OMD at Hampton Court Palace

Since the 1993 inception of Hampton Court Palace Festival, legends like Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Eric Clapton have played this stunning venue. Merseyside synthpop pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) now join them on that ever-growing list of artists who’ve performed here; tonight, they’re playing the palace’s Base Court as they continue their Summer of Hits tour.

The audience happily mill around the Palace Gardens before the show, with many enjoying a drink or two as the sun starts to set. Dusk continues to linger over the grand rooftops as the stage backdrop shows a retrofuturistic animation to the sounds of Atomic Ranch.

Here they are – vocalist Andy McCluskey greets the crowd with a beaming smile, but that’s just the beginning. A grand announcement is made: “Welcome to Hampton Court Palace! There will be dancing, it is compulsory!” And, as if on cue, every person rises to their feet for set opener Isotype.

Take one Friday night on a clear June evening, a 500-year-old building, and some loud nostalgic music of yesteryear – might sound strange out of context, but in the moment, it just works. The breeze through the courtyard muddies the sound from the stage a few times, not that anybody cares, as happy faces beam, and McCluskey’s order of dancing is fulfilled while hit after hit is played.

Founding member Paul Humphreys, keyboardist Martin Cooper and drummer Stuart Kershaw are in fine form as they tear through the set, while McCluskey’s own energy is relentlessly infectious. Singing and dancing without a care in the world, he ensures the crowd are still with him as clapalongs are encouraged with every other song, and he grabs fans’ phones to film them. He also has no problem making cheeky jabs, commenting on how much Pimms has been imbibed and acknowledging the audience’s…advancing years (“This is a song about getting old – which none of us have any experience with, correct?” before Walking on the Milky Way).

Old OMD favourites like Locomotion, the cheerful Sailing on the Seven Seas, and their contribution to the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, If You Leave, are among the set’s highlights, ensuring seats are vacated and a good time is had. Then, the twitchy hi-hats of Enola Gay start – a roar goes up, and the biggest singalong of the night commences. The band locks in for the main set’s rapturous closer; it’s suitably explosive, complete with eardrum-bursting bangs for the atomic explosions onscreen.

The encore neatly rounds things off with their debut single Electricity, with McCluskey labelling it their “oldest and dearest song”. As the letters “OMD” flash across the screen, he and Humphreys dole out their gratitude, wishing everyone a safe journey home.

The promise has been fulfilled: Hampton Court Palace received wall-to-wall hits. No doubt some happy fans will still have pulsing synths echoing in their ears as they leave. What a triumph.