ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK
ourselves with our old songs and everything OMD, so
that makes it feel like it wasn’t that long ago. Mind you,
when we played a show a couple of years back with
our old tape machine Winston back on stage, we had
to retrieve him from his display case at the Museum Of
Liverpool. When something from your own life is
behind glass in a museum? That makes you feel old.
That’s scary!” Paul chips in: “The teenage Paul and
Andy would be horrifi ed to know we’d still be doing
this after 40 years. They’d have been amazed to hear
The Punishment Of Luxury and realise we could still be
innovative. So they’d be proud. But defi nitely horrifi ed,
too – back then, we’d sneer about The Rolling Stones:
‘God, why are they still doing it at their age?’ because
they were in their early thirties.”
ON THEIR OWN TERMS
That OMD are still making albums as vital as The
Punishment Of Luxury and
its predecessor English
Electric is easily
explained. “We’re in the
fortunate position that we
don’t have to keep doing
this,” admits Paul. “We
don’t have the pressure of
having to write an album
to survive, like we did in
the 80s. We’re doing
what we really want
when we want, so in
some ways we’re back in
my mum’s room in the
70s, mucking about.”
Paul now lives in
London, while Andy is
back in the Wirral, close
enough to where the pair
grew up that, from his
OMD announced their
decision to reform on
New Year’s Day, 2006garden window, he can see the large art deco pub The
Railway Inn that dominates the small town of Meols
where Paul and Andy met at Great Meols Primary
School in the mid-60s. When OMD make an album,
Paul will stay at Andy’s house for a week every month.
They’ve remembered that OMD need to be in the same
room to write songs. Their 2010 comeback album
History Of Modern was mostly written separately,
swapping ideas by email, and they think it suffers
slightly because of it. “History Of Modern was a little
bit taped together,” Paul frets. “There’s some good stuff
on it, but we’ve got to be in the same room for the
sparks to fl y,” adds Andy.
It’s easy to see why Andy and Paul get on, not just
creatively. Andy is the louder of the two, a born
storyteller. Paul is more laid-back, but just as
entertaining. “We’re a lot calmer and have a more
loving relationship now,” explains Paul. “We’re old
men who have put our issues aside. The problems you
had at 20 disappear when you’re 60. At our age, if
you’ve got your health and you do a job you love,
fantastic.” According to Andy: “I have an intensity
and a drive which can be sharp-edged and
monochromatic. Paul has more of the softness and
colours.” Professionally, Paul notes: “Andy is a fantastic
lyricist who can write a great melody hook, and I can
write a great keyboard hook. If we bring those two
things to the table, we’re pretty much guaranteed to
have something...” He stops, typical modesty kicking
in. “...quite good.” Andy can’t resist one affectionate
dig at his bandmate, noting: “Paul tends to be a bit
last-minute. I wouldn’t say he’s lazy, but his defi nition of
the word ‘busy’ is different to mine.” Andy recalls
confronting Paul while making English Electric, forcing
the keyboardist to admit he’d written that week’s batch
of ideas on the train to Andy’s house from London that© Mark McNulty