Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

**Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)** are a new wave group formed in Liverpool in 1978 by Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey. Originally an experimental outfit featuring home-made keyboards, electronic sound effects, bass guitar and voice, the duo gradually moved towards more melodic compositions, while still maintaining an experimental side to their output.

Expanding to a four-piece, OMD enjoyed a string of hits in the 1980s, and released seven studio albums, before Humphreys and McCluskey broke up the bandin 1989, leaving McCluskey to continue to record and tour with e name during the 1990s. He also abandoned OMD after releasing three more albums and went on to form the girl band Atomic Kitten, writing many of their initial hits. Humphreys, with OMD band-mates Malcolm Holmes and Martin Cooper, formed The Listening Pool, with lesser success.

The group reformed in 2006 and have gone on to record three more studio albums. In 2019 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark celebrated a 40-year career with a special anthology Souvenir and a UK and European tour.

## Links to Janice

As a Merseyside band emerging from the alternative scene in Liverpool, Janice would have been aware of the band in their very early days. As their respective careers grew during the 1980s, so did their friendship. Humphreys and McCluskey were guests on Janice's radio programmes several times in more recent years (20 March 2013, 21 November 2019, 19 November 2020)

When reviewing the week's Singles in *Record Mirror* in November 1984, Andy McCluskey quipped about the group's own Never Turn Away single: "*Peter Powell likes this record but that's probably because he's mincing around with Janice Long these days and she's from Liverpool, and she owes me a few bevvies*."

Andy McCluskey was a guest reviewer, together with Alison Moyet, on Singled Out on 17 October 1986. [1]

McCluskey was also one of the many artists who paid tribute to Janice after her death.

## Sessions

* 20 March 2013 (live) Spoken Word
	+ Trans-Europe Express (*lyrics*) (Kraftwerk)

A Radio Times session listing for the 25 June 1983 show may have been 'borrowed' from John Peel for whom they recorded four sessions.

## Live

* 07 May 1983 - Manchester Apollo, 1 May 1983
	+ Messages / She's Leaving / Georgia; Pretending to See the Future / Electricity

## Other shows played

#### 2000s

* 13 March 2009 - Electricity (1979)
* 24 May 2009 - Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans) - *Andy McCluskey's 50th birthday*

#### 2010s

* 24 March 2010 - Red Frame/White Light (1980)
* 29 June 2010 - Save Me (OMD vs. Aretha Franklin)
* 16 November 2010 - Sister Marie Says (2010)
* 11 May 2011 - Electricity (1979)
* 22 July 2011 - Electricity
* 09 August 2011 - Sister Marie Says (2011)
* 12 April 2012 - Electricity
* 11 January 2013 - Messages (1980)
* 12 March 2013 - Metroland (2013)
* 19 March 2013 - Metroland
* 20 March 2013 - Metroland / Night Café
* 26 March 2013 - Electricity
* 25 April 2013 - Enola Gay (1980)
* 06 May 2013 - Dresden (2013)
* 09 May 2013 - Dresden
* 21 March 2014 - Electricity
* 26 May 2014 - Messages
* 04 February 2015 - Messages (*3-2-1: Happy Birthday Facebook!*)
* 04 March 2015 - Enola Gay
* 18 March 2015 - Sailing On The Seven Seas (1991)
* 26 March 2015 - Electricity
* 07 May 2015 - Souvenir
* 01 September 2015 - Enola Gay
* 14 March 2016 - Thrill Me (ft. Taron Egerton & Hugh Jackman) - from the album *Fly: Songs inspired by the Film Eddie The Eagle*
* 05 April 2016 - Souvenir
* 04 January 2017 - Sailing On The Seven Seas
* 18 July 2016 - Forever Live & Die
* 21 November 2019 - Don't Go / Red Frame White Light / Souvenir / Pandora's Box / Walking on the Milky Way / Electricity / Dresden (all singles), interview with Andy McCluskey,

#### 2020s

* 06 January 2020 - Red Frame / White Light
* 19 November 2020 - She's Leaving / Joan of Arc / Enola Gay (Hot Chip remix), interview with OMD.
* 04 February 2021 - Electricity
* 29 March 2021 - Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Joan Of Arc) (1981)
* 26 April 2021 - Enola Gay

## See also

* Gigography (2015)
* Janice Long Remembered (GHR) (2022)

## External links

* Official site
* Wikipedia
* Discogs
* Spotify