Manoeuvring back into the limelight

Sep 26 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

THEY formed as teen- agers, just to be able to take to the cramped and sweaty stage of Eric’s – at the time, Liverpool’s celebrated hot-bed of new creative talent.

Now, 30 years later, OMD are taking to the city’s newest, biggest stage as one of the city’s biggest ever musical exports.

The homecoming – with support from fellow Merseysiders China Crisis – sees them take to the stage of the Echo Arena Liverpool next Friday (October 3).

It is the continuation of a successful revival for the synth pop pioneers since reforming in 2006, and, ahead of the show, founder member Andy McCluskey seems elated at the prospect.

“We’re delighted, but I have to be honest, a bit nervous,” he says.

“We’re playing an amended version of the Arena, to about 3,000 or 4,000 people, rather than the full 10,000, but it appears to be close to a sell-out and they’re even thinking of moving the stage back to release more seats.

“It’s about time Liverpool got an Arena. We often play the Empire, and I love it there, but they have so many long-booked shows it’s very hard to get in there.

“So we were always looking for a larger venue and this is a wonderful addition to the scene.

“I’m amazed we’ve been doing it 30 years now, but it was an excuse to play some concerts again. It’s only a short tour this time as we decided to keep it small, but the wonderful thing is we’ve got China Crisis.

“We’ll be playing all sorts of songs, at least one off every album but, as we did last year, a few weird and wonderful B-sides and title tracks for the die-hards.”

OMD re-united last year with what is regarded as their classic 1980s line-up of McCluskey, co-founder Paul Humphreys, Malcolm Holmes and Paul Cooper.

“It seemed logical to reintroduce ourselves with the public through our most famous album, Architecture and Morality, and a lot of hits,” Andy says.

“We enjoyed playing so much we’ve been looking for an excuse to keep doing it, so our 30th birthday seemed like a good enough reason.”

To coincide with that, their record company has compiled a new OMD greatest hits, not generally anything to get excited about, but this time an accompanying DVD has been released containing every promotional video the band ever made.

Andy is excited at this prospect, but not too precious about the clips in store.

“All the videos will be available, for better or for worse,” he laughs.

“We made the video for Enola Gay, thinking it might just go Top 40, in the ITN news studios in two hours for £3,000 – and it looks like it!

“It’s been shown all over the world ever since . . .”

OMD, as it was then and is again today, split in 1988. Andy continued as OMD and the others went on to form The Listening Pool.

Despite hit singles including Sailing on the Seven Seas and Pandora’s Box, something wasn’t quite right.

“I packed in OMD in 1996. It was the time of Britpop and there was nothing more out-of-date than a 1980s electro band, and we were out of fashion.

“It’s interesting, though, because music is cyclical, and what one generation perceives as important is ridiculous to others.

“The new generation has got sick of guitars and is getting back into using synths like we did, and, yes, it’s great getting name checked by all the groovy young things young enough to be my children.

“It’s an honour and it’s flattering to think we can play lots of our songs and not only just die-hard fans but millions of people around the world recognise them.”

Liverpool, of course, is currently riding a wave of severe Eric’s nostalgia, given the present run of the musical dedicated to the club now showing at the Everyman.

It’s no secret that’s where Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark played their first gig, and Andy says the place, frequented by the likes of those who would go on to lead Echo and the Bunnymen, Dead or Alive, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Teardrop Explodes and many, many more, is, simply, the reason he is in a band and making music today.

“If there was no Eric’s, there’d be no OMD,” he says.

“We invented ourselves in order to play that club. And without it, we wouldn’t have met Tony Wilson, Factory wouldn’t have offered us our first deal, and we wouldn’t be here.”

CHINA Crisis and OMD play Echo Arena Liverpool a week today, on Friday, October 3.