OMD
SYNTH-POP LEGENDS SET FOR HISTORIC ROCHDALE SHOW
w/ PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT
+ A CERTAIN RATIO
@ ROCHDALE TOWN HALL SQUARE
– 7 AUGUST –
TICKETS ON SALE NOW HERE
OMD will make history in Rochdale this Summer as they mark their debut performance in the Greater Manchester town with support from Peter Hook and A Certain Ratio.
Taking place on Friday 7 August 2026, the occasion will be the first time all three artists have shared a bill together in some 47 years…
Synth and electronic legends Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) will be performing live for the very first time in Rochdale when they play a headline show at Rochdale Town Hall Square this summer. Despite famously recording their debut single ‘Electricity’ in the town, remarkably the 80s icons have never played Rochdale before. But on Friday 7 August the duo will put that right, bringing their acclaimed ‘Summer of Hits’ tour to town alongside guests – post-punk legends Peter Hook & The Light, and Manchester’s post-punk/funk band – A Certain Ratio.
Excitement has been building since the news was announced, with over 3,000 tickets already snapped up. Ahead of the show
Andy McCluskey, co-founder and lead vocalist from OMD said:
“We can’t wait to come and play at Rochdale’s magnificent town hall square. We recorded our first single at Rochdale’s Cargo Studios back in 1979, but have never played in the town before, so what a great way to finally come back and have a party with our old Factory Records friends.”
With a career spanning more than four decades, over 40 million records sold worldwide and 18 timeless top 40 hits, OMD are one of Britain’s best-loved and most influential pop groups. They followed that debut single with genre-defining hits including Enola Gay, Maid of Orleans, Souvenir, and If You Leave, propelling them into the stratosphere and shaping the musical landscape of the 1980s.
On the night,
Peter Hook and The Light, the powerhouse post-punk band fronted by Joy Division and New Order co-founder Peter Hook, will be providing ample support with a set of classics spanning the catalogues of both bands. Originally recording the seminal track “Atmosphere” with Joy Division at Kenion Street’s legendary Cargo Studios, Hooky would later become a co-owner of the studio and rechristen it Suite-16. Speaking about how Rochdale played a pivotal role in his career and of the upcoming Summer show,
Peter Hook reflects:
“Simply because of John Brierley and Cargo Studios on Kenion Street, all three of us – me, OMD and A Certain Ratio recorded with John, engineering at Cargo. He was a sonic assassin, working wonders with the equipment in that studio. The songs sounded as fantastic then as they still do today, it must have been something in the water! The sound was why I bought the studio when John retired and while we didn’t have his sound, we still recorded and helped hundreds of bands at the beginning of their journey, in the town.”
A victory lap for three of Cargo Recording Studio’s biggest success stories, the upcoming Rochdale Town Hall Square show will also welcome back
A Certain Ratio. Initially signed to Factory Records, the band recorded their iconic debut single “All Night Party” with Martin Hannett at the Rochdale studio. As Martin Moscrop, founding member of A Certain Ratio, adds of the upcoming show:
“This show feels like the Factory Records outings we did between 1979 and 1980, when we used to go out as a package and played many times with OMD and Joy Division. So playing with Peter, Andy and Paul again will be a pleasure. The last time we all played together was at The Acklam Hall, London back in May 1979.”
Whilst all three bands on the line-up started their recording careers in Rochdale, incredibly this August it will be the first time they’ve played together in 47 years.
Be part of the history this Summer when OMD, Peter Hook and the Light, and A Certain Ratio take stage at Rochdale Town Hall Square on Friday 7 August 2026.
