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Sparks

31 October 2023

In the Concert Hall

Contemporary Music

Legendary cult band Sparks make their long-awaited return, bringing their inimitable blend of art rock, synth pop and spectacle to their Sydney Opera House debut.

All pop music is rearranged Sparks.

Jack Antonoff

The return of the legendary art pop duo

It’s been over 50 years since Californian brothers Ron and Russell Mael released their first single as Sparks, setting in motion one of the most original careers in all of music: from art rock success to synth pop masterpieces and auteur soundtracks, their work has become the stuff of legend. Now, with a celebratory renaissance in full swing, the cult American duo is set to return to Australia for the first time in more than 20 years, bringing their singular catalogue to the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall for one performance only.

Breaking through the glam rock crowd in the 70s with their UK smash Kimono My House and its hit single “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us”, the band created a brand of eccentric pop that was both unforgettably strange and commercially unclassifiable, moving from art rock to big band swing to new wave and electro – often in the same song – and working with the likes of Giorgio Moroder (on the synth pop banger “The Number One Song in Heaven”), Todd Rundgren and the Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin. Along the way they’ve attracted fans that include everyone from Paul McCartney and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic to Björk and Jack Antonoff, wrote French filmmaker Leos Carax’s surreal musical Annette, and been the subject of a loving documentary tribute from director Edgar Wright.

Hot off the release of their 26th studio album The Girl is Crying in Her Latte – and its Cate Blanchett-fronted music video – the Mael brothers are bringing their six-decade, one-of-kind catalogue to the stage for one performance only. Don’t miss this rare chance to catch one of music’s most beloved duos, and their band, as they make their Sydney Opera House debut.

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