OMD – ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK — live event
By rights, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark should be in semi-retirement, performing classics like Enola Gay and Maid Of Orleans on the nostalgia festival circuit like so many peers. Instead, they’ve created a landmark album worthy of their finest work. Having made one of their most universally acclaimed albums last time out, when 2017’s The Punishment Of Luxury returned Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys to the Top Five for the first time since 1991’s Sugar Tax, the duo have somehow managed to better it. Welcome to Bauhaus Staircase, both OMD’s most explicitly political record and the crowning achievement of their desire to be both Stockhausen and Abba. The universal love shown for The Punishment Of Luxury meant there were doubts about making a new album at all. “The fans and the critics said: ‘You can put The Punishment Of Luxury up against their best work’ and rated it next to Architecture And Morality or Dazzle Ships,” notes Paul Humphreys. “The reception was so good, we thought: ‘Maybe we should stop now, at the top,’ so the idea of making a new record had some trepidation for us.” McCluskey agrees, explaining: “We’ve worked hard to rebuild ourselves since reforming, and we’re in a wonderful position where we’re cooler than we’ve been for a long time. We wouldn’t forgive ourselves if we released an album where fans said: ‘Oh no, this is the one where they’re a pastiche of themselves.’ If Bauhaus Staircase is to be our last album, we’re going out with a strong statement.” The new album’s beautiful film noir ballad Veruschka exemplifies the determination OMD had to make Bauhaus Staircase an album to rank among their finest. McCluskey reasons: “My attitude is like I say in that song: if you’re too afraid to jump off the cliff, you’ll never learn to fly. We couldn’t keep saying: ‘It’s not going to work.’ You have to keep trying, to see where you end up.” The impetus to kickstart new explorations came during lockdown when, as McCluskey admits: “I rediscovered the power of total boredom.” He acknowledges he was privileged to have that comfort, but being stuck at home took the singer back to his earliest days as a songwriter: “It was like being a teenager, mum watching Kojak and me thinking: ‘Fuck this, I’m going to my room to write a song.’ For the first time since then, there was nothing else to do. It’s good inspiration.” McCluskey had long wanted to write songs called Anthropocene, Kleptocracy and Bauhaus Staircase. Here was his chance. WITH SPECIAL GUEST : WALT DISCO Walt Disco are a band who defy all convention to create a world of their own, truly like no other. Their fearless, unique pop songs are created without constraint, with a message of self expression at the very core of everything they do. Blending a cacophony of sounds ranging from new wave and glam rock to queer modern art-pop, the Glasgow-based sextet’s youthful songs are as much dancefloor fillers as they are anthemic earworms. With a penchant for memorable songs which resonate across generations, vocalist and band leader James Potter writes earnest lyrics about self exploration and love in the digital age.
Starts: 2025-07-06T20:00:17Z
Ends: 2025-07-06T22:00:17Z
Where: 370 New York Avenue, Huntington, New York 11743, United States
Price: $45.75