Depeche Mode have dismissed speculation Alan Wilder is set to rejoin the band in place of the late Andy Fletcher.
Andy Fletcher died last year
The 'Walking in My Shoes' hitmakers were left stunned last May when the keyboardist died suddenly at the age of 60, and since then, fans have questioned whether the former member, who quit in 1995, will be returning to perform alongside Dave Gahan and Martin Gore.
Martin told The Sun newspaper: “I try to block it out — it’s just fan stuff. The fans love us, but we can never win.
“We haven’t spoken to Alan about it and I don’t think Alan would even want to rejoin. We haven’t even considered it."
The duo admitted the death of their friend and bandmate still hasn't sunk in.
Dave said: "It still doesn’t feel real. Every time we do something, I expect Fletch to walk in the room. Doing a TV show, having photos taken or making a music video with Anton Corbijn, all these things are now very different.”
Martin added: " “Andy was my best friend — I’ve known him for so long.
“We went to school together before the band, so I’ve known him for 50 years.
“His death came completely out of the blue — no health issues that anybody knew about.
“It’s hard for those left behind to deal with it.”
Meanwhile, Dave admitted he had questioned whether the group still had a future before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
He said: “There’s a point where you feel it’s enough and maybe the band is coming to an end. And I felt like that before we started this record.
“Being in this band is a tall order for family and friends, too. You’ve got to throw your whole self into it — I can’t do it any other way. I set the bar so high myself when it comes to making music and going on tour.
“And a Depeche Mode tour is like f****** a military operation. Everything about the show takes all of me. I don’t have any energy for anything else and that affects my family too.
“So that was something I had to consider like, ‘Guys, what do you think?’”
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