Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Played Terminal 5 [photos]

Photos by Andrew St. Clair

British synth pop pioneers, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, played Terminal 5 in support of their latest album, English Electric, giving the crowd a dance party that literally had the venue shaking. During their set, the band’s founders, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphrey, expertly pounded out their new wave sounds that span a 33 year career. Along with tracks from English Electric, they played classic songs like “Electricity”, “Locomotion” and “Tesla Girls”. Halfway through the set, McCluskey announced, “This next song is very Hollywood friendly” before jumping into their most popular track “If You Leave”.

Then came what McCluskey deemed the “intellectual quiet bit,” which featured “Joan of Arc”, “Maid of Orleans” and Paul Humphrey’s vocal duties on “Souvenir”. While introducing “Our System”, McCluskey stated “Voyager is leaving the solar system. This is the sound it made as it was passing Jupiter. This is what we write songs about.”

Then came the “intellectual dancing bit,” which included “So In Love”, “Sister Marie Says”, and “Enola Gay”, after which, the band said farewell and left the stage. Not surprisingly, the crowd begged for more by enthusiastically chanting “O-M-D!” Upon their return, Andy McCluskey said that it was the first time that a NYC crowd had ever done that and sentimentally proclaimed, “If you wait long enough… good things come.”

Opening the show was Diamond Rings (AKA John O’Regan), whose synth pop sound fit amazingly well alongside OMD, especially the songs from his second and most recent album, Free Dimensional. The larger, more polished production complemented his material perfectly. As for his performance, Diamond Rings commanded the stage with ease and was truly an inspired choice to open for OMD.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Diamond Rings