Being able to claim a near 50-year history for his band is clearly a source of pride for Andy McCluskey.
Signing off the first of two Summer Nights At The Bandstand gigs with their debut single Electricity, the Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark frontman made a point of highlighting their late-'70s origins, mischievously claiming that "many people are under the misapprehension that we are an '80s synth band".
What this show demonstrated, for sure, is that OMD have songs from across the decades that still stand up in 2026.
Set opener Isotype from 2017's The Punishment Of Luxury album was among the more recent tracks they performed and came across as one of OMD's catchiest offerings, with McCluskey ranging across the stage to give free rein to his trademark dodgy dance moves.
The singer/bassist and his keyboard cohorts Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper, along with drummer Stuart Kershaw, all dress in a safe as houses all-black garb, which is fair enough as it's their music that provides swathes of colour – not to mention, of course, an impressive multi-media backdrop with stunning graphics galore.
A mid-set section devoted to the band's classic 1981 album Architecture And Morality showed that the much-loved singles Souvenir, Joan Of Arc and Maid Of Orleans and their mystical vibes retain huge emotional power.
Any sense that Kershaw's drums had for some reason not sounded quite right in the mix in the early stages was dispelled as his super-charged pounding of the skins helped create a spine-tingling denouement to the triptych.
The four protagonists lined up towards the front of the stage for an intimate take on the dreamy Veruschka from OMD's most recent album, 2023's Bauhaus Staircase.
It proved an intriguing diversion in its relative minimalism, before the veritable "best of" presentation resumed its procession of crowd-pleasing hits in its closing salvoes.
An exquisite Talking Loud And Clear delighted, while Cooper's gorgeous saxophone turn gave So In Love a memorable gloss.
Ecstatic dancing broke out during Dreaming and its pure pop escapism, the almost party-like atmosphere inevitably going into overdrive as signature tunes Locomotion, Sailing On The Seven Seas and Enola Gay were duly delivered up.
An eclectic encore featuring Secret, Pandora's Box – "I like pissing people off with this introduction, it's a new song – from 1991," joked McCluskey – and, of course, "our oldest, fastest song" Electricity, proved exhilarating.
As someone who already rated OMD among the best live bands around on the basis of the sheer entertainment that they provide, I'm pleased to report that Kelvingrove only served to underline that view.
Picture credit: Shotbyagunn Photography
