A TRIP TO LONDON TO SEE MY FAVOURITE BAND

Left Edinburgh on time at 1.30pm and had a complimentary sandwich and drink en route to London. Travelling first class, of course (mainly because that was the only type of tickets left to purchase - got a good deal though). Train arrived on time, walked to the underground station and got a tube to Paddington. Managed to get the 6.20pm train to Reading which arrived at 6.54pm where my son picked me up.  A quiet tea with Gordon and his fiancée, Agnieszka, a couple of drinks and to bed. Got the bus down to the station mid morning and a train to London Paddington, and was there by noon. Walked through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to have a look at the Royal Albert Hall, stopped for a pub lunch nearby and then walked down to my hotel to check in. Met my youngest daughter, Julie, for tea in a steak restaurant about 10 minutes walk from the concert venue. Then, after the brief support act, Sparks took to the stage just after 8pm. Concert lasted just under two hours. They played seven ...

Sparks 25th album, "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip" was released in May, 2020 but because of limits to worldwide travel due to the COVID pandemic, Sparks, and all other musicians, couldn't travel until the start of 2022. They then played various UK and European cities and I went to see them at The Roundhouse in London in April 2022. My daughter, Julie, had managed to buy a couple of tickets and as she lived only 5 minutes away from the venue, I stayed with Julie on the Saturday and Sunday (the evening of the concert) nights and got the train back home on the Monday. A brief and quite tiring trip, but I managed to see both my daughters and Sparks in the space of a couple of days. The Roundhouse has a capacity of just over 3,000 (standing and seated) and was pretty much a sell out. Julie and I were in the standing area and Sparks were on stage for two hours. A great concert which I really enjoyed, as indeed did Julie! Difficult to believe that both the Mael brothers are in their...

"As I Sit Down To Play The Organ At The Notre Dame Cathedral" is the last track on “Hello Young Lovers”, Sparks 20th album, issued in 2006. This was also the first time I saw Sparks in concert - at Fareham in August 2006. They played the entire new album in the first half of the show and some of their back catelogue songs in the second half. Only a crowd of 500 or so, but I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, something that can’t be said for Janet, my wife, who said that she’d had a very enjoyable day up to then! And here are a couple of photos I took at the concert. Although I purchased all their albums released over the next few years, it wasn't until April 2022 that I managed to see them live again. That story will be in my next post.

“Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth” from Sparks fourth album “Propaganda” is a single from 1974. It is probably one of the first songs to be mention ecology and the need for respect of Mother Earth. I received this single as part of my 21st birthday present. I continued following Sparks, purchasing most, although not all, of their following albums, continuing on vinyl, then cassette and lastly Compact Disc. They were quiet for a few years in the late 1980’s/early 90’s, only releasing one album in eight years until the release of “Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins” in 1994. I hadn’t seen Sparks in concert at this time, but in 1995 I randomly met them on a Shuttle flight from London Heathrow to Edinburgh. On the bus taking us to the plane from the airport terminal, I looked up from my seat and noticed two guys standing right in front of me. It was Ron and Russell Mael - couldn't believe it! On boarding the plane, I found it was only about a third full, and Ron and Russell we...

Well, this is 24th May 2023 and I'm looking forward to heading down to London next week. Only for four days altogether, and I'll be seeing my favourite band, playing my favourite music at one of the world's most famous venues. So that is Sparks at the Royal Albert Hall next Tuesday night. Can hardly wait! How much excitement can an almost 70 year bloke take? This is the first post of not very many, probably, so I'll mention where I first saw and heard Sparks. It was on the legendary BBC TV show "The Old Grey Whistle Test" around November 1972. This TV show showcased lots of bands, many of whom I had never heard of and also some of the bigger names. It was broadcast weekly, usually quite late at night. Sparks were introduced and five guys appeared, the usual bass and lead guitarists and the drummer. Then two guys up front, both with very long  curly   hair - the singer, Russell Mael , who could sing in an extraordinary soprano voice and the keyboards player, R...