Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark / Scritti Politti (live at Eventim Apollo)

London
13 November 2021

It feels very strange returning (and especially reviewing) live music again after nearly a two-year absence. Some things have changed, but much was the same as before. The big thing was the crowd reaction; and starved of live music for so long, people seemed hungry to see their favourite bands again.

Maybe we won’t take live music for granted and support many of the artists who have found it difficult over the last eighteen months or so, especially some of the smaller bands. But tonight’s concert was always going to be a celebration, not just for the return of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark to the stage after such a long absence, but also to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of one of their greatest albums, Architecture And Morality.

The queue for the venue seemed massive at first, but eventually I found the right entrance and started to make my way to my seat. At this point I had no idea who the support act was, but could hear the music throb as I made my way upstairs. Surely, it can’t be? But it was.

Scritti Politti, a band who I played to death their Cupid And Psyche 85 album back in the day were already in the throes of performing the album live. They were sounding wonderful and tight for what were pretty complex (dare I say it) pop songs that were so heavily studio-based in conception that it probably would have been difficult to recreate live properly at the time.

Green Gartside’s vocals were still as sweet as honey as I stumbled in while he was singing “The Word Girl”. Instantly, I was taken back to that summer thirty-six years ago when I endlessly spun the vinyl. The applause the band received was rapturous, and Green, in particular, looked happy that so much love was given to these songs. “Hypnotize” sounded pristine bouncing out from the Eventim Apollo’s speakers and “Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)” reminded us all just how damn good these songs were / are.

The set finished with “Absolute”, one of the most perfect pieces of pop ever constructed in the ’80s. For me it was a revelation to finally hear these songs performed live, so much so that I forgot to take a photo (this was also partly being in awe at hearing music on stage again). Maybe I can get to do a full review if the band plays live again.

OMD were one of the pioneers of British electronic music at the end of the ’70s and their importance in the developing sound of what became tagged as “futurist” or even “new romantic” music can never be sung about too much. Influenced by Kraftwerk and ploughing the same furrow as contemporaries The Human League, OMD helped shaped an entire sound of British music in the early 1980s. Their tracks were played at the Blitz Club in London and their 1980 single “Enola Gay” was one of the earliest electronic top 20 hits in the UK (and possibly the first hit single to be about a nuclear bomb, or at least the plane carrying one).

As mentioned above, the band were celebrating the fortieth anniversary of their Architecture And Morality’ album that spawned three hit singles and changed the sound of OMD as well. My big revelation at the time when I first heard it was their use of Mellotrons, an instrument normally associated with prog rock (although Japan had used one on their Quiet Life album a year earlier). It’s a very special album and one that remains incredibly strong after four decades. Tonight, every track from the album got played, along with a few hits as well.

The title track announced the band’s arrival on stage, and a massive cheer went up as they launched into “Sealand” and slipped effortlessly into “Georgia”. Andy McCluskey informed us that they had played the venue twenty-one times, the first supporting Gary Numan, but tonight felt special. One thing I have to say about Mr McCluskey is the way he threw himself around stage and danced like a wild man during songs was mighty impressive for a person in his sixties (he did apologise for “dad dancing” to his daughter, who was there that night). It certainly made me feel that I don’t think I could sustain that amount of energy for that length of time.

Paul Humphreys stood by his synths, first singing the classic single “Souvenir” from behind them and then later venturing out to sing at the front of the stage, only to have a lot of ladies’ underwear thrown at him. But it’s the music that mattered the most; it was triumphant, melancholy and majestic all at the same time and it also made you want to dance as well. “Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans)” was a revelation live, McCluskey’s voice was exceptional and the standing ovation it received in the end was fully justified, a pure piece of magic. “Messages” reminded us just how danceable OMD were on that first album and what an infectious tune it is as well.

“Tesla Girls” and “Sailing On The Seven Seas” were just great singalong pop songs, while the tribute to silent movie star Louise Brooks, “Pandora’s Box”, was a revelation live, performed with a beautiful intensity that it sent a shiver down my spine. Obviously the set had to close with “Enola Gay”, a song that sounds as timeless as its message. Its here that the entire audience were up on their feet each, one of us turning back the clock forty years. For the encore, more dancing ensued when a frantic version of “Electricity” was played and we were all in a state of wonderful euphoria. The evening ended with the sedate “The Romance Of The Telescope”, a track Andy informs us was the closing song on the original Architecture tour.

As I made my way out of the venue, I mulled over the evening and thought how wonderful it was that OMD were one of my first live experiences after the lockdown. There was a comfort in knowing the songs, but beyond that the energy that the band put in to playing them live was quite incredible. OMD are still one of the most important bands around and they still know how to entertain an audience; and that is why, forty-plus years later, they are still going strong and looking like they are enjoying every minute of it. They appear to be touring in 2022 as well, so catch them if you can.

-Gary Parsons-