SPARKS // SEC ARMADILLO, GLASGOW
Charismatic art pop legends Sparks bring their new album, The Girl is Crying in her Latte to a packed crowd at the Glasgow SEC Armadillo.
★★★★☆ (4/5)
Beloved American Art pop brothers Sparks began in the 70s, too art rock for punk yet too punk for art rock and carved their own path through a dichotomy of genres. Musically inventive, lyrically full of gallows humour is perhaps the best way to summarise their approach. Lately, Sparks appear to have reinvigorated by Edgar Wrights excellent 2021 documentary The Sparks Brothers. Which introduced them to new audiences and reminding older heads of their remarkable consistency. Since then, Sparks have written a musical, Anette and are now gearing up to release their 25th album, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte with this latest tour.
Tonight, at 2030 sharp the immaculately dressed Sparks enter the stage. The singer the boyish, the youthful Russel bounds and skips on to the stage. While the demure and classy Ron assuredly strolls, almost glides to his keyboard. Together these brothers make up Sparks, supported by an equally suited and booted backing band, of two guitarists, a bassist and drummer. The enthusiastic audience respond affirmatively to the perfect set opener So May We Start. Russel obviously in fine voice, still possessing a real weapon able to hit high and low with his distinctive tone and always tuneful and melodious.
Static buzz and flickers of distorted fuzz introduce the title track of the latest record, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte. The track showcases much of what makes this quirky Art pop band so great, it’s catchy, funny and musically inventive. It goes down a treat and Russel highlights today is the release day for the aforementioned new record. All the new songs played are received fervently from the blues stomper, Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is, (showcasing more great Sparks humour as a new born baby narrates the song pleading to go back in to their mother’s womb believing they have seen too much of the world already), the dramatic, spiralling We Go Dancing, and the call and response (which Russel impressively does with himself) of It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way.
While Russel personably handles the stage banter, charmingly telling the intro story for the wrong song, generally being bloody charming. The cultish bespectacled figure of Ron is also given plenty of warm adulation particularly when slowly two stepping backwards and forwards in a jigg while providing his vocal turn on the industrial waltz that is Shopping Mall Of Love. Ron drolly speaks sings while Russel provides the contrast with the chorus. A further highlight of an excellent show is a magnificent three song run towards the end of the set, beginning with, When Do I Get To Sing My Way followed by The Number 1 Song In Heavan and then This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us, all magnificent songs showcasing disco and depth. This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us is still a staggering, pulse racing thrill ride of a song. Which best showcases the extreme sonic vocal variety of Russel’s voice. An encore follows fittingly closed by All That, sung in unison by crowd and band and with that the legends depart to a standing ovation.