On August 28, one of the pioneers of synth-pop and brightest representatives of this style – the band OMD, or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – will perform in Latvia for the first time in the Kimmel quarter.
Famous hits such as Electricity, Messages, Enola Gay, Locomotion, Souvenir, Sailing On The Seven Seas, Pandora’s Box, (Forever) Live And Die, Maid of Orleans (The Waltz of Joan of Arc), If You Leave, So in Love, Walking on the Milky Way, have made OMD not only one of the most significant musical groups of the 80s but also a source of inspiration for many pop music stars up to the present day. From Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, and Human League to Moby, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Future Islands, and others.
The birthday of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) is considered to be October 12, 1978, when lead vocalist and bassist Andy McCluskey and keyboardist and vocalist Paul Humphreys first performed under this name at the Liverpool club "Eric's club". Prior to this, they had already participated in several musical projects, the most notable of which was The Id. The two young men were united by a passion for krautrock, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, and David Bowie.
A very important role in shaping the band's musical style was played by a very simple Korg M-500 Micro Preset synthesizer, purchased on credit by McCluskey's mother. It defined the concise rhythm, which is vividly complemented by melancholic vocals and memorable melodies with interludes.
OMD's first single, Electricity (McCluskey later described it as: "a faster, punk version of Kraftwerk's Radioactivity with a chorus"), released in 1980, allowed the duo to sign their first contract with a label, releasing their debut self-titled album, which included another hit, Messages. The duo gained wider recognition in Europe and for the first time in the USA with the song Enola Gay from their second album "Organisation" (1980) — a controversial composition in which the pulsating dance rhythm and passionate melody contrast with the piercing lyrics about the American plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
With the release of the album "Organisation", OMD temporarily became a four-member band - the core duo was joined by drummer Malcolm Holmes and saxophonist and keyboardist Martin Cooper. This lineup is considered the golden era in the band's history. "Architecture & Morality" — the third album — vividly demonstrates the creative and professional growth of the musicians, presenting us with classic compositions: Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc, and Souvenir.
As the experimental fourth album "Dazzle Ships" failed, the musicians decided to steer their style towards more unpretentious pop music. Commercially, this turned out to be a successful decision — alongside the albums "Junk Culture" (1984) and "Crush" (1985), listeners received hits such as Locomotion, Tesla Girls, Talking Loud and Clear, So In Love, and Secret. The highest position in the American chart was occupied by the ballad If You Leave Me, written for the film "Pretty in Pink". In 1989, Andy McCluskey remained the only member of OMD, as the others decided to form their own group called The Listening Pool. McCluskey's first solo album as OMD, "Sugar Tax" (1991), turned out to be quite successful, including hits such as Sailing On The Seven Seas and Pandora's Box. Additionally, despite the cold reception from British radio stations, listeners eventually appreciated Walking on the Milky Way from the album "Universal" (1996).
From 1996 to 2006, the OMD project was put on hold, and the duo members mainly worked separately. McCluskey collaborated with former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos and created the female pop group Atomic Kitten, while Humphreys, along with Claudia Brucken, former vocalist of the German synth-pop group Propaganda, created the project Onetwo.
Since 2006, OMD reunited in their classic lineup: McCluskey, Humphreys, Holmes, and Cooper. Only drummer Malcolm Holmes was replaced by Stuart Kershaw in 2015 due to health issues. During the reunion, OMD released 4 studio albums, the latest of which, "Bauhaus Staircase", was released in 2023. This clearly shows that the band is one of the few from its generation still capable of creating music that inspires and receives recognition from critics and fans. In 2024, they embarked on their largest and most successful tour of the UK, culminating in their biggest performance in history at the London O2 arena.
Over the past nearly five decades, the band has sold over 40 million records worldwide, establishing themselves as pioneers of electronic synthesizer music and one of the most beloved pop groups in the UK.
