Bolshie glam rockers, synthpop pioneers, a quasi-classical comeback at the turn of the millennium – the one thing Sparks have never been is understated. Even so, the setlist for their new world tour is considerable in its breadth.
Even the band’s soundtrack to 2021 musical Annette is represented via grandiose opener So May We Start. Arriving amid chiming bells and flashes of light, the Mael brothers settle immediately into that old dynamic: Russell the flamboyant frontman, strutting around the stage in his tailored black and red suit, his face still boyish in its glee. His mustachioed, bespectacled brother Ron is his opposite, hilariously po-faced behind his keyboard – the Roland logo cheekily misspelled as Ronald.
Songs such as the bouncy 80s pop of Eaten By the Monster of Love have dated, yet the band’s charm remains undimmed. Early career stomper Beaver O’Lindy and 2000’s techno excursion Balls are flagrantly ridiculous, but Russell leans into that fact with a flourish of his hands or a leaping karate kick. Later, Ron steps out from the keys and lets his steely expression slip momentarily into a manic grin as he delivers a gloriously gangly running man.
Timed to perfection like all great double acts, the surreal moments also intensify the power of the more earnest moments by contrast. Passionate closing epic All That, for instance, is genuinely moving. There are proper musical thrills to be had, too. Ron’s synth rumbles like an avalanche on their new album’s title track; Angst in My Pants is still a manic delight. The momentum only really sags with the meandering Escalator, the weakest of the multiple new songs in the set.
When they roll out the hits, however, it’s impossible not to be swept up. Mid-90s house excursion When Do I Get to Sing “My Way” has the hall on their feet, then the still-entrancing The Number One Song in Heaven has security hoisting away fans who start dancing in the aisles. This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us follows, as does all out bedlam.
It’d be easy for Sparks to rest entirely on moments like this, a greatest hits set befitting their status, but their refusal to play things straight has always been their biggest strength. Immediately after that run of classics, they puncture any ideas of becoming a legacy act with a knowingly daft chanson from their new record, Gee, That Was Fun. It’s a sentiment their audience clearly share.
Sparks are touring the UK until 30 May.
