With their new album on the way in just a few short weeks, Depeche Mode have attracted some unwanted publicity thanks to an alt-right figure's recent comments.

The rock stalwarts were described as 'the official band of the alt-right' by Richard Spencer - the right-wing extremist who was famously punched in the face by a protestor as he was talking to camera at a white-power rally last month.

Journalist Olivia Nuzzi was thrown out of a CPAC meeting in Washington DC the other day when she asked Spencer if he liked rock music:

Spencer later took to Twitter to claim that he was 'joking obviously', but the band still felt it necessary to issue a statement denouncing his comments, saying that they were "really ridiculous... Depeche Mode has no ties to Richard Spencer or the alt-right and does not support the alt-right movement."

Frontman Dave Gahan recently said of their forthcoming album 'Spirit': "I wouldn't call this a political album, because I don't listen to music in a political way. But it's definitely about humanity, and our place in that."