All Images Subject to Copyright
On this day, 1 June 1984, Liverpool band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark played Cardiff’s Top Rank, a tour to promote their Junk Culture album release with support provided by Fiction Factory.
Junk Culture was the fifth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 30 April 1984 by Virgin Records. After the commercial disappointment of the experimental 1983 album Dazzle Ships, OMD and Virgin intended for the group to shift toward a more accessible sound on its follow-up release.
The band retained elements of their early experimental approach but embraced a wider range of influences than previously, drawing inspiration from pop, dance, Latin and black music.
The record spawned four singles, including the UK Top 20 entries "Locomotion" and "Talking Loud and Clear", and the club hit "Tesla Girls". It met with a mixed response from the UK press, but went on to be named as one of the best albums of 1984 in multiple US publications.
Junk Culture was remastered and re-released in 2015, with a bonus disc of B-sides and extended mixes.
The album peaked at No9 in the UK album charts.
