OMD’s Summer of Hits, plus special guests Peter Hook and The Light, and A Certain Ratio

With a career spanning more than 4 decades, over 40 million records sold worldwide, and 18 top 40 hits, OMD are one of Britain’s best-loved and most influential pop groups. In 1979, they famously recorded the single ‘Electricity’ at Cargo Studios in Rochdale. Genre-defining hits followed, including Enola Gay, Maid of Orleans, Souvenir, and If You Leave, propelling them into the stratosphere and shaping the musical landscape of the 1980s. 

Following 40th anniversary celebrations, they returned in 2023 with Bauhaus Staircase, their first studio album in 6 years. The record received widespread critical acclaim and marked a creative resurgence for the band who went on to play their biggest UK tour, culminating in their largest London show to date at the O2. 

OMD’s live shows are packed with energy, nostalgia and synth-driven brilliance and they are promising a night of dancing and timeless hits when they return to Rochdale and headline one of the north’s most spectacular heritage venues which has recently undergone a multi-million-pound revamp. 

Joining OMD at the iconic location will be Peter Hook and The Light, the powerhouse post-punk band fronted by Joy Division and New Order co-founder Peter Hook, who also recorded at Cargo Studios, cementing Rochdale's crucial role in the post-punk and electronic music scene. They’ll be playing a career-spanning set including seminal tracks from the rich back catalogue of Joy Division and New Order. 

Opening the evening will be Manchester’s post-punk/funk band A Certain Ratio. Formed in the late 1970s and signed to Tony Wilson’s Factory Records they too recorded at Cargo Studios in Rochdale. Their latest album was released in 2020 and the band are recognised as one of the first exponents of punk-funk, fusing the energy and aggression of punk rock with the rhythms and musicianship of funk and soul. 

Staged in partnership with Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency this special show is part of ‘Rochdale Music Stories’ - a campaign launched in 2025 as part of the town’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture, to shine a spotlight on Rochdale’s longstanding influence on British music whilst promoting the next wave of talent.