SPARKS

SteveBoyce · Sub-Deity Joined: 17 Jan 2002 Posts: 769

Cheers to all the people who posted reviews, really appreciated. Here is the Sunday Herald

SPARKS How strange that it should take the two oldest men on any of the stages today to inject Hydro Connect with the youthful energy that has sometimes been lacking on the musical front. At 58 (or as close as biographical estimates have it), Russell Mael of Sparks gives it his all in the Unknown Pleasures tent for the full hour up to midnight. He has come prepared for a festival in a humid forest setting by the side of a Scottish loch, and soon is wiping sweat mixed with midge repellent from his eyes.

Throughout the set, his elder brother Ron sits stone-faced at a bank of keyboards at the front of the stage, or wanders around, interacting with the background projections, unsettling the audience with his unblinking stare. With his trousers hitched too high and his disapproving mouth drawn in tight, he's the most frightening maths teacher you never had. Like Bez of Happy Mondays, he can become the band's sole focal point even when he's contributing nothing specific to the music of the moment.

Truly, the Mael brothers are the Gilbert and George of pop music. They deliver the highlight show of day one, a theatrical slice of performance art that's crammed with fabulous musical hooks. Most of the crowd doesn't recognise the majority of songs that make up the set, but they're transfixed by every single note. When Sparks do play a big hit - This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us or a high-energy version of Number One Song All Over Heaven - it's as if the three decades between the songs' creation and their performance tonight have evaporated; they're fresh, vital and utterly brilliant.

It would be impossible to describe what Sparks sound like to anyone who hasn't heard them before. They're Sparks crossed with Sparks, with a bit of Sparks thrown in for good measure. Russell Mael's voice soars up and down into falsetto register with the smooth ease of a kid on a playpark swing, while his backing band skip from Weimar cabaret to 1970s disco to thrash metal in the blink of an eye. Strange Animal, second song in, is magnificent, with its spooky film backdrops of black-and-white tree-lined avenues and Nosferatu shadows. But it's Dick Around that has become the anthem of the day: "The sun goes up/The moon goes down/And all I do is dick around" - a festival itinerary for each and every one of us.
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PETER RAWCLIFFE · Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:48 am Post subject:

thanx Jill for those two new video links.the no 1 song reminded me of the first time i ever saw Sparks in Manchester in 94,It was pitch black as the long version of no 1 in heaven started,then a spotlight just on Russell lit up as he started singing,then another spotlight on Ron lit up and it just went mad as the socnd part of the song kicked in,To make my evening complete i met Ron & Russ after and still have a 6 ft poster on the wall that they signed for me.
MiniPop

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jill · Sub-Deity Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1281

That's lovely, Peter, it's always fascinating for me to hear here about past Sparks gigs, better than any press review (not that I've seen too many reviews from the '90s and before). Lucky you for that poster! How did you get it - or did you make it yourself?
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PETER RAWCLIFFE · Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:01 am Post subject:

Jill,As i came out of the academy gig there where sellers selling these massive posters for just £2,they were great quality as well,so i got one!,then as i was going to my car a nother fan said that Ron & Russ would see each fan individually if you were prepaired to wait for half an hour,so i didnt believe it would happen but to my amazement one by one they saw a queue of about 100,Here comes the embarrassing bit,i went in and being tongue tied i just said to Russell` you are my hero`with that Ron said` oh well im not signing yer poster then`,he did of course and that was that,It just says best wishes from ron mael & russell mael,its the same print as trhe` my way` single when they stand as figures in front of a yellow background.better than wallpaper Jill !!
MiniPop

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jill · Sub-Deity Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1281

If I had been there, surely I would have been as tongue-tied as you :)
I wish there were a topic here about past gigs and fans' best memories about them - guess I saw something before I joined the forum, but I can't find it anymore.
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PETER RAWCLIFFE · Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:08 pm Post subject:

Jill,Heres another story,I went to the Norwich gig that week and arrived two hours early,It was a massive university and i had no idea where the concert hall was,So i asked a security man and he said if you are very quiet i will let you see them doing the soundcheck,He then led me to the backstage area where through a door i was 15 yards from Ron on keyboards and Russ singing in front,the song they were singing was `Popularity`,hows about that Jill,sadly another security guard wouldnt let me stay as i was attracting other fans,dammit,great times though.
MiniPop

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Douglas McIntyre · Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:58 pm Post subject:

From a local Dumbarton newspaper, The Lennox Herald,(about 40 miles from Inverarary), with up to date photo from ECOTD, subline HIGHLIGHT: Sparks were one of the festival favourites.

Its an article about the weekend festival, started with reference to weather then halfway down......
"Undoubted gig of the night though was Sparks in the Unknown Pleasures tent. Ron and Russell played a blinder that many current modern bands would be hard pressed to emulate for high octane performance-and this from two guys who have been in the business for more than 35 years.

They kicked off with a couple of tracks from their new album Exotic Creatures of the Deep whipping the crowd to a frenzy before delving into their extensive back catalogue. This was no small achievement given that most of the audience were not even born when they stormed the Uk charts in 1974 with their breakthrough hit This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us which closed the set.

Credit to for exceptional musicianship and backing vocals from Steven Nistor,drums, Steve McDonald,bass and Jim Wilson and Marcus Blake,both guitar"

It then goes on to talk about the other acts.

Good review, good to see namecheck for the guys as well!

lilywearsmoschino · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:03 am Post subject:

@ Lauren - great pics - how did you manage to take so many - well done you!!!

@ Jill - Can't wait to see those videos, once I start watching Sparks vids on YouTube that's me for the night, so addictive!!

@ Douglas - thanks for passing on the review. I think we can safely say Sparks were a HUGE hit at Connect, but then we knew they would be!!

Looking forward to reading Billy Sloan's interview with them in the Sunday Mail this Sunday- hopefully it will be available online for those outside the West of Scotland!
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jill · Sub-Deity Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1281

Great, Peter, to see them not only after a gig, but before too at the rehearsal! And the sweet Popularity

Thanks for the review, Douglas!

I wonder now if Sparks will play in Germany this fall - see the official announcement about the future interviews...
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sparksfanlm · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 9:15 am Post subject:

lilywearsmoschino · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 9:25 am Post subject:

Yet another excellent review from a site called www.safeconcerts.com....

Unknown Pleasures

However, over on Unknown Pleasures the legendary Sparks delivered a stunning set that showed there's a lot more to both their musical ability and sheer physical stamina than we had previously suspected, Sparks was a real festival surprise; we knew they'd be good fun but we didn't know they'd be up there with the best and would deliver quite such a stunning and musically brilliant set. Brothers Russell and Ron owned Hydro Connect for the duration of their set, they delivered a performance that was one of those rare festival highlights and if you missed this one you missed a truly magical festival hour.

Russell's falsetto's moved up and down the musical scale with ease, he moved around the stage with more energy and commitment than most 20 year olds could manage, all while brother Ron did what he does so well, being enigmatically scary while adding a dimension that defies description. You simply can't take your eyes off the man as he exudes that strange charisma that draws you in no matter whether he's being active or passive - you just want to know where he is and what he's doing at all times - hypnotic.

‘Dick Around’ was one of the highlights of a fresh, vibrant and totally mesmerising set that displayed moments of sheer brilliance, but when Sparks closed with 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us' they truly gave us the performance of the festival.

Locals Optimo followed and drew a very happy crowd - but we left it there having been well and truly Sparked - nothing was going to top that!
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Loreley · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 11:01 am Post subject:

Deano · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:07 am Post subject:

It must be very heart warming for the band to read such rave reviews.As proud fans we already know how great they are on stage.

jill · Sub-Deity Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1281

Not much here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dlallan/page6/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/biotron/ (with a "Sparks dressing room")
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jill · Sub-Deity Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1281

That's much better:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cadd/page3/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cadd/page4/

Festival goers chatting:
http://www.efestivals.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=110068&st=0

... pass the salt (Sunday Mail - Aug.31):
"SPARKS - brothers Russell and Ron Mael - turned down the local delicacy at Inveraray. Ron said: 'We're vegetarians and oysters are kind of borderline I guess.' But that didn't stop the duo enjoying playing at Connect. Ron said: 'It was great to reach such a big audience.' "
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sparksfanlm · Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 6:38 am Post subject:

hyburn · Fan-in-Training Joined: 21 May 2008 Posts: 32

I wrote that review. You can read the whole festival piece at http://icdunbartonshire.icnetwork.co.uk/thelennox/news/tm_headline=weather-didn-x2019-t-dampen-festival-spirits-at-connect&method=full&objectid=21659996&siteid=78846-name_page.html

I think it will only be there till next issue comes out on Wed 10 Sept 2008. It has been credited to Marc McLean who is the chief reporter but it was me - I had the byline in the actual paper. Would have loved to have written more about Ron n Russ but my remit was to cover the festival and didn't want to push my luck.

It was an absolutely fantastic gig - thought I'd died and gone to heaven - and meeting them after was the icing on the cake. They are great guys and didn't disappoint. Love them more than ever now.

jill · Sub-Deity Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1281

Some watermarked images and watermarked pics.
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sparksfanlm · Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:49 am Post subject:

Thanks for the pics Jill. I love the ones of Russell in the cream coloured suit.

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jill · Sub-Deity Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1281

I like that ones too

The Times used a photo from this set a few months ago.
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