Venue:
Kunstrasen, Bonn
Date: 14/08/2026
Kunstrasen is a hollowed-out piece of grassland like a shallow basin, just between the 40 floor headquarters of DHL and the river Rhine, like OMD partly between industrial communication and the eternal flow of melodic pop. Currently under the same drought conditions as the rest of Europe, the Rhine still manages to stream on, as indeed do Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys 48 years after they founded OMD.
There have been concerts at Kunstrasen since 2012 when Lou Reed and Patti Smith both played. In the intervening years, there have always been a mix of German and international acts playing
The audience:
Yes, mainly around my age. Friendly and engaged with the music.
It made me think..
What a life-affirming enduring contribution to modern culture they have made over the last 50 years.
The rest of the review follows here:
There have been concerts at Kunstrasen since 2012 when Lou Reed and Patti Smith both played. In the intervening years, there have always been a mix of German and international heritage acts playing, including Deep Purple, Bob Dylan, Sting, Bon Iver, Katie Melua, Chicago, Simple Minds (several times), Joan Baez, Chris de Burgh, Tears for Fears, Kim Wilde, John Fogerty, Jethro Tull, Fish, Scorpions, My Chemical Romance, Melissa Etheridge, Toto, Simply Red, Placebo. From 2024 the line up started becoming more ambitious with the likes of The National, Chic feat. Nile Rodgers, Kool & The Gang, ZZ Top, Zucchero, Rival Sons, Larkin Poe, Jamie Cullum, Mika, Keane, Eurythmics, and in 2025 — Billy Idol, New Model Army, London Grammar, Bonnie Raitt, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cypress Hill, Dream Theater, Fury in the Slaughterhouse, The Dead South, Smashing Pumpkins, Air (performing Moon Safari), Queens of the Stone Age, Fontaines D.C.
2026 has seen Chic, Marillion, Madness and Roxette. Later in the month come Agnes Obel, Moby and Nick Cave.
Knowing the venue as I did, I couldn’t imagine any of this acts being worth the money to stand in a field and watch distant figures on a screen, though I was sorely tempted by Massive Attack last year.
But OMD was a different matter. They’ve been on my bucket list pretty much since I first heard their debut eponymous album in the 6th form in the mid 80s. Architecture & Morality with its singles was ubiquitous, even being played in the school assembly, but it was the cold, austere Orwellian electronic sounds of Bunker Soldiers, Red Frame/ White Light and of course Electricity that won a place in my goth heart. A classic Peter Saville cover helped (I was collecting early New Order singles at the time). But listening to the songs, there was a sincere, naive pop melody and warm humanity that emerged from the music. A similar bemused love that speaks through the songs and found sounds I discovered with Laurie Anderson.
The 4th album, Dazzle Ships, was kind of a sequel in spirit to the 1st album. I was ready for its musique concrète that had a wonderful sense of found sound in radio broadcasts, This is Helena being a highlight. There would be nothing like it for me until Gift by The Sisterhood.
To say I was excited to be at the concert would be an understatement. With my band t shirt already purchased (white with the band name spelled out like an eye test chart), an hour before the start I made my way to the front of the audience (having paid a surcharge) with my sister who had flown over from the UK for the gig.
The support act, Zoot Woman, a pair of brothers from the UK, active stunned the mid 90s with a synth pop style, looked nice enough in pink and red suits, and gamefully played a series of unknown songs to muted but polite applause.
Then after a break, the backscreen lit up with multiple copies of the band name to enormous, rapturous applause and cheers. This was a home crowd ready to welcome the heroes of their musical youth.
And they started their set with two songs from their post-break up period, which I felt was a statement of intent.
Atomic Ranch (English Electric, 2013) played as a video on the backscreen, loud and proud scenes from an imagined 50s America with lyrics about wanting “a robot wife” and “I want a future so bright, that it burns, my eyes” seemed very present in the year of Ann Droid and 40°C temperatures.
Then on came Andy, Paul, Martin (Cooper, keyboard and sax) and Stuart (Kershaw, drums), all dressed in black, all balding except for Andy, settled into position behind their instruments , and launched into Isotype (The Punishment of Luxury, 2017).
I say settled into position, but for Andy, that position was front of stage and dad dancing energetically, engagingly and skilfully throughout the whole performance – that is when he wasn’t passing the mic to Paul for his songs (Souvenir, (Forever) Live and Die).
Bonn was 20 days into a 33 date tour, and they’d clearly settled into their stride for 19 songs of continuous quality, lots of hands in the air clapping from the audience, a bit of finger clicking, swaying side to side, all stirred on by the effervescent Duracell bunny that was McCluskey.
Setlist
Atomic Ranch
Isotype
Messages
Tesla Girls
History of Modern (Part I)
(Forever) Live and Die
If You Leave
Souvenir
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)
The Rock Drill
Veruschka
Talking Loud and Clear
So in Love
Dreaming
Locomotion
Sailing on the Seven Seas
Enola Gay
Encore:
Walking on the Milky Way
Pandora’s Box
Electricity
A tremendous performance that had me bouncing up and down the whole way through apart from once when I got terrible footcramp, and once for So in Love/Dreaming, which were the only ‘meh’ moments in the whole show. Otherwise it was just a wonderful, pinch me opportunity to see them in the flesh and hear them singing the songs of my teenage years for the first time.
Every song was accompanied by beautiful, bright vibrant coloured images or pictures of destroyed buildings or the Enola Gay itself. A reminder that they made the whole package – vision as well as sound. For ‘If You Leave’ Andy referenced ‘Pretty In Pink’ and there were great Warholian images of Molly Ringwald (same age as me and Kylie) on display.
There were so many highlights. The section –
Souvenir/Joan of Arc/Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans) was a real wow, is this happening?
For the section of The Rock Drill/Veruschka they came out from behind their instruments to line up standing in a row at the front of the stage behind miniature instruments set onto tall table. A Kraft(y) Werk of tribute that was recognised by all.
Talking Loud and Clear had a continuous shower of bright flowers pouring across the screen behind, mirroring the joy in Andy’s voice as he sung an eternal song of summer love sensation, skipping across the stage, bringing a fresh breeze that almost dislodged the heat of the night.
The energy levels from all band members kept pace all the way through to Enola Gay, the final official end to the show. MartIn Cooper deftly steeped aside from his keyboard to toot away on the saxophone at needed moments, and Stuart Kershaw dominated several songs with dynamic and extended complex drumming that showed how many OMD songs are far more dynamic and dancefloor- compatible than their austere synth pop origins might suggest.
Of course they came back for an encore, extended over 3 songs, of course ending in Electricity that everyone joined in singing along to.
It was a joyful evening, with the band playing their best to an audience that clearly loved and cherished them. Snuck into one song was a reference to Bonn reliving its youth, and there’s an element of truth to that, but it felt like such a celebration, that such wry comments were almost unnecessary.
Not actually a fan but we saw them at Dreamland, Margate a few weeks ago and quite enjoyed them. My wife really wanted to see Peter Hook and the Light who were third on the bill. Surprise hit of the evening was Ex Thompson Twin Tom Bailey and his easy on the eye all female backing band, although I suspect there was quite a bit of backing track assistance. A good, if not great evening and another box ticked.
Apart from a few twiddles to the set list, I saw this show in Auckland and I totally agree with the review. A great show.
I like the reference to This is Helena from the wonderful Dazzle Ships – a now-respected album which was considered to be commercial suicide at the time. What is often not acknowledged is that Dazzle Ships does have “choons” as well ( e.g. Telegraph, Radio Waves, The Romance of the Telescope). Given its reputation as a difficult listen, one may be expecting Metal Machine Music and it’s certainly not that.
OMD started life as shy, shadowy, electro-nerds with an experimental itch to scratch – but also unable to resist an occasional killer pop melody. When I saw them (three times, I think) from 81 to 83 – you could have a long overcoat, foppish hair and nod along silently. As you would with any number of Serious Young Men bands at the time. Even Andy’s dancing didn’t puncture their chilly charisma. I blame Ian Curtis.
As their Summer of Hits Tour shows – they developed into a confident and successful hit machine. I loved the fact that History of Modern (Part 1) was such a highlight – sitting nicely alongside the others.
The pinch-me moment came during the Joan of Arc brace of songs. I might have had something in my eye at that point.
What a superb review, Sal!
That sounds like a great show, and thanks for a great review. I have most of their early albums but for some reason have never checked out their later, post-reunion material. Based on this review, I’ll do that now.
Seen them twice in recent memory – I think I posted my reviews.
Once at the 930 Club in Washington DC, and once at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, supported by the Underground Lovers.
As you note, everyone there just about is a fan, so the atmosphere is great.
Adelaide was my first away trip on my own after my (minorish) brain injury, and I was close to tears for large parts of the gig because of what I was doing and how good it was.
Brilliant nights out, both of them, and movd to the top of bands I’ll travel to watch – Adelaide was a flight and hotel stay.