DC’s top blog for live concert reviews
Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphries of OMD (Photo by Tom Oxley)
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) announces “Live From Your Sofa!” — an online performance featuring never-before-seen footage of the whole of last year’s Hammersmith Apollo London show. The OMD concert film screens on YouTube on Saturday, May 9.
Helen Marnie fronts Ladytron at Brooklyn Steel on Oct. 2, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
Ladytron opened the show with “Black Cat,” sung in Bulgarian by Mira Aroyo, and you could be excused for believing you were watching the timeless synthpop band eight years ago — when the quartet visited last visited Brooklyn.
But no, it was indeed 2019, and Ladytron also played a host of new songs from an exciting new self-titled album released in February. It was a very welcome return indeed when the band performed at Brooklyn Steel recently!
OMD performs at The Fillmore Charlotte on Aug. 31, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
You could feel the “electricity” in the air long before you heard the song of the same name when Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, or OMD, played a headlining show at The Fillmore Charlotte recently. OMD thrilled the very full house to its core as the quintessential English synthpoppers hit the second of four solo shows in a break from opening for The B-52s.
China Crisis performs at City Winery in DC on Dec. 6, 2018.
UK new wave outfit China Crisis dropped by City Winery recently for their first DC show in more than 30 years, and the band and a small crowd shared a simply marvelous time together.
China Crisis (Photo courtesy the artist)
UK sophistipop duo China Crisis has made fantastic music, much of which I personally relate to the English New Romantics and their passionate style of forward-looking lyrics with rousing synthpop.
While they’ve been consistently active since their days on the charts, the band’s visits to the United States have been rare until recently. And now, China Crisis performs at City Winery on Thursday, Dec. 6.
Ian McCulloch fronts Echo and the Bunnymen at The Anthem on July 25, 2018. (Photos by Jason Nicholson and words by Mickey McCarter)
Toward the end of a welcome appearance by Echo and the Bunnymen, Ian McCulloch’s microphone appeared to go out during “The Killing Moon” on Wednesday — nominally the worst possible calamity ever, made more glaring in that the rest of the show had been picture perfect.
But the very giddy audience didn’t miss a beat, and the crowd started singing the song when Ian went momentarily silent: “He will wait until/You give yourself to himmmmmm!” A briefly confounded look gave way to a smile with the affirmation that Ian and the audience were very happy to see each other indeed.
Echo & The Bunnymen (Photo courtesy the band)
Legendary neo-pscyh outfit Echo & The Bunnymen recently signed to BMG. The group will release The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon, an album featuring re-recordings of 13 Bunnymen classics as well as two new songs, on Oct. 5. Meanwhile, they currently have teamed with the Violent Femmes for a 11-date summer tour that concludes at The Anthem in DC on Wednesday, July 25.
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