Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Live from York Museum Gardens - REVIEW
- Natasha Judge
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) brought electricity to York Museum Gardens this week.
The Merseyside-formed band performed to a sold out crowd on Thursday evening, with fans old and new weaved throughout the attendees.
In front of the St Mary’s Abbey ruins, the group performed hits such as ‘Enola Gay’, ‘Sailing on the Seven Seas’, and ‘Joan of Arc’.
Original members from 1978, front man Andy McCluskey and keyboardist Paul Humphreys led the gig, accompanied by Stuart Kershaw on drums, and saxophonist and keyboardist Martin Cooper.
Front man, Andy McCluskey, addressed younger concert attendees as “OMD virgins”, and despite forgetting a line of two on an earlier track, encapsulated the sea of fans for 90 minutes.
McCluskey had a lot of energy from the opening track ‘Isotype’ all the way to the encore, with unique moves that could definitely be used as inspiration when tearing up a future dance floor.
The new wave sound assuredly brought many of the crowd back in time, and it’s safe to say they have stood the tests of time, and still sound superb.
From the beautiful performance of track ‘Souvenir’, to swaying arms to ‘Talking Loud and Clear’, and sing-a-longs to the Pretty in Pink soundtrack song ‘If You Leave’, it was a memorable evening of tunes as the sunset.
There were accompanying graphics for each track, which paired well with the synth-pop genre, and brought colour to the stage to juxtapose their ‘dark’ attire.
The enjoyment of the crowd was mirrored on stage, as the band were seen repeatedly smiling at the York crowd.
Keyboardist, Paul Humphreys, said: “Thank you all so much for making this such a wonderful night!”
We were definitely grooving to ‘Locomotion’, and McCluskey blew the audience a kiss during Enola Gay.
The evening also saw performances from Andrew Cushin, China Crisis, and Heaven 17 who warmed the audience up in spirits, to pair with an already warm Yorkshire evening.
An evening highlight was China Crisis’ set, another Merseyside band infused with saxophone, and even an aerophone, which had people grooving. The York crowd were clapping in unison, especially to the 1985 tune ‘King in a Catholic Style’.
Heaven 17, though had a few sound imbalances at the start of their set, were a well suited act to the billing. Their hit ‘(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang’ had a 2026 update, and he echoed “we don’t need this Farage groove thang” when speaking to the crowd.
The group did a great cover of David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, before their hit ‘Temptation’, and received a hyped crowd reaction.
Those who got down early were able to see Newcastle singer-songwriter, Andrew Cushin, who delivered indie alternative rock for half an hour, though we definitely could have heard more!
OMD kicked off the four day schedule of events at the Museum Gardens, with Self Esteem, Super Furry Animals, and a comedy festival taking place in the centre.
This evening was another great summer billing at the Museum Gardens. This year saw upgraded larger viewing screens at either side of the stage, and it is hoped it will continue to grow year after year as a great addition to York’s live music scene.
For further information on live events at the York Museum Gardens, visit here, and for upcoming OMD gigs, visit here.
Setlist
Isotype
Messages
Tesla Girls
(Forever) Live and Die
If You Leave
Souvenir
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)
Veruschka
Talking Loud and Clear
Dreaming
Locomotion
Sailing on the Seven Seas
Enola Gay
Walking on the Milky Way
Pandora’s Box
Electricity
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