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A band with a rather
unusual name started to make good noises in 1979 and first played at
Friars supporting Gary Numan. Their appearance was notable for these two
young guys (Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys) were accompanied by the
faithful Winston, their 4 track TEAC tape machine. Within just over a
year, they had two successful albums, one of THE defining songs of the
1980s in Enola Gay and headlined their first big tour of which Friars
was the opening night. Throughout the 1980s OMD got bigger and bigger.
They came to an abrupt halt in 1988 and came back in 1991 with just Andy
McCluskey surviving the original line up. This line up was successful
and Andy called time on OMD in 1996 and became a successful songwriter,
notably scoring hits for Atomic Kitten.
OMD in it's original band
line up (the one that played Friars in 1980) reformed and toured their
classic Architecture and Morality album to packed houses and toured
again in 2008 throwing in some surprises that hadn't been played for
years. OMD played a prestigious show in Liverpool
in summer 2009 with the
Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and there are plans for a new studio
album in 2010.
We caught up with Andy in
February 2009 where he talks about OMD and the possibility (Friars world
exclusive - you heard it here first!) of playing Telegraph one last
time.
Friars Aylesbury Website (FAW) Two guys and a tape recorder (Winston)
was a little different in 1979, what was people’s reaction to your type
of music and presentation?
Andy
McCluskey (OMD) The initial reaction was mostly disinterested. Most
friends didn't get it and the first few gigs were hardly full.
FAW: The name of the band was presumably
was to provoke a reaction – how did that come about?
OMD:
We knew that two guys and a tape recorder was going to be unusual so we
specifically chose a name that would let people know that we were
unusual.. it didn't seem to matter much as we planned (only) one gig.
FAW: I remember being quite excited at
OMD supporting Gary Numan in 1979 having already heard some of the early
material and liking it – how did the support slot to Numan come about?
OMD: We had
released Electricity on Factory and Gary bought it and liked it. I think
that he liked the idea of us supporting him because we didn't take up too
much space stage.. Gary was very kind giving us transport, and food
backstage and no "buy on" (the offensive
practice of support bands having to buy the right to support the
headlining band - Ed)
FAW: How did the tour go ? Presumably
you must have picked up more and more fans on the way given that the
band continued to grow from strength to strength? These venues such as
Friars and Hammersmith Odeon must have been the biggest venues by far
that you had played up to that point?
OMD: The
tour was wonderful, friendly and a good experience.. especially as we were to
tour the same venues headlining exactly a year later.
FAW: How did Numan take to you?
Gary was
lovely and we can't thank him enough for his help and support.
FAW: The decision to expand to the band
to a four piece was presumably to not necessarily look more ‘real’ to
people but also to enhance the music and sound of the band? I personally
think it enhanced it a great deal.
OMD:
We had known and played in bands with Mal (Holmes - OMD drummer) since we were 16. We also knew
Martin (Cooper, OMD keyboard/sax player). However, we started as a two piece
because it seemed that only
Paul and I liked what we wanted to do. We were a two piece out of
necessity! Once the first LP had been done and there seemed to be an
audience it was logical to expand.
FAW: I have to confess as a fan that
seeing you do "Dancing" on the Old Grey Whistle Test in early 1980 was a defining moment for me
in OMD’s history….as well as seeing you on Top of the Pops for the first time. 1980
was very much a pivotal year releasing two albums? That’s a rarity even
then. How did that come about? Was it record company pressure or was it
just the right thing to do?
OMD:
1980 was an amazing year! beginning with the first LP that never got
higher than 27 in the charts but still went gold. and then our first hit
Messages.. and finishing the year with Enola Gay and the big tours! We
had so many songs that we were ready for two LPs in one year.
FAW: The Organisation tour in 1980
opened at Aylesbury Friars and surprised some people by selling out
(presumably to some, you weren’t a ‘name’), but you must have
sensed/realised that the start of something very big was not far away? I
have to say that was an amazing gig showing a real maturity and a huge
leap from 12 months previously.
OMD: Thank
you. We were always nervous about ticket sales.. the agents and
promoters were more confident. It was a very fast journey from rejected
obscurity to big record sales and sold out gigs! We had to learn a lot
very quickly. I remember talking to the tour manager before the Friars
gig saying that there were many songs where I didn't play bass ... so
would should I do?.. He said "be a front man".. I said " I don't know
how" I can remember during the gig actually having to think about what
to do.. "I will go to this side of the stage.. I'll look over there,
I'll sing to that person.. I'll look to the back and make a hand
gesture.. I felt so weird like I was pretending to be a rock star!
FAW: Sadly OMD didn’t play Friars after that, something you commented on
the website and wished you had given the intimacy of the venue, but
after Organisation, the band was becoming bigger and bigger – the follow
up album Architecture and Morality took you in a different direction but
proved hugely popular. Was it easy keeping it all in perspective after a
fairly quick (for the time) rise to success?
OMD: I think
that we had perspective for a while but by 1985/6 we were starting to be
too busy.. tours were very long trying to break the USA and not enough
time to think of good song material.. we just didn't realise at the
time. We were doing our best but we had run out of ideas and needed more
time.
FAW: Dazzle Ships is a monumental piece
- dark, mysterious and unlike anything OMD did before (or since). John
Peel tried to describe what this was about and gave up saying that
whatever it was, you did it well and played this album a lot. What was
the thinking behind this album? There aren’t many albums that use Radio
Prague ‘call’ routines or multi national speaking clocks…..
OMD: I was
trying to go even further with our music than we had already gone. You
have to remember that we started as an experimental band.. we did music
to try to "change the world" though in hindsight I'm not sure how we
thought we would do that. Dazzle Ships was a logical extension.
FAW: With the continued success through
the 1980s, it must have been a bit odd carrying the OMD moniker by
yourself into the 1990s?
OMD: Yes it
was initially.. I tried to hide behind the OMD corporate logo.
FAW: After the ‘retirement’ of OMD you
started writing songs for others most notably very successfully for
Atomic Kitten – is this something, given current OMD activity you see
yourself still doing?
OMD: I loved
the Atomic Kitten early days.. it was crazy and it was fun.. I love the
girls dearly.. but in the end we had a falling out manufactured by other
people who will remain nameless.. I didn't see this coming and didn't
really respond properly. It's a very dirty business, the whole
manufactured pop business very dirty indeed.. you have no idea what
people are up to.
FAW: It was fantastic for OMD fans when
the classic line up (1980 onwards) returned to British theatres in 2007
playing the whole of Architecture and Morality, so that is obviously a
pivotal album for you, say more so that Junk Culture which people may be
more familiar with because of the hits? There are those who would see
Dazzle Ships as the ‘classic’……
OMD: Architecture
and Morality is
usually cited as the classic but many have different favourites.
FAW: You must have been delighted with
the reaction to the 2007 tour – I saw you at Cambridge and the reaction
was truly astonishingly wild and judging by the look of it, you retained your
original audience (and their children!) which is no mean feat – do you
think you have picked up new fans on the way?.
OMD:
Certainly there were several second generation fans who didn't all look
too embarrassed at being dragged there by the parents.. I guess that
electro is back in fashion again.
FAW: OMD touring again in 2008 was like
full circle to me in some respects – the London Roundhouse is basically
a bigger version of Friars so brought back some great memories of that
kind of environment – looked like you were having a good time too. I
would recommend anyone to an OMD gig just to see Maid of Orleans where
you really go for it!
OMD: I don't
know how much longer I will be able to throw myself around stage.. some
would say that it's already been 30 years too long.. but it's what I
do.. for better or worse.
FAW: What does the future hold now for
OMD – clearly people have not forgotten about you – will you be playing
any more concerts in 2009 and if so what sort of format would the shows
take? A new album? Another whole album? Dazzle Ships in its entirety?
Will you ever play Telegraph again?
OMD: We have
a concert on June 20th with the RLPO in Liverpool.. that will be
fantastic... and more plans to go forward.
May even play
Telegraph live one last time.. though the key may have to be lowered.
FAW:
Andy, thanks for your time
and look forward to the summer!
OMD:
Cheers..
OMD official website
This interview and its
content are © 2009 Mike O'Connor/www.aylesburyfriars.co.uk and may not
be used in whole or in part without permission.
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