On This Day 01/06/1984 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

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On this day. 1 June 1984. Electro-pop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

Formed in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), along with Martin Cooper (various instruments) and Stuart Kershaw (drums); McCluskey has been the only constant member.

Regarded as pioneers of electronic music, OMD combined an experimental, minimalist ethos with pop sensibilities, becoming central figures in the late-1970s/early-1980s emergence of synth-pop.

The band’s fifth album release Junk Culture was a shift to a more pop-style sound and the band used digital sampling keyboards such as the Fairlight CMI and the E-mu Emulator.

The album was a success, reassuring the group about their new direction.

The "Locomotion" single returned the group to the top five in the UK and was an indicator of the group's newfound sound, notably the adoption of a classic verse–chorus form, which is something the group had often previously avoided.

Record Mirror readers named OMD the eighth-best live act of 1984.

Set list

Junk Culture

Tesla Girls

Messages

Love and Violence

Julia's Song

Motion and Heart

White Trash

Apollo

Never Turn Away

Joan of Arc

Maid of Orleans

Talking Loud and Clear

Hard Day

Souvenir

Telegraph

Bunker Soldiers

Enola Gay

Locomotion

She's Leaving

Electricity

Waiting for the Man

Locomotion

On This Day 23/02/1986 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

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On this day, 23 February 1986, electronic pop band Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on the band’s Crush tour.

formed in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), along with Martin Cooper (various instruments) and Stuart Kershaw (drums); McCluskey has been the only constant member.

Regarded as pioneers of electronic music, OMD combined an experimental, minimalist ethos with pop sensibilities, becoming central figures in the late-1970s/early-1980s emergence of synth-pop.

Crush is the sixth studio album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 17 June 1985 by Virgin Records. It is the first of two OMD albums to be produced by Stephen Hague.

Aimed primarily at the US market, Crush is notable for moving the group toward a more polished sound, although elements of earlier experimentation are present on the record.

Tour Setlist

Crush

The Native Daughters of the Golden West

Messages

Tesla Girls

Secret

Julia's Song

Motion and Heart

White Trash

Talking Loud and Clear

Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)

La Femme Accident

Souvenir

So in Love

Telegraph

Locomotion

Enola Gay

Encore:

Women III

Electricity

Encore 2:

She's Leaving

The Romance of the Telescope

On This Day 1/6/1984 OMD

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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.