About Sparks
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 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 94
th
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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