OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)

Andy McCluskey (vocals and bass) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards) were only after one thing when they started Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in 1978: to change the world. Punk was exploding in London, but on the outskirts of Liverpool, far from safety pins and tartan, the duo found their own way of rebelling, by swapping out guitars for sythensizers, travelling the motorway paved by Kraftwerk.

They didn't trust success, but found it without looking with hits like 'Enola Gay' off their second album, 'Organisation' (1980) and 'Souvenir' and 'Joan of Arc (Maid of Oreleans)' from their third effort, 'Architecture & Morality' (1981). The experimental 'Dazzle Ships' (1983) was a commercial harakiri, and industry pressure pushed them to mass-produced pop. A half a dozen duds went out until the mid-90s when they disbanded. Back together in the mid-2000s, OMD now present their third LP from the band's second era, 'The Punishment of Luxury' (2017).