On August 28, one of the pioneers of synth-pop and the brightest representatives of this style - the group OMD, or Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark - will perform for the first time in Latvia in the Kimmel quarter (Riga, ulitsa Bruninieku, 2).

Such well-known hits as Electricity, Messages, Enola Gay, Locomotion, Souvenir, Sailing On The Seven Seas, Pandora's Box, (Forever) Live And Die, Maid of Orleans (The Waltz of Joan of Arc), If You Leave, So in Love, Walking on the Milky Way, made OMD not only one of the most significant musical groups of the 80s, but also a source of inspiration for many stars of popular music up to our days. From Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys and Human League to Moby, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Future Islands and others.

Ticket service:

December 17, from 10:00 a.m., advance sale only for subscribers www.ltips.lv

19 December, with 10:00, the beginning of the public sale

The anniversary of Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark (OMD) is considered to be October 12, 1978, when soloist and bassist Andy McCluskey and keyboardist and vocalist Paul Humphreys performed for the first time under this name at the Liverpool club "Eric's club". Until then, they have already participated in several musical projects, the most famous of which was The Id. Two young people were united by their passion for krautrock, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno and David Bowie.

A very important role in the formation of the musical style of the group was played by the very simple synthesizer Korg M-500 Micro Preset, bought on credit by mother E. McCluskey. He defined a laconic rhythm, which is vividly complemented by melancholic vocals and memorable melodies with interludes.

The first single OMD, Electricity (Makklaski later described it as: "a faster, punk version of Radioactivity from Kraftwerk with a chorus"), released in 1980, allowed the duo to sign a first contract with the label, releasing a debut album of the same name, which included another hit, Messages. The duo gained wider recognition in Europe and for the first time in the USA with the song Enola Gay from their second album "Organization" (1980) - a controversial composition in which the pulsating rhythm of the dance floor and passionate melody contrast with the piercing text about the American plane from which the nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

With the release of the album "Organization", OMD becomes a group of four people for a while - drummer Malcolm Holmes and saxophonist and keyboard player Martin Cooper join the main duo. This composition is considered golden in the history of the group. "Architecture & Morality" - the third album - clearly demonstrates the creative and professional growth of musicians, presenting to us classic compositions: Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc and Souvenir.

Since the experimental fourth album "Dazzle Ships" failed, the musicians decide to direct their style to the side of more unpretentious pop music. In the commercial plan, it turns out to be a successful solution - along with the albums "Junk Culture" (1984) and "Crush" (1985), listeners receive such hits as Locomotion, Tesla Girls, Talking Loud and Clear, So In Love and Secret. The highest position in the American chart is occupied by the ballad If You Leave Me, written for the film "Beauty in Pink". In 1989, Andy McCluskey remains the only member of OMD, as the others decide to create their own group called The Listening Pool. Первый альбом OMD in the solo version of Makklaski, “Sugar Tax” (1991), turns out to be quite successful, as it includes such hits as Sailing On The Seven Seas and Pandora's Box. Кроме того, despite the cold attitude of British radio stations, listeners eventually rated Walking on the Milky Way from the album "Universal" (1996).

Between 1996 and 2006, the OMD project was suspended, and the members of the duet mostly worked separately. McCluskey collaborated with the former member of Kraftwerk Karl Bartos and created the female pop group Atomic Kitten, and Humphreys created the Onetwo project together with Claudia Brücken, the former vocalist of the German synth-pop group Propaganda.

Since 2006, OMD reunited in its golden lineup: McCluskey, Humphreys, Holmes and Cooper. Only drummer Malcolm Holmes was replaced by Stuart Kershaw in 2015 due to his health problems. During the reunion, OMD released 4 studio albums, the last of which, "Bauhaus Staircase", was released in 2023. This clearly shows that the group is one of the few in its generation that is still able to create music that inspires and receives recognition from critics and fans.

In 2024, they went on their most extensive and successful tour of Great Britain, culminating in their largest ever performance at the London Arena O2.

Over the past almost five decades, the group has sold more than 40 million records worldwide, establishing itself as a pioneer of electronic synthesizer music and one of the most beloved pop groups in Great Britain.

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