Some bands are so unique that the moment you hear they’re touring, every other consideration goes out the window.
Sparks are one of those bands.
When I saw they were playing the Armadillo in Glasgow, I couldn’t resist taking Emma and my son along. Sparks have been making music for more than fifty years and show absolutely no signs of running out of ideas. The prospect of them returning to Scotland was never guaranteed, so waiting for another opportunity felt like a risk I wasn’t prepared to take.
For anyone unfamiliar with Sparks, they are genuinely unlike any other band in popular music. Ron and Russell Mael have spent decades creating songs that are witty, theatrical, unpredictable and frequently brilliant. One moment you’re laughing, the next you’re captivated by a melody so strong it feels as though it has always existed. Very few artists manage to be both intellectually playful and emotionally engaging at the same time. Sparks have been doing it since the 1970s.
What makes their live shows particularly enjoyable is the contrast between the two brothers. Russell possesses one of the most distinctive voices in pop, effortlessly moving between dramatic grandeur and moments of unexpected tenderness. Meanwhile, Ron sits behind his keyboard wearing an expression that suggests he would rather be almost anywhere else in the world, while simultaneously being one of the most captivating performers on the stage.
It shouldn’t work.
It works brilliantly.
One of the things I enjoy about taking Emma and my son to concerts is watching their reactions when an artist exceeds expectations. Neither of them knew particularly well what they were walking into, but it didn’t take long for both of them to be completely won over. By the end of the evening they were as enthusiastic about the performance as I was, which is always satisfying when you’ve been the one buying the tickets.
The Armadillo proved to be a decent setting for the occasion, even if it isn’t a venue I would normally choose over somewhere like the Barrowland. What mattered was the performance, and Sparks delivered exactly the sort of evening I had hoped for. Songs from across their enormous catalogue sat comfortably alongside one another, each one sounding unmistakably like the band that created it.
That’s one of the remarkable things about Sparks. They have reinvented themselves so many times over the decades that you might expect their concerts to feel disjointed. Instead, everything feels part of the same wonderfully eccentric universe.
Looking back, this turned out to be one of those concerts that stayed with all of us long after it was over. In fact, it left such an impression that when Sparks announced another tour the following year, there was never any question about whether we would go again.
We did.
And they were every bit as good the second time around.
The videos below capture some of the evening. If you’ve never experienced Sparks before, I’d strongly recommend changing that as soon as possible. Fifty years in and they remain one of the most original and entertaining bands on the planet.
You can read a review of the gig here.
The Photos
Cheers!
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