Concert review: Sparks, Royal Albert Hall, May 29, 2023

A few songs into Sparks first-ever headlining show at the venerable Royal Albert Hall, Russell Mael told of how upon first moving to England (in 1973), he and Ron would walk by the Hall and dream of playing there. But, he noted, they knew that only big (successful) bands played there. So what did it mean that Sparks has sold out two shows there? 

It was clearly a meaningful night for the Maels in front of a delighted audience. The crowd was warmed up by Mr B. The Gentleman Rapper, who devoted most of his set to ukelele-driven covers of Sparks songs, including a lengthy medley backed by a hip-hop beat. It was somewhat akin to a modernized Bonzo Dog Band taking on the Sparks catalog. Mr. B. was short, sweet, and entertaining.

In 2023, more than 50 years after the first Sparks album, Russell Mael remains an impeccable frontman, backed by the same band from last year's delayed tour for A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (and Annette...and The Sparks Brothers), with the great Stevie Nistor on drums, guitarists Evan Weiss and Eli Pearl, and Max Whipple on bass (NOTE: someone pointed out I had the former Mini Mansions guys, who had previously backed Sparks. I'm terrible with names and went off a list from a previous tour. My bad).

What was striking is that when the band delved into songs that go back 45 to 50 years, they sounded vital and powerful, with Russell still in command of his range, and everyone else tearing into the material. Two deep cuts were spectacular: the arty, odd "Beaver O'Lindy", which goes from carnival Weimar Republic theatrics to blistering rock, and the wistful-yet-cutting "Bon Voyage" (a song sung from the perspective of the animals left off of Noah's Ark) were rendered superbly. 

One surprise was how the set was constructed. On last year's tour, every decade of Sparks's existence was represented, but on this tour (so far), 2005 through 2017 gets the short shrift, but these are the tough choices when you have so many great songs to choose from. The big surprise was the '80s love, as the set featured six songs from the era. Now the sublime "When I'm With You" (with a cool ultra-Moroder-esque electronic interlude) and increasingly beloved "Angst in My Pants" weren't shockers. But I was so happy they hit the Angst album for it's super-fun closer "Eaten By the Monster of Love". 

The band reprised Ron's vocal turn on "Shopping Mall of Love", as well as doubling down by playing the title cut off the album from which it came, "Music That You Can Dance To", which is one of the songs that was helped most by the spotlight of The Sparks Brothers film. It may have been a flop back then, but it was always a banger. While I wouldn't call "The Toughest Girl in Town" a banger, it's the best track on Interior Design, and was a live highlight, with it's weird inverted-Motown structure and some really creative drumming by Mr. Nistor.

Seven songs were played from the swell new The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte album. The Maels had to be pleased by the reception to the pre-album singles. The title cut gained some guitar muscle and came even better live than I might have expected, while "Nothing Is as Good As They Say It Is" is a dead bang winner of a tune, and hit the spot. I thought the shifting "We Go Dancing" came off quite well too. That being said, I might have swapped out a couple of different songs that what were chosen. I thought "It Doesn't Have to Be That Way" was nice, and "A Love Story" didn't seem to have enough going on (I would have swapped in "The Mona Lisa's Packing, Leaving Late Tonight" and maybe "Take Me For a Ride"). 

The way the set was put together showed confidence, because after the rousing opener "So May We Start", they band waited before getting to the heavy hitters, and they came in quick succession: "When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'", "Number One Song in Heaven", and "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us". While I was fine with the pacing of the set, maybe some folks not as familiar with the '80s Sparks or the new material might have flagged a bit, but that one-two-three punch. After a swell Ron-and-Russell (a/k/a Two Hands, One Mouth) rendition of the lovely "Gee, That Was Fun", the crowd got on its feet. A three-song encore was highlighted by the intense, joyous "My Baby's Taking Me Home" and then the warmest song in the Sparks catalog, "All That". 

After that, Russell acknowledged members of the film crew of The Sparks Brothers who were in attendance, and then Edgar Wright came out to take the now-expected photo of the Maels with the fans in the background. Given how the movie really turbo charged the band's popularity at this juncture of their career, of course he should have been the guest photographer.

This was a special night, because of the venue, but, in many ways, it was a typical Sparks gig. Typical, because they are a consistently strong live act.