20 From '79 (11) Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Electric Ballroom, London 7th December 1979

Aural Sculptors - The Stranglers Live 1976 to the Present

Welcome to Aural Sculptors, a blog aimed at bringing the music of The Stranglers to as wide an audience as possible. Whilst all of the various members of the band that have passed through the ranks since 1974 are accomplished studio musicians, it is on stage where the band have for me had their biggest impact.

As a collector of their live recordings for many years I want to share some of the better quality material with other fans. By selecting the higher quality recordings I hope to present The Stranglers in the best possible light for the benefit of those less familiar with their material than the hardcore fan.

Needless to say, this site will steer well clear of any officially released material. As well as live gigs, I will post demos, radio interviews and anything else that I feel may be of interest.

In addition, occasionally I will post material by other bands, related or otherwise, that mean a lot to me.

Your comments and/or contributions are most welcome. Please email me at adrianandrews@myyahoo.com.

Sunday, 13 January 2013

20 From '79 (11) Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Electric Ballroom, London 7th December 1979

Here's an early set from OMD when they opened for Talking Heads at the Electric Ballroom in Camden.

The material played is taken from the eponymous debut album. At this point in their career, OMD were very much part of the up and coming electronic/experimental clique, that also included the likes of The Human League and Cabaret Voltaire, which in turn came under the broader 'post-punk' umbrella. Their big break had come a few months earlier when they were tour support for Gary Numan on his first nationwide tour (The Touring Principle) in the autumn of 1979. Incidentally, with their respective career fortunes reversed in the early 90's, OMD returned the compliment and had Numan as an opening act in 1993.

All that was someway off yet and Andy McCluskey's uniquely energetic and expressive dance technique (reminiscent of the Jobson School of Dance) had yet to by admired by the public at large!

I saw OMD play in early '83 on their 'Dazzle Ships' tour and I still have a soft spot for their early albums.