The Los Angeles City Council Friday declared Nov. 7 as "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Day," honoring the pioneering English electronic group for their impact to the music industry.
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Council members Monica Rodriguez and Katy Yaroslavsky introduced a resolution in October for the group's recognition, which was unanimously approved by the full council.
On Friday, Rodriguez led a presentation to celebrate the band with founding member Andy McCluskey, as well as Martin Cooper and Stuart Kershaw who also compose the group. Second founding member Paul Humphreys was unable to attend the event as he was flying to Los Angeles, according to the councilwoman.
"They are the band that helped shape a generation, and I am so honored to bring them into Council Chambers today," Rodriguez said.
OMD is currently on a reunion tour. The members took a detour to join city officials for the recognition. The group is expected to perform at the House of Blues in Anaheim Sunday and Monday before flying to Mexico City to play at the 2025 Festival Corona Capital.
"The British alternative music of the 80s clearly struck a very deep chord with Angelenos and especially the Latino community," Rodriguez said. "The themes of melancholy, alienation, and defiance mirrored our own experiences growing up between cultures."
McCluskey and Humphreys founded OMD in Meols, England, in 1987. The electronic and synth-pop band made an enduring mark on global music and inspired generations of artists, the resolution reads.
OMD achieved international acclaim with their albums "Architecture & Morality," "Dazzle Ships," and "Organisation," which introduced new production techniques.
The group is known for hits such as "Enola Gay," "If You Leave," "Electricity," and "Souvenir," which are beloved by generations of fans to this day.
"If you Leave" was featured in the 1986 John Hughes film "Pretty in Pink," bringing alternative music to mainstream audiences.
OMD influenced artists and helped shape the sound of modern alternative and electronic music, such as artists like Depeche Mode and the Killers, according to the resolution.
"It's been a remarkable and long journey for OMD in the city of Los Angeles," McCluskey said. "We played our first concert here at the Whiskey A Go Go in 1951, staying at the infamous Tropicana Motel with the black swimming pool."
The group played at venues such as the Roxy, Reseda Country Club, Perkins Palace, the Palace Theatre, the Fonda Theatre, the Wilson, the Greek, the Forum and the Rose Bowl, among others.
McCluskey highlighted the group's ties to L.A., noting his one-year stay writing the album "Sugar Tax." He added, "Paul married a girl from Tarzana, and lived in the Valley for a long time."
He also gave a shout out to Richard Thomas Sheppard -- or Richard Blade, a former disc jockey at KROQ-FM.
Blade "was one of the only DJs that played us on KROQ when the other radio stations wouldn't play us," McCluskey said. "They didn't think our music was fit for human consumption, but it proved it was."
"It's a day of great thanks from the band to everybody here." he added.
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