 'Speak & Spell' album having been completed at Blackwing studios, a short 4 date tour of Europe had been planned for late September. They had already played a one off European date on July 25 at 'Zuiderpark', in The Hague. Their first ever gig outside the UK.
Having recorded 'Just Can't Get Enough' for the UK's 'Top of the Pop' on the evening of Wednesday 23rd September, the next day they set out across the Channel in a white mini-bus driven by Daniel Miller. It was exactly like the van used by Joy Division on their European gigs and seen in the Anton Corbijn film 'Control'.
The September Euro tour was as follows:
25.09.81 - Markhalle, Hamburg
26.09.81 - Paradiso, Amsterdam
28.09.81 - Disco Rouge, Brussels
29.09.81 - Bains Douches, Paris
The Bains Douches is at 7 rue du Bourg-l'Abbe 75003 Paris, and as the name of the venue sugests was a genuine old public Parisian bathouse. Walking down the stairs into the basement of the club was the dance floor, in front was the stage and to the right of the dance floor, the original communal bath full of water.
The gig that night featured the standard set from that period, opening with the instrumental - Any Second Now. Their performance this night was as tight as it gets. The French audience where clearly into punk and indie music and suprisingly quite aggressive in their dancing compared to the UK. One member of the audience was shouting quite aggressively (who knows, it might have been complementary) causing Dave Gahan to angrily dedicate 'Just Can't Get Enough' [our new single] "to the heckler down there".
The gig was being recorded for French radio station F3R.
The set at all four European dates was:
(1) Any Second Now (2) Photographic (3) Nodisco (4) New Life (5) Operator (6) Ice Machine (7) Big Muff (8) I Sometimes Wish I was Dead (9) Tora Tora (10) Just Can't Get Enough (11) Boy's say Go (12) Pretty Boy (13) Television Set.
After the gig, the band enjoyed a meal at the restaurant upstairs at the 'Bain Douches'. Organised by Daniel Miller, it was a chance for the band to celebrate with 'Rod Buckle' (the head of their publishing company 'Sonet' and his collegue 'Ronny') and for the band to meet the head of 'Vogue', Depeche Mode's French distribution company.
In the morning Martin did an interview to tape for the radio station in the hotel breakfast room. Then news came that a French national TV station was deciding whether to chose Depeche Mode (Just Can't Get Enough) or Kim Wilde (Kids from America) to do a live TV recording.
The hours went by, with visits to record shops and cafe meals.... eventually the news came that Kim Wilde had been chosen. So Depeche Mode without Vince (staying for a short break in Paris) were homeward bound. It was during those next few days that Vince decided to leave Depeche Mode. With Daniel Miller having flown back to the UK in the early morning, the tour mini-bus was driven back to the UK by 'Ronny' of Depeche Mode's music publishing company 'Sonet'.
Arriving back in Basildon at about midnight and parking up by Basildon Market, a fight was breaking out 50 yards away spilling out from the front door of Raquels nightclub. Depeche Mode were home.
