By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

WHEN?: 19 June 2026 and touring through 1 September 2026

Loved their early singles, liked most of the later ones, so why haven’t we been to see them before? We love Andy McCluskey when he appears as any talking head, so we knew we’d love them on stage.

• Read on for reasons including Orchestral Manoeuvres in the sunset, rather than the dark

We’ve seen Hooky umpteen times before and this was a shorter support set – mostly New Order, with a shot of Monaco’s What do you want from me? early on, and, obviously, Joy Division’s Love will tear us apart, but un-obviously, not as a finale – rather World In Motion, due to the World Cup.

Obviously. Our hearts were hoping for John Barnes to rap, like at last month’s Mani tribute concert. Our heads said no, but thankfully in his place, Oscar Boon, Hooky’s godson and part of the stage crew, did the honours. Awesome. And what an awesome gig from Hooky et al. We were honoured to have Hooky’s son Jack playing as well, with a fabulous photo of the Hookys Sr and Jr jamming (credit to David Lusted). 

Introducing their set with: ‘We started off with our old mates OMD, in some very dodgy places’, it made me think I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall backstage with them all. The stories they could tell…

Onto OMD. Nowadays a two-piece, Andy and Paul Humphreys take the stage to thunderous applause. ‘Any OMD virgins here?’ Later on: ‘You’ll be introduced to the McCluskey windmill style of dancing.’ The lads are exactly what you expect them to be. Hit after hit (‘Is 18 hits enough?’) and including ‘a new one … from 1991’, with humour and energy far exceeding what they should be exerting.

Highlights for us at songs 2 and 3: Messages and Tesla Girls. Then Talking Loud and Clear, which I’d completely forgotten about, and finishing up with Electricity ‘ending up where it all started’. 

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the sunset, rather than the dark, in a beautiful outside setting.

• Pictures via Facebook courtesy OMD and A Humdrum Mum. Tickets
• Read more from Carron at her blog A Humdrum Mum
• Have you seen any of these shows? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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