Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (most often abbreviated to OMD or O.M.D. ) are a synth-pop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England. OMD were originally assimilated in the greater new wave batch of synthesiser-based acts of the later 1970s-early 1980s. The group was founded in 1978 by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys who remained, and were perceived as, the core members. Adding sidemen Malcolm Holmes and Martin Cooper by the end of 1980, this quartet (with occasional line-up fluctuations) was the live concert line-up until 1989, when Humphreys, Cooper and Holmes all left OMD to found The Listening Pool. McCluskey then retained the OMD name and continued to record and tour as OMD with new line-ups through 1996.
Though McCluskey essentially retired the OMD name in 1996, shortly thereafter Humphreys began playing live shows as OMD with other musicians on an as-needed basis, but without McCluskey. Then in late December 2005, OMD's official website announced a forthcoming reformation of the 'classic' 1980s line-up (Humpheys/McCluskey/Cooper/Holmes), both for live performances and for a new studio album. This reformed quartet began touring in 2007, and further successful sold out tours took place in 2008 and 2009. OMD's most recent studio album History of Modern was released on 20 September 2010.
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