Just can’t get enough: The bar playing one band’s music for 25 years

I was born in the ’80s, but I can’t help but think it should’ve been my coming-of-age era: a then-groundbreaking MTV, double denim, spandex, corny bops, synth-pop and a curly-haired Kylie.

While I innocently embraced many ’80s trends in my younger years, I would “discover” electronic music pioneers Depeche Mode almost three decades later and not by typical means: streaming, radio play, CDs – remember those? Instead, it was visiting an Estonian bar in a constant state of Groundhog Day, playing the band’s music non-stop for more than 20 years. Clearly, they just can’t get enough.

Depeche Mode’s lead singer, Dave Gahan, performing in 2001.Credit: Getty Images

Fairytale to leather-clad

Before experiencing that time capsule, I walked through another. The Estonian capital Tallinn’s beautifully preserved Old Town is an enchanting throwback. At face value, the Baltic nation’s UNESCO World Heritage Site offers a glimpse into the 13th and 16th centuries. It is bordered by nearly two kilometres of ancient fortifications and chock-full of medieval architecture, red-roofed towers and snaking cobblestone streets.

Seeing someone in a Disney Princess-inspired pouffy dress wandering the pastel-coloured Town Hall Square (also known as Raekoja Plats) wouldn’t seem out of place; this part of Tallinn is magical. And just like many fairytale settings, another realm – another era – exists in Old Town behind unassuming wooden doors.

Tallinn’s Town Hall Square.Credit: iStock

Rock star aesthetics replace old world charms at Depeche Mode Baar. Also known as DM Baar, the subterranean late-night venue’s name pays homage to the British musos, and it’s hardly a gimmick. In 1999, megafan Härmo Liiv took the band’s hit earworm Just Can’t Get Enough in a literal sense, establishing the bar in the band’s honour and creating a sonic haven for Estonian Depeche Mode fans.

Liiv filled his shrine with red leather booths, band memorabilia and looping concert videos on mounted screens. Each cocktail on the menu is named after a Depeche Mode song. His dedication goes beyond appearances, with the small bar playing Depeche Mode – and nothing else.

DM Baar has been playing Depeche Mode non-stop for 25 years.Credit: Julia D’Orazio

Soon another megafan, Dan Buinenko, came on board to help manage the bar, with Liiv departing a few years later. In 2009, as the bar grew in popularity, it moved to larger premises near Town Square, doubling its capacity to 250 people.

Depechemania in the east

Since its inception, the bar has lured diehard fans worldwide – and even the band itself. Band members Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Christian Eigner partied there ahead of their concert in Tallinn in 2001.

Depeche Mode-themed beers at the bar.Credit: Julia D’Orazio

Depeche Mode’s devout following is not limited to Estonia. In the ’80s, “Depechemania” swept Eastern Europe, particularly the Soviet bloc states. The band’s melancholy lyrics and dark fashion statements resonated across the region, enduring even after the collapse of the USSR. Tallinn’s DM Baar wouldn’t be the only darkened waterhole to emerge, with Depeche Mode-themed bars also found in neighbouring Latvia and Russia. Depeche Mode bar crawl, anyone?

Back in Tallinn, I enter the dimly lit temple praising their personal Jesus. I notice a sign above the bar: “We work for DM music.” Not only has the bar played Depeche Mode’s catalogue on rotation for 25 years – I wonder how much the bar contributes to the band’s streaming royalties – but it also sells merchandise designed by Dan – T-shirts, umbrellas, mugs, caps and scarfs.

Depeche Mode performing in Germany earlier this year.Credit: Getty Images

Over the years the bar has expanded its offering. Fans can listen to their favourite synth-pop while drinking Depeche Mode-inspired lager. The bar stocks an array of canned beers adorned with the band’s imagery, including their iconic rose. As I order my drink, I ask what the most played song is. “I just can’t get enough,” Buinenko coolly replies. Yet, to avoid staff potentially having “enough”, the bar’s playlist includes remixes to keep things somewhat fresh.

Estonia’s love for Depeche Mode isn’t fading anytime soon. In August, the bar celebrated its 25th birthday. It sounds like Buinenko won’t Enjoy the Silence anytime soon.

DM Baar, Voorimehe 4, 10146 Tallinn. See depechemode.ee

The writer travelled at her own expense.