Happening

Strange Things Are Happening, Richard Norris' memoir of a frankly incredible life, dropped through my letterbox last weekend. I ordered it back in October 2023 so to say that I have been eagerly awaiting it's arrival is an understatement. 

I ordered the book via Heavenly so not only is it signed by Richard, there's a bonus CD featuring "Mixes and Collaborations 1988-2023". Of the 14 tracks, half are completely new to me, but when the ones I already own include remixes of Floatation by The Grid, Roscoe by Midlake, Disco/Very by Warpaint and Willow's Song by Katy J Pearson, then it's wonderful to have them all together on one shiny disc.

I've not started reading Strange Things Are Happening yet, as I'm (now hurriedly) trying to finish another book that I'd not long started but I'd still have no hesitation in recommending it. Given the sheer breadth and depth of Richard's contribution to music, which has been ever present for more than two thirds of my life, I am looking forward to experiencing those moments through his eyes, memories and words. 

I've tried a few times before to present Richard's music via a Dubhed selection, whether Beyond The Wizards Sleeve, The Grid or an attempt to encapsulate his wider work. An impossible task really but nature loves a trier so I've had another go.

This time, it's a mammoth 22 tracks, clocking in at exactly one hour and forty five minutes. In respect of sequencing and segueways, it's an absolute mess: if you've come here for amateurish crossfades, jarring edits and incongruous tracklist partners, then you've come to the right place. If I tried this in person in a public place, I'd be out on the pavement, my hard drive bouncing off my skull as the proprietor lobbed it after me.

However, focus past my ham-fisted attempts at mixing and marvel at the ambition and creativity of the artist at the heart of it all. Whether his own compositions, partnerships with Dave Ball, Erol Alkan, Finnur Bjarnason or more recently with Rachel Thomas and Stuart Carter as The Order Of The 12, Richard has the uncanny knack of tapping into something special. This transcends genres, hitting the sweet spot whether aimed at  club, dub or ambient heads, to name but a few.

Many of these are significantly edited - the original version of Ultramarine is twenty minutes long - but all are worth tracking down in digital or physical formats. A good starting point is Richard's Bandcamp page. I've been a subscriber for over a year and it's worth every penny.

 

1) Couldn't Do (The Time & Space Machine Remix By Richard Norris): Cheval Sombre (2014) 

2) Promises (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Reanimation By Richard Norris & Erol Alkan): Badly Drawn Boy (2007) 

3) Winter In June: Beyond The Wizards Sleeve ft. Percy Thrower (2007)

4) 10 Killer Hurtz More (Remix By Little Annie, Richard Norris & Skip McDonald): Little Annie (1994)

5) Texas Cowboys (Low Plains Prankster Mix By Justin Robertson): The Grid (1993)

6) Ultramarine (Edit): Richard Norris (2023)

7) April (Edit): Richard Norris (2021)

8) Ghost Dance: Richard Norris (2021)

9) This Too Shall Pass Away (Album Version By The Grid): World Of Twist (1991)

10) Morning Velvet Sky (Richard Norris Dub): Gulp (2018)

11) Meet Every Situation Head On (DJ Jackmaster Tab Fitness Mix By Richard Norris): M.E.S.H. (1988)

12) I Love I Hate (Lakeside Mix By The Grid): Neil Arthur (1994)

13) Pagan Dub (Edit): Richard Norris (2024)

14) Inner Communication Dub (Edit): Richard Norris (2024)

15) Find Yourself (Richard Norris Remix): Jacco Gardner (2015)

16) Lundi Bleu (The Grid 'Praise The Lord' Mix By Dave Ball & Richard Norris) (Cover of 'Blue Monday' by New Order): The Times (1992)

17) House Of Love (Single Version By The Grid): Billie Ray Martin (1993)

18) Abide With Me (Holy Dub - Remix By The Grid) (Cover of traditional song): Vic Reeves (1991)

19) Finally (The Time & Space Machine Re-Edit By Richard Norris) (Cover of Ce Ce Peniston): Cherry Ghost (2010) 

20) Somewhere Nearly Gone: The Order Of The 12 (2022)

21) Before Tomorrow (Richard Norris' Avalon Remix): Hollow Hand ft. Tim Smith (2023)

22) Hotel Du Lac 66º N2 (Edit): The Long Now (2018)

 

1988: Meet Every Situation Head On EP: 11 

1991: Abide With Me EP: 18

1991: Quality Street: 9 

1992: Lundi Bleu EP: 16

1993: 4 Ambient Tales EP: 17

1993: Texas Cowboys EP: 5 

1994: I Love I Hate EP: 12

1994: In Dread With Little Annie EP: 4

2007: Promises EP: 2

2007: West EP: 3 

2010: We Sleep On Stones EP: 19

2014: Couldn't Do EP: 1

2015: Find Yourself EP: 15

2018: Morning Velvet Sky EP: 10 

2018: Restoration EP: 22

2021: Music For Healing: January-December: 7

2021: Music For Soundtracks, Vol. 1: 8 

2022: Lore Of The Land: 20

2023: Before Tomorrow EP: 21

2023: Music For Healing: Colours: 6 

2024: Oracle Sound Volume Two: 13

2024: Oracle Sound Volume 3: Dub In Progress: 14

 

Happening (1:45:00) (KF) (Mega)

For your further listening pleasure:

Beyond The Wizards Sleeve: How Do We Start? (23rd July 2021)

The Grid: Think For Yourself And Question Authority (3rd December 2022)

Richard Norris: Clarity (6th August 2023)

What Are These Strange Enchantments That Start Whenever You're Near?

Going way back to 1964 for today's eclectic selection of 15 songs, designed to energise your Easter.

Some stone cold classics from The Kinks, The Temptations, The Beatles and Bob Dylan and not much I can add to the millions of words that have been written about them in the last six decades, other than...the songwriters would deserve legendary status if these were the only songs that they had written. And yet, they went on to write even better songs. Boggles the mind, sometimes.

In March 1964, my folks had barely been married a year and the hopes and dreams that my brother and I would subsequently crush were some years away. Back then, they were working hard and saving money to buy a house and start a family, so buying records was a luxury they couldn't afford. So, compilations have been an essential doorway into the past for me. And there are some cracking ones to be found.

 

Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (the 1998 4CD not the original 1972 double vinyl) offers up The Beau Brummels. In the early 2000s, a series of CDs curated by Saint Etienne caught my attention. I think Songs For Mario's Cafe (2004) might have been the first and introduced me to many artists, including Philadelphia trio The Sapphires. Let's Break Up For A While was written by Jerry Ross and Kenneth Gamble, the latter going on to enshrine the sound of Philadelphia in partnership with Leon Huff. Beryl Marsden was revealed to me via the essential Love Hit Me! compilation in 2016. The subtitle Decca Beat Girls 1962-1970 tells you all you need to know other than it's 24 tracks of pure pop gold.

Film and TV tie-ins were also a big thing and this selection features a 4-song sequence of music that became a staple of my gogglebox experience as a kid in the 1970s. Still a year away from the big-screen adaptation in 1965, Doctor Who was nevertheless proving to be something of a phenomenon, largely thanks to those psychotic pepperpots the Daleks. The unforgettable theme tune was also subject to numerous cover versions, mostly an attempt to 'normalise' the out-there music of Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Eric Winstone & His Orchestra being one such culprit.

The Munsters were another must-watch for me, though I'm pretty sure I didn't get to see it until the Channel 4 repeats in the early 80s and, if I'm honest, The Addams Family were my favourite if forced to choose. What I didn't know until a few years ago is that, cashing in on the TV show's success, 1964 saw "the newest teen-age singing group" The Munsters appear with a 12-song eponymous album. Sadly, despite some of the promo photos, not the actors themselves but a quartet of musicians who performed wearing rubber masks of their respective characters. It's derivative, but not as bad as it sounds.

Stingray was one of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation successes, high action, big budget puppet TV with all strings visible, oversized heads (didn't I do this already?) and lips that predicted the botox revolution of the 21st century. Aqua Marina was the closing theme song by The Barry Gray Orchestra, a paean to the amphibian beauty that captured the heart of lead character Troy Tempest. I always felt for Lt. Atlanta Shore, gazing wistfully at a photo of Troy. Yep, as a toddler I was already emotionally invested in TV characters!

Elvis Presley films were constantly on TV during my childhood, so I was familiar with the songs, even if the plots themselves were almost instantly forgettable. In recent years, the promo poster for Viva Las Vegas also adorns one of my tote shopping bags. 

Rounding out the selection are another quartet of legends, The Pretty Things, Simon & Garfunkel and The Rolling Stones covering Chuck Berry, with The Queen Of Motown Mary Wells response to The Temptations' My Girl. 

Perhaps not the selection or sequence that you might have expected from a 1964 collection but somehow, it all makes perfect sense. Must be those strange enchantments that Gary Miller was singing of...

 

1) Laugh, Laugh: The Beau Brummels

2) All Day And All Of The Night: The Kinks 

3) The Way You Do The Things You Do: The Temptations

4) Let's Break Up For A While: The Sapphires

5) Don't Bring Me Down: The Pretty Things

6) My Guy: Mary Wells

7) Dr. Who (Cover of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop): Eric Winstone & His Orchestra

8) Eerie Beach: The Munsters

9) Aqua Marina: The Barry Gray Orchestra ft. Gary Miller & Joan Brown

10) Viva Las Vegas: Elvis Presley

11) Bleecker Street: Simon & Garfunkel

12) Eight Days A Week: The Beatles

13) Carol (Cover of Chuck Berry): The Rolling Stones

14) The Times They Are A-Changin': Bob Dylan

15) Love Is Going To Happen To Me: Beryl Marsden

Strange Enchantments (38:22) (KF) (Mega)

Hifi Weekend

It's the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and I can't think of a better pick for Good Friday than Hifi Sean aka Sean Dickson. Fortunately, Sean has been incredibly busy and three months into 2024 and there's already been a stack of new stuff to delight in.

 

For all you disco lovers, The Redemption has it all: beats, bass, funky guitar, strings, choir and uplifting vocals from cousins DeVonde and Inaya Day.

Redemption was originally released in 2012 as DeVonde & Mangesto featuring Inaya Day, the latter co-writing the song with Ashleigh K. Ward. Here's the video.

 

The original version was club-friendly but Hifi Sean's skill is in taking a song to a place that both celebrates the past but can also tear up a contemporary club. I had the same reaction listening to this as I did his rework of Fire Island's (cover of) Shout To The Top a few years ago. Phenomenally phunky. I've included the full length version here but there's also a radio edit and dub version for your extended pleasure.

Not content with that, today sees the release and rejuvenation of another decade-old school classic, albeit this time one of Sean's own. Back in 2013, Sean and Severino Panzetta collaborated as Up Yours, putting out a trio of singles including London. It's a minimalist banger featuring the unmistakable vocals of FERAL is KINKY, for those of us of a certain vintage better known as Caron Geary aka MC Kinky whose unique raggamuffin toasting was everywhere in the early to mid 90s.

London is back (if you know what I mean), this time as Hifi Sean & Severino x FERAL is KINKY, with a fresh remix from Loffe Beats aka Christofer Loffe Eriksson. Bandcamp is offering a 3-track single with extended versions of the original and Loffe Beats remix, plus a dub. Juno Download has a 5-track EP, adding radio edits of the first two. All worth your while.

 

And is that's not enough, then Hifi Sean has also delivered another dancefloor monster with Clone, his contribution to volume 2 of No Tears In The Backroom on Polari Records, which exploded onto the scene at the end of January.

It's a mutant disco classic in the making, evoking The Human League produced by Martin Rushent and Zeus B. Held and Gina X, with an insistent beat, synth stabs, cowbells, I'm sure I even heard a kitchen sink in there somewhere. I'm at home, thirty odd miles away from the nearest club, yet I'm right there, feeling the sweat, the lights, the floor bouncing from the pulsating crowd. The cat's freaking out, I can tell you.

I'm unfamiliar with most of the artists on No Tears In The Backroom, but if you like Clone then you'll enjoy the album as a whole. 18 Euros for a 10-track digital compilation might be a bit of a stretch for many, Bandcamp Friday or not. If money's tight and you're open to MP3, WAV, FLAC, etc., then shop around and you'll find other digital retailers offering it within your budget.

 

Sadly, I had tickets to see Hifi Sean and David McAlmont at the Omeara in London last month and was unfortunately unable to go, though a couple of friends in the Big Smoke were able to make use of them and had a great time. I'm hoping (really hoping) Sean and David will get to tour the UK again real soon.

 

A week before the Omera gig the duo performed at Polari in Heaven, curated by Paul Burston (in the audience) and joined onstage by BSL interpreter Paul Michaels. The following clip starts with the tail end of a new song which includes the refrain, "my instinct for survival is to celebrate" and closes with The Skin I'm In. I mean, just wow.

However and wherever you're spending this weekend, wishing you all a good one. This blog will not be taking a break, so I hope to see you back here tomorrow!

Let It Sink In, You're Sinking

Posting John Cale's video yesterday has got the YouTube algorithms working overtime, convinced that I have more than a passing interest in videos featuring human beings in oversized puppet heads. Luckily, Australian four-piece Girl And Girl stepped up to the mark by releasing their single and video, Mother, on Sunday (24th).

 

It's the first I've heard of them, so I don't have much of an opinion other than that this is a pleasing racket, lyrics that are inspired by (or aspire to be) Sparks, at least in terms of structure, word play and repetition. The video itself is a visually diverting narrative of a mother and baby though even as I was watching it, I wondered if it was also a distraction from the fact that, at four minutes, the song was a minute or so too long. Repeated listens will confirm or reject that first impression. 

I know next to nothing about Girl And Girl but according to the record label bio, the band appear to have been around since 2020, have released a ton of singles and EPs via Bandcamp, signed to Sub Pop last year, touring the UK including the Dot To Dot Festival in Bristol and are poised to issue their debut album Call A Doctor on 24th May.

 

Hello was the first single from the album, with a relatively conventional video to boot.

 

Girl And Girl comprises Kai James (vocals, guitar), Jayden Williams (guitar), Fraser Bell (bass) and Kai's Aunty Liss aka Melissa James (drums), the latter continuing a trend of aunties and uncles in bands that first made an impression on me with Tubeway Army and Gary Numan's uncle in the late 1970s.

 

Curiosity aside, Girl And Girl haven't immediately gone on my Bandcamp Friday shopping list but if you like what you hear, they're touring Australia and the USA in April and May before playing the Les Eurokennees (France) and End Of The Road (England) festivals in the summer.

[Uninspiring Story Of Marginal Corporate Climb]

John Cale's third appearance this month, following a shared birthday knees up with Martin Fry of ABC and an appearance in my #Colours Top 20 selection over yonder on Twitter. 

 

And no, today's post title isn't a comment on Mr. Cale's career but a subtitle lifted from the video to his latest single and video, How We See The Light, which was released on Tuesday, ahead of a new album, POPtical Illusion, on 14th June.

 

Health warning: as the thumbnail indicates, the video contains repeated images of oversize papier mache heads.

 

A piano-driven number, How We See The Light feels a little, er, lighter than the dense soundscapes of previous album Mercy, although the promo blurb promises that POPtical Illusion retains "the same feelings of fierce and inquisitive rage" that informed it's predecessor.

 

There's a gorgeous looking limited edition (of 1000) double album on respective pink and mint vinyl, with 12 songs, a bonus 7" with 2 exclusive songs and a download to access two CD-only songs. There's also POPitem, described as "a limited edition illusionary twirling paper Objet". 

 

Sounds lovely, but at £59.99 a little rich for my tastes and in my efforts to manage my in-house clutter, I'll likely eschew even the CD format and go for the download. All available from the Domino label website.

L'heure De La Femme

Side 2 of a cassette compilation featuring Saint Etienne, recorded 27th July 1997, with Espiritu on Side 1.

 

I had to go back and check as I couldn't quite believe it, but this is the first time that Bob, Pete and Sarah have had a dedicated selection on this blog. Why did I leave it so long?!

 

This mixtape was almost certainly precision tooled to serve two purposes: firstly, to provide some 'poppy' music to soundtrack to my walk into work; secondly, a so-hip-it-hurts selection of background music for when my girlfriend and I entertained friends in our cosy terraced rental in south Bristol, which we seemed to do quite a lot in the late 1990s. 

I loved Saint Etienne from the moment I first heard them, which would have been the cover of Neil Young's Only Love Can Break Your Heart, on a mixtape compiled by my brother and posted airmail to accompany me on my travels around Australia in 1991.

 

A few years later, my brother and I were baking in the sun with some friends on Castle Green in Bristol, somewhat inebriated it has to be said, whilst Mark Goodier introduced a PA from Saint Etienne. I remember it but don't remember it, if you know what I mean. Looking up info online for that BBC Radio 1 Roadshow, Saint Etienne were the definite draw for us, although Credit To The Nation would have had an appeal. Less so for Tony DiBart, Worlds Apart, Gloworm and some double act called PJ & Duncan. I wonder what happened to them?

 

I've never seen Saint Etienne live in concert, something that I hope to rectify one day as I've stuck with them over the years and I've loved their constant experimentation and reinvention whilst never losing the true essence of their singular sound. I've Been Trying To Tell You, released in 2021, delivered their first UK Top 20 album since Good Humour in 1998 and tenth Top 40 album overall.

 

This selection zooms in on the 5-year period from 1991 to 1996, and their first 'greatest hits' phase with the compilations Born To Die (singles) and Casino Classics (remixes), combining the spirit of both in one C90 side.

 

When I said 'poppy' earlier, I meant it but of course Saint Etienne's brand of pop is dosed with melancholy, a wistfulness, a memory of things that were and are no longer. Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs are masters of melody though you can see why they ditched early plans to continue with guest vocalists when they hooked up with Sarah Cracknell, whose voice and presence provided the final, critical element to Saint Etienne.

 

Oh, and for the eagle-eyed amongst you who spotted my terrible typo on the cassette sleeve artwork, I got a D in my French O Level in 1987 and clearly hadn't improved in the decade since!

 

1) Hobart Paving (Album Version) (1993)

2) Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Album Version ft. Moira Lambert) (Cover of Neil Young) (1991)

3) People Get Real (Single Version) (1992)

4) Hug My Soul (12" Mix By Mark 'Spike' Stent) (1994)

5) X Amours (Paper) (Single Version ft. Etienne Daho) (1995)

6) Leafhound (Album Version) (1993)

7) He's On The Phone (Motiv8 Mix By Steve Rodway ft. Etienne Daho) (1995)

8) Burnt Out Car (Balearico Mix By Brian Higgins & Matt Gray) (1996)

9) Like A Motorway (Rick Smith Mix) (1994)

10) Pale Movie (Lemonentry Mix By Rick Smith) (1994)

1991: Foxbase Alpha: 2

1992: Join Our Club/People Get Real EP: 3

1993: So Tough: 1, 6

1994: Hug My Soul EP: 4

1994: Like A Motorway EP: 9

1994: Pale Movie EP: 10

1995: He's On The Phone EP: 7

1995: Reserection EP (by Saint Etienne Daho): 5

1996: Angel EP (promo CD single): 8

L'heure De La Femme (46:25) (KF) (Mega)

As a bonus treat, I've resurrected the link to the Espiritu selection on Side 1 so that you can enjoy the complete C90 experience.

Together We Hope

Ibibio Sound Machine are back with their fifth album in May called Pull The Rope. The title track - and opening song - was released as a single earlier this month and I have been obsessed with it ever since. That bassline! That voice!

 

It was Jez from A History Of Dubious Taste whose review of 2022's fourth album Electricity properly introduced me to the band and prompted me to give it a try. It turned out to be one of my favourites of the year and I've been looking forward to the follow up.

Got To Be Who U Are provided the first taster at the end of January and a couple of weeks later I got tickets for their UK tour, starting in May and continuing in November.

As a taster of what to expect, here's a live performance for KEXP, filmed at the Hackney Wick in London five years ago.

Ibibio Sound Machine recorded a follow up 4-song session for KEXP in Seattle to promote the Electricity album in 2022.

And as an encore, here's All That You Want performed live at the BBC 6 Music Festival, also in 2022.

Pull The Rope is available to order from all the usual places as well as your friendly neighbourhood record store, ahead of its official release date of 3rd May.

Look At Us Now

On Tuesday, Mrs. K and I ventured into Bristol for a rare mid-week gig to see Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. Strap yourself in, you're in for quite a ride.

It was my third time seeing O.M.D., previously in October 1986 and November 2019. It was Mrs. K's first time, largely on the basis that I kept going on about how brilliant they were in 2019. Look closely and you can spot us in the crowd above, having a brilliant time along with two thousand other people, not least the four on stage.

That concert in 1986 is also significant as I saw O.M.D. in exactly the same venue, although it's gone through a radical makeover and name change in the last forty years. Previously the Colston Hall, the venue is now the Bristol Beacon and it looks - and feels - like a completely different place.

“Wow, look at this place", said Andy McCluskey as he came on stage, "but just because it’s new doesn’t mean we can’t mess it up.”

 

But more of that later. Due to the logistics of having a day job in another county, family stuff, getting into Bristol city centre and finding somewhere to park, there was never any hope that we'd get to see support act Walt Disco, who were off stage by 8.30pm. A shame, as I was intrigued by the Glaswegian band's overt nod to Associates, (early) Simple Minds and David Bowie. I mean, what's not to love about a band that describes themselves as "flamboyant goth-glam"? I'm sorry to have missed the opportunity as it seems that they delivered a tight and enjoyable set.

By the time we arrived and took position in the stalls, the audience were suitably warmed up and lubricated so that when the opening bars of walk-on track Evolution Of Species played in, there was a palpable rumble of excitement. That upped to another level when the band came on stage: Martin Cooper, Stuart Kershaw and Paul Humphreys taking position on three risers; lastly, Andy McCluskey darting and ducking either side of the central mike stand, as Anthropocene burst into life.

As you can see from the photos (none of them mine, credits below), the backdrop was spectacular, mixing footage and stills in vibrant electric colours with snippets of the animated videos from Bauhaus Staircase. The main lighting would also pop in from time to time, so you went from feeling like you were in the best nightclub in the world to suddenly seeing the enormity of the people and place surrounding you. It was a heady experience.

With an opening from the current - and reportedly last - album, things then went right back to the beginning with a blistering rendition of Messages from the first album and the first vinyl 10" single I ever bought. From there Tesla Girls seamlessly sequences into Kleptocracy. 

 

"You probably know us for doing happy songs about depressing topics" says Andy, introducing the latter with a smile. "[Kleptocracy's] about brexit and the rise of fascism and I hope you enjoy dancing to it.”

 

It's followed by History Of Modern, the only 21st century O.M.D. song in the set that isn't from Bauhaus Staircase. The concert felt very different from their 40th anniversary show in 2019. However, comparing them online I was surprised to see that two-thirds of the setlists were identical, even down to song order and encore placing. This means that older album tracks like Stanlow, Almost and Statues also didn't get a look in this time around. However, we did get live performances of 7 of the 12 songs on Bauhaus Staircase throughout the set, which was wonderful.

 

Aside from that, it was hits, hits, hits all the way. If You Leave, with stills of Molly Ringwald from Pretty In Pink mingling in the backdrop, was followed by Paul Humphreys first turn at the front with (Forever) Live And Die, back a couple of songs later for Souvenir. 

 

The first half closed, perhaps inevitably, with the two Joan Of Arc songs from Architecture & Morality, a reminder of time when music like this could smash the Top 5 UK singles chart.

There was no interval but the lights dropped and the PA played The Rock Drill, a 2-minute collage that originally appeared on the digital deluxe edition of Bauhaus Staircase and later on the CD of the title track's single release. It lifts the 'Creature / Judgement / Butcher / Engineer' Speak & Spell sample from Genetic Engineering and (I think) a bit of percussion from obscure B-side The Avenue. I suspect it was created specifically for the purpose of use in the live show as a bridge to the second half. For when the lights rose, O.M.D. are in a line, ready to go again. They also did this in 2019 and it's a simple yet effective way of changing things up a little.

Part 2 opens up with two of the more reflective, downtempo songs from Bauhaus Staircase, Verushka and album closer Healing. Both lovely songs and a good showcase for Andy's vocal chords and lungs. Not bad for a guy who will turn 65 in June.

Acknowledging the brief diversion into "culture", Andy signals with a smile the return to "mindless dancing" with Don't Go, originally released as a single to celebrate the O.M.D.'s 40th anniversary but also a snug fit on the Bauhaus Staircase album and now seemingly as a setlist staple/crowd pleaser.

 

The hits keep coming with Dreaming and Locomotion. In case my good friend Mike doesn't mention it in the comments, I will say that the latter is not a favourite of his and usually a cue to go to the bar or the bogs, or both. It was followed by Sailing On The Seven Seas, a surprise 'comeback' single in 1991. Neither Paul nor Martin were in the band at this point, Stuart had not long joined and co-wrote the song with Andy. That and it's status as O.M.D.'s joint biggest UK hit single (along with Souvenir) at #3 have guaranteed it a place in the setlist in perpetuity. Personally, my feelings about the song mirror Mike's towards Locomotion but there was no denying the enthusiastic response or energy in the room.

The set closes of course with Enola Gay, a measly #8 in 1980 but ubiquitous these days in all manner of advertising (have the creatives actually listened to the song or understood what it's about?!) Andy has been slinging his bass on and off throughout the set and it's back on for this song, the image of him on stage a far cry from the tank topped singer from the video all those years ago.

 

After a very short break and an unbroken round of applause, whooping and calls for more, the band are back on stage for a three-song finale, opening with Look At You Now, the last 'new' song of the set and already sounding like a classic. “Here’s a new song…from 1991," jokes Andy as the band play Pandora's Box, another McCluskey/Kershaw co-write and Top 10 hit. 

Over a hundred minutes since they first appeared, and despite earlier promises of a 5-hour set, O.M.D. bring things to a conclusion with Electricity. A fitting end, given how charged the night - and audience - has been. The quartet seemed genuinely moved throughout by the huge reaction to the new and old songs, but it was well deserved.

If this is the last time that O.M.D. create new music and take their show on the road, then they have done both with style. An incredible night.

...although you can't please everyone, as Starr opined on Twitter a few days later. Unless it's a typo, of course.

 

As mentioned earlier, I didn't take any photos on the night as I was too caught up in the moment. Thankfully, lots of people did at various points around Beacon Hall. So, a big thanks for the cheeky swipes from Twitter of photos from Tuesday night by the following very talented people:

Platform Controller @platformcontrol: 1

Lath @Lath87815986: 2, 4

Suze @WestCountrySuzi: 3, 5

Rich Ford @FordyFive: 6

 

And I couldn't let the occasion pass without an accompanying Dubhed selection. I've followed O.M.D.'s cue and presented not one, but two selections recreating each half of the show. I've added a few alternative versions and remixes here and there, including (for me at least) a more palatable version of Sailing On The Seven Seas and a rather nice extended bootleg of Don't Go, alongside the definitive 10" versions of Messages and Souvenir. It also provides a nice bit of balance to the running time, both coming in at just over 47 minutes. You'd almost think I put some thought into these things, wouldn't you?!

There's a long dedication list for this post:

- A shout out to the wonderful Mrs. K for a brilliant shared experience, even if the long, unplanned detour home due to a motorway closure is another story and something to forget!

- Mike, who was also there in the crowd but who we didn't get to say hello to on the night

- Ian, brother of the legendary Stuart, who we bumped into in the post-gig squeeze/shuffle to get out, who I last saw in 2019 when he gave us a lift to see...O.M.D.

- Platform Controller, Lath, Suze and Rich Ford, for the excellent photos

- Andy, Paul, Martin, Stuart and the O.M.D. crew for creating an unforgettable experience

O.M.G. for this night, for sure.

 

Side 1

1) Evolution Of Species (Album Version) (2023)

2) Anthropocene (Album Version) (2023) 

3) Messages (10" Version) (1980)

4) Tesla Girls (Video Version) (1984)

5) Kleptocracy (Album Version) (2023)

6) History Of Modern (Part I) (Radio Edit) (2011)

7) If You Leave (Single/Soundtrack Version) (1986)

8) (Forever) Live And Die (Album Version) (1986)

9) Bauhaus Staircase (Album Version) (2023)

10) Extended Souvenir (10" Version) (1981)

11) Joan Of Arc (Album Version) (1981)

12) Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Of Joan Of Arc) (Album Version) (1981)

Side 2

1) The Rock Drill (2023)

2) Veruschka (Album Version) (2023)

3) Healing (Album Version) (2023)

4) Don't Go (Extended) (Bootleg Edit By Richard Anvil) (2023)

5) So In Love (Special American Dance Remix)M (1985)

6) Dreaming (7" Mix) (1988)

7) Locomotion (Album Version) (1984)

8) Sailing On The Seven Seas (Extended Version) (1991)

9) Enola Gay (Album Version) (1980)

10) Look At You Now (Album Version) (2023)

11) Pandora's Box (Lost Girl Mix) (1991)

12) Electricity (Remix) (1988)

 

1980: Messages EP: A3 

1980: Organisation: B9

1981: Architecture & Morality: A11, A12

1981: Souvenir EP: A10 

1984: Junk Culture: B7

1984: Tesla Girls EP: A4

1985: So In Love EP (USA 12"): B5

1986: Pretty In Pink OST: A7

1986: The Pacific Age: A8 

1988: Dreaming EP: B6

1988: The Best Of O.M.D.: B12

1991: Pandora's Box EP: B11

1991: Sailing On The Seven Seas EP: B8

2011: History Of Modern (Part I) EP: A6

2023: Bauhaus Staircase: A1, A2, A5, A9, B1, B2, B3, B10

2023: Don't Go EP (bootleg MP3): B4

Side 1 (47:04) (KF) (Mega)

Side 2 (47:13) (KF) (Mega)