Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Stephen Dalton, The Times, 6 November 2019
IN THESE uncertain times it feels oddly reassuring that Andy McCluskey remains the most cheerfully preposterous dancer in pop. As Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark celebrate their 40th anniversary with a new box set and nationwide tour, the Wirral quartet's perennially energetic frontman appeared, if anything, more gloriously graceless than ever in Birmingham. The singer clomped, cartwheeled and chest-thumped through every number while making self-deprecating jokes about his "dad dancing". It was impressively athletic for a man who recently turned 60. "Don't worry about me," he panted after one particularly draining workout, "I do this for a living."
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