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MAY
23 – Oxford, UK – New Theatre
24 – Liverpool, UK – Philharmonic Hall
26 – Glasgow, UK – Clyde Auditorium
27 – Manchester, UK – Bridgewater Hall
29 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
30 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
JUNE
2 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound Barcelona *
8 – Madrid, Spain – Primavera Sound Madrid *
10 – Porto, Portugal – Primavera Sound Porto *
13 – Paris, France – Le Grand Rex
14 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Grote Zaal
16 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Store Vega
18 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
20 – Brussels, Belgium – Cirque Royal
27 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
28 – Philadelphia, PA – Keswick Theatre
30 – Washington, DC – Lincoln Theatre
JULY
1 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur Theatre
3 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
5 – Chicago, IL – Copernicus Center
6 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
8 – Kansas City, MO – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
9 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
12 – Dallas, TX – Texas Theatre
13 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theatre
16 – Los Angeles, CA – Venue TBA
24 – Osaka, Japan – Namba Hatch
25 – Tokyo, Japan – Line Cube Shibuya
* Festival Appearance
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Levels of interest in the work of Sparks are at heights unsurpassed in their more than fifty-year career, with the ultimate cult band now centerstage in the full beam of the spotlight.
Most people, with even a passing acquaintance with Sparks, will know the basics by now. How Californian brothers Ron and Russell Mael, both students at UCLA, began making music together in the late Sixties, originally under the name Halfnelson. How their Top Of The Pops debut with “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” stunned a generation and nearly scored them a UK #1. How their career moved through many phases, including (but not limited to) art rock, glam, big band swing, electro-disco, new wave and synthpop, taking in collaborations with Todd Rundgren, Les Rita Mitsouko, Tony Visconti, Franz Ferdinand and Giorgio Moroder.
How keyboardist and songwriter Ron’s intricate staccato arrangements combine with the acrobatic vocals in which Russell delivers his brother’s always-on-point lyrics. How Ron’s stillness and stern, intimidating visage contrasts onstage with Russell’s hyperactivity. How their popularity has spiked unpredictably in different territories at different times: Britain, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Japan, and their homeland the United States. And how the influence of “the greatest band you’ve never heard of,” or “your favorite band’s favorite band,” has been recognized by successive generations of artists from Joy Division to Duran Duran to Depeche Mode to Bjork to Beck to The Darkness and beyond. Their influence on music cannot be overstated – as super-producer Jack Antonoff recently declared, “All pop music is re-arranged Sparks.”
Now into their sixth decade of making music, Sparks have never been more relevant, with studio albums Hippopotamus (2017) and A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (2020) both reaching #7 on the UK Official Albums Chart amidst global acclaim. Released in 2021, the lauded career-spanning documentary film The Sparks Brothers, directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver), brought an awareness of Sparks to parts they previously hadn’t reached.
Sparks’ 2021 film musical Annette, directed by Leos Carax and starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, has been showered with awards, especially in France where the film won three Lumières Awards and five César Awards, including “Best Original Music” for Ron and Russell. In addition, the film’s “So May We Start” was shortlisted for “Best Original Song” at the 94th Academy Awards. Focus Features have recently announced plans to develop X-Crucior, a new musical epic written by Ron and Russell.
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CONNECT WITH SPARKS:
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