It was a long, entertaining road to Sparks’ triumphant Glastonbury set at the weekend. Following Shaun Of The Dead director Edgar Wright’s 2021 film The Sparks Brothers, a new generation of fans have discovered Ron and Russell Mael’s baroque, glam-pop brilliance and their recently-released new record The Girl Is Crying Into Her Latte had the celebratory air of a victory lap, entering the UK charts at number seven. Shockingly, their set at Glastonbury was their first ever performance at the festival (because no, we’re not counting them appearing there under the banner of FFS, their collaboration with Franz Ferdinand).
It's almost like the siblings have just been waiting for everyone else to catch up. A recently-rediscovered concert shows that they have been a mesmeric live band from the get-go. Performing at the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey in 1976, it captures the band in thrilling form.
