The Hippo 104.3

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Depeche Mode Co-Founder Andy Fletcher Dead At 60

Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Depeche Mode co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher is no more, the band announced on social media on Thursday (May 26).

Fletcher's bandmates said, "We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy 'Fletch' Fletcher."

"Fletch had a true heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh or a cold pint," the band added.

Rolling Stone said the legend's death was due to natural causes.

Fletcher, who was born in Nottingham, England, on July 8, 1961, formed Depeche Mode in 1980 and stayed with the band ever since. The band's first album was Speak and Spell, and the most recent LP was Spirit, which came out in 2017.

In 2020, Fletcher and his Depeche Mode bandmates Dave Gahan and Martin Gore and former members Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark noted Fletcher was "a beautiful person in an amazing band."

"I knew Andy and considered him a friend. We crossed many of the same pathways as younger men," tweeted The Curve's Lol Tolhurst. "My heart goes out to his family, bandmates, and DM fans. RIP Fletch."

(Photo: Alberto Cabello)

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Queen's Brian May Reveals Inspiration For 'China Belle'

Brian May has revealed in a new interview how pursuing his passion for astronomy in China resulted in the magical track "China Belle" from his Another World album.

"'China Belle' happened when I went on this wonderful trip to China to see a total eclipse of the Sun," May said in an exclusive interview filmed in Tenerife.

"I think I was on a bus cruising around to find the best sites for seeing the eclipse, and I started to hear this song in my head, China Belle. It's about a fictitious character, a lady called China Belle, who's big trouble. And it just amused me," he added.

"And when I came home, I put it all together. It's very complex. It kind of surprises me. There's too many twists and turns, it's almost impossible to take it all in. But it's fun, I think. I enjoy looking back on that and thinking about all the strange ideas that are in there. Yeah, it's one of those things which evolved in my head before I actually got into the studio, so it's quite rich in little ideas," said the Queen guitarist.

Another World is the second solo album by May, released in 1998. The album was reissued as the second release in May's Gold series in April.

(Photo: Sally Avery-Frost)

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Atlantis Concert For Earth To Feature Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, Sting & More

The inaugural Atlantis Concert for Earth it set to feature performances from Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull and Sting, among others.

Atlantis Entertainment announced the first-ever edition of the Atlantis Concert for Earth, a two-day nonprofit concert to promote global conservation efforts. The event is set to take place from July 22 to July 23 in Sete Cidades, Portugal.

Stone Temple Pilots, Bush, Mod Sun and Girlfriends are also set to perform, while Nicole Scherzinger will be the event's host as well as perform.

"Nature is the true headliner at the Atlantis Concert for the Earth," said will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas in a statement. "It is a surreal other-worldly experience to perform on the rim of an extinct volcanic crater to celebrate the Rockstars of Conservation while using music as a megaphone to call attention to the need for global conservation."

Ticket for the two-day concerts are available to Azores locals on the event's website. Performances will be livestreamed worldwide for free on July 23 via Veeps.

In addition to the music performances, the show will highlight the work of a variety of conservationists and organizations focused on the environment, including Lennon's White Feather Foundation.

"These days, words 'climate' and 'climate crisis' trigger so many different emotions from all walks of life," said Nuno Bettencourt, CEO and co-founder of Atlantis Entertainment. "It shouldn't matter who you voted for, we don't judge what your political color is internationally or, here in the U.S. if you are Republican, Democrat, Black, white, Hispanic, rich or poor."

He added, "Because whatever we are, whether we like it or not, we share the same air, the same water and the same soil. We have all heard about the urgency, but fear is not the answer."

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