Music / Reviews
Review: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Bristol Sounds – ‘Simply electrifying’
Cast in a golden haze, Lloyds Amphitheatre lit up (literally and metaphorically) for the fourth night of Bristol Sounds.
Topping the bill were 80’s electro-synth band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark but before that were Newcastle youngster Andrew Cushin alongside the Undertones.
We all turned to watch and wave as a Thatchers hot air balloon sailed overhead, the amphitheatre backlit by the setting sun: a picture perfect snapshot of Bristol if there ever was one, a beautiful welcome to the Northern Irish lads who were about to take to the stage.
It was another sunny evening of a week of high temperatures that had left some concerned, but Bristol Sounds went ahead regardless
For a support act, the Undertones were a tough act to follow.
Filled with jokes about whether Donald Trump was going to buy the building that was home to Lloyd’s bank since the 1990s and pointing out an audience member for taking a phone call during one of their songs, they turned the somewhat timid crowd into a frenzy.
Blitzing through their impressive catalogue from 1978 right through to 2003, the band played to the crowd as their setlist pulled heavily from their seminal debut album, The Undertones.
Dancing round the stage and singing his heart out, Paul McLoone was the epitome of a front man. Fergal who?
Next up was who we had all been waiting for, if the crowds t-shirts were anything to go by. Flocks of gig-goes with tour tees and bucket hats waited restlessly as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark descended onto the stage.
Regarded as pioneers of electronic music, their live show makes it easy to understand why. The full band included keys, guitar, bass, drums and saxophone, translating their celebrated hits from vinyl to the stage effortlessly.
And, of course, none of it would be the same without Andy McCluskey’s distinct vocals and the stunning visuals displayed behind him.
OMD recently completed the biggest tour to date of their four-decade career
For their track If You Leave (from John Hughes’ 1986 film Pretty in Pink), the band projected snapshots and stills in multicoloured hues of Molly Ringwald’s protagonist Andie Walsh.
For Sailing on the Seven Seas, shades of blue shone from the stage while for the most renowned song of their discography, scenes of mushroom clouds and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber that the first atomic bomb ever used in warfare, for which the song – Enola Gay – is named, were haunting.
It was the fourth night of the six-concert series which concludes on Sunday
The crowd were jumping, clapping and singing the words right back to him.
It was fitting for the band to close the night with their debut single, Electricity. The night was simply electrifying.
All images: Issy Packer
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
