Nights you don't want to miss
- One Night OnlyThis event is only on for one night!Buy tickets
Years later Andy McCluskey was talking to George Michael who said that he and Andrew Ridgeley had driven over from Watford that night and were in the audience. This was when George and Andrew were a couple of unknown music fans. It would be two years later that they had their first hit with Wham ‘Young Guns (Go For It)’. OMD had released their second album Organisation in October 1980, just before the Friars gig and the only single from that album Enola Gay was high in the UK singles chart.
OMD have sold over 25 million singles and over 15 million albums. They appeared on Top of The Pops 29 times. They had a string of hits that were the soundtrack to our lives including ‘Electricity’, ‘Messages’, ‘Enola Gay’, ’Souvenir’, ‘Joan of Arc’, ‘Maid of Orleans’, ‘Locomotion’, ‘Genetic Engineering’, ‘(Forever) Live and Die’, ‘Sailing on the Seven Seas’ and ‘Pandora’s Box’. Their albums still have pride of place in so many record collections from the first 1980 album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark with its dayglow sleeve and later that same year Organisation, followed by their 1981 classic Architecture and Morality and 1983’s Dazzle Ships. In 2017 they released The Punishment of Luxury which was hailed by fans and critics alike as a return to the shimmering brilliance of their classic early singles.
“Electronic music is our language” says Andy. “It’s how we talk.”
“We’re at our best when we’re in a room together, working.” Paul adds.
“That’s when the sparks and ideas happen. It’s the same now as it ever was.”
We can’t wait for OMD to return to Friars in July. It’s been far too long.
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre can be found in the heart of Aylesbury. The theatre has attracted international interest in the world of construction and boasts a dynamic programme of electrifying West End productions, unparalleled comedy and the best children’s shows. The multi-functional venue can accommodate conferences, meetings and live screenings.