Live On Your Sofa, is more like it
Well, here’s a tidbit that you should know about it you’re not on the OMD mailing list. The band are doing their bit to make not going out to shows a little less pronounced. They are going to stream the November 20, 2019 show from the Eventim Hammersmith Apollo from last year’s “Souvenir” tour to fans on their YouTube page on
Saturday. May 9, 2020 at 8 PM [20:00 GMT]
It’s from their “Souvenir” 40th anniversary hits tour of last year, so it is a singles-laden trawl through the OMD pop collection, but there are enough deep cuts of interest sprinkled throughout to foster a nod of knowing approval from my corner. I am going to spill the beans and reveal up front that if you ever wanted to hear the band tackle “Stanlow” live [raises hand in an insufferably precocious manner for teacher] here’s your big chance!
It’ll be at 15:00 EST where I live, so I hope I remember to look in, at least for the first song, since it’s “Stanlow.” Don’t know if I will be up for taking two hours in the middle of my Saturday to watch it, though. That’s prime worktime around here. Especially if I have YouTube or nothing. Could there be an online video platform that’s not controlled by social villains Google or Facebook where civilized people can watch video like this online? [hint, hint: Vimeo] Just asking.
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Post-Punk Monk 
This should be a treat! I’ll watch as much as possible, since IIRC I’ve never actually gotten to see them live (sad face). I agree that they should have made it available on Vimeo instead, but it’s hard to ignore the 800-lb gorilla (of evil) in the video online world …
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chasinvictoria – “Never actually gotten to see them live…” (sputters!!) and How long have we been friends??!!
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PS, Now if we could talk Fripp into doing the same (only on Vimeo) of one of those choice recent KC tour dates …
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chasinvictoria – Fripp is of the opinion that the presence of video cameras has not worked out for KC in the past and their new paradigm is very clever. Tiny, remote cameras onstage without meddlesome cameraman hulking about messing with his head. The live DVDs in the recent “Radical Action” set were recorded thusly. That said, I’ve always felt that the “Three Of A Perfect Pair Live In Japan” laserdisc was packed with stunning performances. Though the discreet viddy paradigm is intriguing.
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I have to say early KC concert footage can be as interesting as watching soaking wet towels dry on a clothing line.
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Echorich – It could be far worse! If we were talking Grateful Dead, there’s a band so dull that even paint refuses to dry!
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What do Deadheads say when they run out of drugs?
Man this music sucks.
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Brilliant!
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I’ve seen OMD once, in support of ‘the pacific age’. It was my upstate NY college campus. I’d known them since 1980 but this was the first time the stars (and my age) had aligned in order for me to see them. It was a long long time ago, but I remember ‘forever live and die’ brought the house down.
It didn’t dawn on me then, but I’m now aware this may have been the height of their US popularity. ‘If you leave’ had already been the juggernaut it was. I’m not saying this was the pinnacle of their career musically, but can you think of a time they were more familiar to the conscience of middle America?
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Thanks for the heads up Monk. I would highly recommend people watch this. I saw the band on this tour in Liverpool. They put on a great show. Andy was as ‘energetic’ as ever. Of course they played all the big hits but also a decent selection of early tracks, including ‘Stanlow’ as you said.
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It was fun to see that show again but this time from the back of the venue. I was there on the night and my left arm is occasionally visible in shot as I was right down the front of the crowd, but way off to the right!
All credit has to go to the band for keeping the OMD Live momentum going during this continuing year of lockdown and no gigs. The visual recording was apparently for the lighting crew to monitor how well the show looked but it was really good of the band to tidy the footage up and let us see it. A formal release might be on the cards so the online hints go. After all, 18,200 concurrent online viewers cannot be wrong.
The visual edits between the songs are a bit jarring but when you buy the soundtrack double CD set, these edits are far less noticeable. Other than that, as any OMD concert goer knows, there is a lot more Andy talking between songs and his interaction with the crowd enhances the whole experience. We have seen that with Royal Albert Hall CDs so maybe this time they felt a rapid-fire hit-after-hit concert was more appropriate for this representation.
I am very happy they showed this full concert online. What a great way for people of the world to see how good OMD are live.
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Duncan Watson – As it transpired, my plans were not what happened on Saturday and I was able to watch. “Stanlow” brought the poignance of Kraftwerk to mind and it made me a bit misty eyed. Then “Isotype” pointed simultaneously to Kraftwerk’s influence and how this this band were radically different. I ended up seeing the full show and afterward checked out the virtual merch table and fell hard for the stunning “Maid Of Orleans” t-shirt design they cunningly designed to monetize this effort. My wife saw it and asked if I were going to buy it. “You should buy it,” she said and I could only agree, so I did!
As for the show it was a tight modern OMD set. The camera setup I appreciated since I get tired of slickly shot live concert videos full of jimmyjib shots and cuts every 1/2 second. I prefer the single “great seat” p.o.v. That was delivered here. The edits were a surprise. I thought it would be completely linear and missed Andy’s stage raps but it was over so quickly I was surprised. Cut out the talking and intermission and it makes a big difference.
But watching this brought home how I think OMD should do a David Bowie Purge and cut out their soft middle period material of professional pop music as it has little in common with the more idiosyncratic band of ‘80-‘83 and their current revitalized ‘10-‘20 period. I would say that dropping “Locomotion,” any singles from “Crush,” “Pacific Age,” and the solo Andy era would only galvanize the power of their set. Deep cuts from the two Hague albums I could get behind.
Those songs sound like the work of a different band and don’t really comfortably fit in the OMD story. That they would even play “If You Leave,” in a UK concert, particularly in the encore, speaks of possible confusion. The comparative power of deep cuts like “Stanlow, “Statues,” and “Almost” (true highlights here) show the strengths they have beyond simple pop hits. And again I’m stunned that this is the third show after 2011 I’ve seen by OMD (2 in person) where not a song from “English Electric” (2016, 2018 shows attended in person, unlike this one) was in the set list. With only “Isotype,” “History Of Modern Part One,” and “Punishment Of Luxury” from the last three albums, I could have done with a lot more of the current material. There almost seems to be a reluctance on the part of the band to include any “English Electric” material that I hope is not down to any bad feelings over the sidelining of Malcolm Holmes on that tour.
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Typo; Stanlow for Stanley; but I knew what you meant. The DVD is now on pre-order. It promises a few bonus gems, proper editing if they can find the between-song talking bits (not hard; they are on the CDs from the night!) and some extra camera angles which I hope do not jump about too much. Given MiG 15 (the support band) have just released a video of their song Dials filmed at that gig then there must have been tiny cameras squirreled away because I did not notice any! https://store.omd.uk.com/products/omd-live-from-your-sofa-dvd
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Duncan Watson – Damn it! That’s what I get for replying to comments on the iPad! Thanks. Thought the price is nice, I’m skipping the DVD. I have OMD DVDs I’ve had for years without watching yet. As for tiny cameras, they are squirreled away; everywhere, as part of our Surveillance Culture®.
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