published: 29 /
10 /
2024
Nick Dent-Robinson watches an electrifying set from seminal electro act Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark to promote their new 'Bauhaus Staircase' album.
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Having honed their craft for more than four decades, Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark may be amongst the elder statesmen of synth-pop, but the duo of Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys can still match any new band in energy, creativity and sheer verve! With their hard-edged electronic-rock, soaring anthems and irresistable hook-laden melodies, they have a rare talent for touchng the soul, lifting the heart and raising a smile!
It is now over 44 years since they emerged from their Merseyside bedrooms with a homemade synthesiser and a fascination with Kraftwerk's music. Yet they have just released one of the best records of their careers - the critically acclaimed “Bauhaus Staircase” debuted at number two in the album charts and was only kept off the top spot by the all-conquering Taylor Swift! And, having sold 25 million singles plus 15 million albums as well as playing over 1,000 shows over the course of their careers, OMD have retained a strong fanbase. So, it was no surprise to find their return to Oxford's New Theatre on Wednesday 20 March was a sell-out event!
“It's great to be back in Oxford for the tenth time,” Andy McCluskey greeted the audience, adding, “Last time the crowd in Oxford were the best of the tour - so no pressure, OK?”
They then launched into their set with a powerful rendition of new song 'Evolution of Species' and its counterpart 'Anthropocene, supported by some punchy visuals on a huge screen. Then it was 1980's 'Messages' - still sounding fresh and urgent with Andy's haunting, plaintive vocals perfectly complemented by Paul Humphreys' uncompromisingly stark synth. The crowd-pleasing set that followed featured most of the duo's big-hitters.
'Tesla Girls' sounds fresh and frantic, the 1984 tribute to the Serbian pioneer electrical scientist now having new relevance, thanks to Mr Musk and his plug-in cars! New track Kleptocracy' meanwhile shocks with its full frontal attack on the political class. The mood shifted with 'If You Leave' and '(Forever) Live and Die', the latter sung beautifully by the affable but relatively retiring Paul who abandoned his keyboard to switch places with Andy, the consummate showman.
Andy then stepped forward again to introduce 'Bauhaus Staircase' - the title track from their latest album. The highlight of the night, though, was a trio of gems from their album 'Architecture & Morality' with the melancholic electro-chimes of 'Souvenir' giving way to the diptych of 'Joan of Arc' and 'Maid of Orleans. These twin tributes to the French patron saint sound sublime with their propulsive rhythms, soaring melodies and impassioned lyrics.
OMD's new material has many strengths but the fans at Oxford were clearly at their most ecstatic when back catalogue numbers were performed. So new songs like 'Look at You Now' were skilfully interspersed with favourites like 'So in Love', 'Locomotion' and, to close the set, 'Enola Gay', their 1980 pop anthem about the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima in 1945 – which, somehow, seems more poignant than ever after the box office impact of the 'Oppenheimer' film as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the current war in Gaza.
After rapturous applause from an audience of mixed age-groups, big groups of students just as enthused as those from an older generation, there followed an encore with something new (2023's 'Look at You Now'), something older (1991's 'Pandora's Box”' and something truly vintage (their first single, 1979's 'Electricity' - which sounded as relevant and powerful as it did 45 years ago!). Andy and Paul seemed genuinely grateful and delighted by the uproarious reaction to their music.
This was a great theatre performance from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - definitely an act worth seeing live. They will now tour South Africa, Canada and the USA before returning for more UK dates towards the end of the year.
Photos by Andrew Twambley
www.twambley.com
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