Electronic duo OMD sold millions of records but ‘we were skint’
Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, the band behind hit songs such as “Enola Gay” and “If You Leave”, were permanently in debt despite their success. The electronic pop band was formed in Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys – their first gig was “a dare”, but today they are regarded as pioneers in their field. Yet, the duo say, any money made at the height of their fame went back to their label as they were “always in debt”. “Believe me, we weren’t buying yachts and castles,” McCluskey told The Times in an interview this week. “We sold millions of records and we were skint. We had signed a deal aged 19, so it was a case of sign here and regret it for the rest of your life.” Electronic pop duo Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, aka Orchestral Manoeuvres …
