Sparks perform at the Roundhouse
(Picture: Redferns)This coming November will mark 50 years since brothers Ron and Russell Mael released their first single as Sparks, setting into motion an utterly inimitable career as pop’s uppermost outliers. Now, in a plot twist so surreal that even they themselves couldn’t have scripted it, the Los Angeles duo have suddenly found themselves more widely embraced than ever before, thanks to a feature-length documentary made by Shaun of the Dead-director Edgar Wright.
Currently streaming on Netflix, 2021’s The Sparks Brothers ostensibly set out to unravel the enigma of the Maels, but in reality only added to their mystique, and featured some of rock’s most prominent names lining up to pay tribute, including Todd Rungdren, Beck and Taylor Swift/Lorde-producer Jack Antonoff.
