Quick Facts
Biography
Malcolm Holmes (born 28 July 1960 in Birkenhead, England) is a British drummer. He is best known for being the original drummer with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.
Biography
His first drumming sessions were for The Id, who included future members of OMD. He also played on sessions for The Pale Fountains, Dalek I Love You, The Lightning Seeds and Margi Clarke, aka Margox in the late 1970s. He joined OMD in 1980.
Holmes played on over 130 of the band's songs as well contributing live performances at hundreds of OMD concerts. On his first Top of the Pops TV performance in 1980 he performed standing up, playing an electronic drum kit. He used a home made electronic drum kit for live performances before they became available to the mass market.
He rejoined OMD when they reformed in 2006.
In July 2013, while touring with OMD in Toronto, in reported stage temperatures of above 45 degrees celsius he collapsed during the show, ordering the band not to begin the next song. They subsequently left the stage, where Holmes' heart stopped. The band later announced the cancellation of the rest of their tour, which included a headlining slot at Rewind Festival in Scotland on 28 July.
After making a steady recovery over the following months Holmes continues to work in the music industry.