Sparks at Ocean, London 21.3.

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Eldritch · #1 Post by **Eldritch** » Fri 19 Mar 2004, 7:00 am

I'm coming over to London for a long weekend with a friend of mine: on Saturday we'll be going to the Chelsea-Fulham -game and on Sunday we'll see Sparks at the Ocean.

Is anybody else from this forum coming to see Sparks? (they also play on Saturday) And can anyone tell what to expect? Is this a continuation of the Li'l Beethoven tour or something else? And how about Ocean? Is it a nice venue?

Joemoz · #2 Post by **Joemoz** » Fri 19 Mar 2004, 8:22 am

I wish I was! Please tell us how it was when you come back. I think you can expect songs from throughout their career.

bigboy · #3 Post by **bigboy** » Fri 19 Mar 2004, 10:21 am

I saw the first ever gig at the Ocean, which was the first gig by the reformed Soft Cell: great show, shame about the venue. Not many good vantage points.

However, I will be seeing Sparks there this weekend. Just waiting on the PR to tell me if i'm down for the Sat or Sun show. There are more guest list places left for the Sun show, and I'm tempted to see Kraftwerk again on Sat.

bigboy · #4 Post by **bigboy** » Sun 21 Mar 2004, 1:20 pm

Saw Sparks last night. Though I'd met them at the Brit Awards in '96 (when PSB and DB were on), I'd never seen them live before. Looks like I may be interviewing them for the Daily Mirror.

Exclusive: Ron (who, amazingly, was a lot more talkative than Russell) told me Morrissey has asked them to perform the entire 1974 Sparks LP Kimono In My House as part of his Meltdown festival in June.

Also, the bizarre rumour that Elton John is performing a set of Jobriath covers at Mozzer's Meltdown is true!!

Brighton Belle · #5 Post by **Brighton Belle** » Mon 22 Mar 2004, 7:58 pm

I was at the Sparks gig at Ocean on Saturday night which was excellent. The first half was L'il Beethoven with he full backdrop as they performed it the RFH, then an extremely diverse second half from their back catalogue. Depsite a few technical problems at the start, it was a great night and overan by about half an hour. I also saw the first reformed Soft Cell gig there back in 2001 when Ocean had just opened. Personally, I like it as a venue, apart fron the fact that it is in Hackney which is a nightmare to travel to and from!

bigboy · #6 Post by **bigboy** » Mon 22 Mar 2004, 9:11 pm

Brighton Belle wrote:I was at the Sparks gig at Ocean on Saturday night which was excellent.

I also saw the first reformed Soft Cell gig there back in 2001 when Ocean had just opened. Personally, I like it as a venue, apart fron the fact that it is in Hackney which is a nightmare to travel to and from!

What a copycat!

Brighton Belle · #7 Post by **Brighton Belle** » Tue 23 Mar 2004, 7:39 pm

bigboy wrote: What a copycat!

Copycat? I'll have my claws out for you next time!

bigboy · #8 Post by **bigboy** » Thu 25 Mar 2004, 11:18 am

Brighton Belle wrote:
bigboy wrote: What a copycat!
Copycat? I'll have my claws out for you next time!

MIAOW!

BTW, Sparks told me they weren't that keen to perform only that LP but Morrissey insists they should stick to 1974 only (obviously the Sparks period he's most fond of).

I suggested they try and see if they could be allowed to do a Bowie, as when he did Meltdown in 2002 and performed the whole of Low (and Heathen) he came back for encores of half a dozen of his best-known tracks. Ron Mael seemed to like the idea. And Russell said he was a great admirer of Moz so I'm sure something can be worked out.

jamie1978 · #9 Post by **jamie1978** » Thu 25 Mar 2004, 7:33 pm

oh i was thinking of seeing them, and am literally living around the corner from Ocean.... silly me

LittleBummerBoy · #10 Post by **LittleBummerBoy** » Thu 25 Mar 2004, 7:36 pm

It was a superb gig - first half the complete Lil' Beethoven in sequence, second half back catalogue including virtually all the hits except Beat The Clock

Eldritch · #11 Post by **Eldritch** » Fri 26 Mar 2004, 8:21 am

LittleBummerBoy wrote:It was a superb gig - first half the complete Lil' Beethoven in sequence, second half back catalogue including virtually all the hits except Beat The Clock

Then you should have been there on Sunday, when it was played. But unfortunately not Number Song In Heaven, which was played on Saturday, right?

Tthe gig was utterly brilliant. One of the best shows I've ever seen. The show was in two parts with a 15-minute interval in between. The first set consisted of the last album Lil Beethoven played from start to the end. It is something of a testament to the band's vitality that even though they are in their fifties, they dare to do something like that - and a testament to the quality of the album in question.

Since Lil Beethoven is impossible to play live without the help of a symphony orchestra, they didn't even try to: the first half was more of a theatrical experience than a concert, because only the vocals and parts of the music were played live. Video screens were used in almost evry song and they accompanied every song with some kind of theatrical stunt: Ron's wooden hands in How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall, a beautiful girl parading around with Ron in Ugly Guys With Beautiful Girls and so on.

The latter half was a greatest hits set that lasted well over an hour. The synth-based songs were for the most parts updated and sounded fresh and modern, whereas the Seventies stuff was played pretty much in the way they were recorded. Russell's vocals were absolutely astonishing: if he hadn't made some slight blunders with the lyrics, I would have suspected some miming especially in the older almost-impossible-to-sing stuff.

For me the real climax was the last track When Do I get To Sing My Way, one of my favourite songs ever. It was only half-full, but the atmosphere was really good.

Here's the set list for Sunday:

This Town Intro
Rhythm Thief
How Do I get To Carnegie Hall
What are all these Bands So Angry About?
I Married Myself
Ride Em Cowboy
My Baby's Taking Me Home
You Call Is Very Important To Us Please Hold
Ugly Guys With Beautiful Girls
Suburban Homeboy

It's a Sparks Show
National Crime Awareness Week
Here in Heaven
Something for the girl With Everything
Beat the Clock
Nothing to do
Calm before the Storm
Ghost of Liberace
Talent Is an Asset (acoustic)
Hospitality on Parade (acoustic)
When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing)
This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us
-----------------------------------------------------
Amateur Hour
When Do I get To Sing My Way