Let The People Sing

OMD front-man Andy McCluskey is thrilled, as a songwriter and a Celtic supporter, that the Hoops fans are using one of his tunes to acclaim Stuart Armstrong

- Paul Cuddihy

A WISE man once told me that nothing’s a mystery any more. The advent of the Internet and the omnipotence of Mr Google have seen to that, with the answer to everything seemingly just one click away.

The debate over whether that is a positive or negative thing is for another day. It does, however, allow me to say with absolute certainty where I was on the evening of Monday, November 10, 1980.

That night, Glasgow’s legendary Apollo Theatre played host to an exciting new synth-pop band from Liverpool, Orchestral Maneouvres in the Dark (OMD), who were starting to make inroads into the charts with their latest single, Enola Gay.

I was there, a 14-year-old fan enjoying my first foray into the big city for a concert without adult supervision. It was, understandably then, a magical musical moment for me, cementing my affections for the band from that night onwards.

Fast forward 37 years … where has the time gone … and the chance to interview the lead singer of the band is an opportunity that I refuse to pass on to any of my colleagues.

Andy McCluskey is delighted to speak to the Celtic View as the band embark on their biggest UK tour in 30 years, and having just released their 13th studio album, The Punishment of Luxury, to both critical and commercial acclaim.

He is a Celtic fan – his other team after Liverpool – and has connections with the club through his Glasgow-born father, James, of which more later.

The band and, in particular, that hit from 1980 which propelled them into the pop limelight, Enola Gay, also have a current link with the Hoops, because the Celtic supporters, in creating a song in homage to Stuart Armstrong and his football ability (and strong hair!), have used the Enola Gay tune to do so, much to Andy McCluskey’s delight.