Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark Bring The Synthpop Hits To NYC

When the group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) released their first single “Electricity” in 1979, they were seen as Britain’s synthpop answer to the popular and influential German collective Kraftwerk. For OMD, the song kicked off a memorable career that balanced avant-garde electronic music and mainstream hit songs, such as “If You Leave” from the 1986 film Pretty in Pink.

Fronted by singer/bassist Andy McCluskey and singer/keyboardist Paul Humphreys, OMD are still recording and touring more than four decades after their formation in Wirral, Merseyside. Their body of work was on display when they played at New York City’s Brooklyn Steel this past weekend as part of their Souvenir tour (Its name is taken from their popular 1981 single as well as a 2019 retrospective collection).

In front of an enthusiastic audience of fans both old and new, OMD kicked off their set with “Atomic Ranch,” followed by “Stanlow”— two experimental-sounding tracks that hearkened to the synthpop group’s early ’80s works. From there on, it was one memorable OMD song after another from their catalog —among them “Messages,” “Joan of Arc,” “Tesla Girls, “(Forever) Live and Die,” “So in Love,” “Souvenir,” “Dreaming,” “The Punishment of Luxury” and “Enola Gay.”

One of the more recent songs from the setlist, “Don’t Go,” which appeared on the 2019 Souvenir retrospective, fitted nicely with the rest of the classic OMD songs. Naturally, the band’s encore included “If You Leave”–which remains OMD’s biggest and well-known hit in America–and their first-ever single from 43 years ago, “Electricity,” which started it all for the band.

Technology has remained at the heart of OMD’s music as well as their visual presentation, like the LED screens that served as the backdrop at the New York show. But as evident from the concert, the human element behind the electronic was also present in the performances by the band members—McCluskey, Humphreys, keyboardist/saxophonist Malcolm Cooper, and drummer Stuart Kershaw. At times, the show resembled an arena rock event/dance party where people were jumping and singing along to the songs, waving their arms, and even tossing balloons. OMD’s return to New York City felt triumphant and hopefully a harbinger of more new music to come.

OMD’s North American tour continues through May 26.

Set List:

Atomic Ranch

Stanlow

Isotype

Messages

Tesla Girls

History of Modern (Part 1)

(Forever) Live and Die

Souvenir

Joan of Arc

Maid of Orleans

Time Zones

Statues

Almost

Don’t Go

So in Love

Dreaming

The Punishment of Luxury

Locomotion

Sailing on the Seven Seas

Enola Gay

Encore:

If You Leave

Secret

Electricity