Sparks, Edinburgh review: 'a delightful deep-dive of a concert'
At a Sparks show, you never quite know where in their vast catalogue they will roam for inspiration, writes Fiona Shepherd
Sparks, Playhouse, Edinburgh ★★★★
Beloved brotherly duo Sparks have released so many albums over the last 55 years that, at one point during this delightful deep dive of a concert, younger sibling Russell needed to draw on their audience’s encyclopedic knowledge in the finer points of their chronology. Russell and Ron Mael are both now in their late-70s – though looking, acting and performing much younger – yet have never rested on laurels.
The art of the album is still what drives them and they have a new offering, Mad!, to show off. As to the rest of the set, well that is half the fun (and, occasionally, frustration) of a Sparks set – you never quite know where they will roam in their vast catalogue for inspiration.
It took them 50 years to write an obvious curtain raiser so now they’re gonna use it. Following a pause to soak in the enthusiastic and respectful applause, they launched with So May We Start, from their movie musical Annette. To which the only reply can be: Absolutely.
Next, they warmed up with the staccato rhyming couplets of recent single Do Things My Own Way. But it quickly transpired that the duo were in a Seventies frame of mind, excavating the light rock opera of Reinforcements, klezmer stomp of Goofing Off and, best of all, rocking out with their ace four-piece backing band on the beefy power pop of Whippings And Apologies from their second album A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing.
There were three selections from their Giorgio Moroder disco fantasia No.1 in Heaven, with Beat the Clock propelling most of the audience to their feet and the hallowed Ron solo dance interlude applied to The Number One Song in Heaven. How could they top such ecstasy? With the euphoric rush of This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us featuring all stellar top notes intact.
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