Sparks have unveiled Live On The Moon, a new 20-track live album that playfully imagines the duo becoming the first band to perform a concert on the lunar surface, with actor Cate Blanchett appearing as the event’s “Lunar Emcee”.
by Paul Cashmere
Sparks have announced the release of Live On The Moon, the first full live album of their career, due out on 14 August through Transgressive Records. The 20-song collection is presented as a recording from a one-off concert staged at Taruntius Crater near Mare Fecunditatis on the Moon, with Ron and Russell Mael weaving science fiction humour into a project that spans more than five decades of the band’s catalogue. Cate Blanchett features throughout the release, providing the concert’s introduction and closing remarks as its fictional lunar emcee.
The announcement continues a long tradition of Sparks blending theatrical storytelling, satire and conceptual art into their music. While the notion of a concert staged on the Moon is clearly presented with tongue firmly in cheek, the album serves as a substantial retrospective of a career that now stretches across 54 years and 28 studio albums.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, Ron and Russell Mael said: “After our 2025 World Tour, Sparks accepted an invitation to do a special one-off concert on the Moon, more precisely at the Taruntius Crater, near Mare Fecunditatis.”
The brothers added: “Honoured to be the first band to perform on the moon, let alone at the beautiful Taruntius Crater, we couldn’t have imagined the lunar fan interest, with all tickets being grabbed up within an hour, Coordinated Lunar Time (CLT). Thank you, Moon!”
The first preview from the album, “Whippings And Apologies (Live On The Moon)”, has been released. The song originally appeared on Sparks’ 1972 album A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing and offers a glimpse of how the duo have reinterpreted material from the earliest period of their recording career.
According to the Maels, Blanchett also became part of the lunar adventure. “What a riot Cate was on the mission’s 4-day flight, helping us pass the time with hours of gravitational-pull jokes and the like!” they said.
Live On The Moon draws from virtually every era of the Sparks catalogue. Early classics such as “Beat The Clock” and “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” sit alongside later favourites including “When Do I Get To Sing ‘My Way’”, “The Number One Song In Heaven” and “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte”.
The album also features material from MAD!, Sparks’ most recent studio album, which became one of the strongest chart performers of the band’s later career, reaching No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart. Tracks such as “Do Things My Own Way”, “Reinforcements”, “Goofing Off” and “Running Up A Tab At The Hotel For The Fab” demonstrate how the group continues to integrate new work into its live performances rather than relying solely on its extensive back catalogue.
The recording also showcases Sparks’ current touring lineup. Alongside Ron Mael on keyboards and Russell Mael on vocals, the band includes guitarists Eli Pearl and Evan Weiss, bassist Max Whipple and drummer Darren Weiss. That lineup has become a stable part of Sparks’ live presentation during the band’s recent touring cycle.
The release arrives at a time when live albums have regained prominence as artists seek new ways to document performances and engage audiences beyond traditional concert recordings. Rather than issuing a straightforward archive release, Sparks have wrapped the project in an elaborate fictional narrative that reflects the eccentric creative approach that has distinguished the duo since the early 1970s.
The concept also arrives as Sparks continue an active touring schedule across Europe and the United Kingdom. Recent performances have included London’s Live At Chelsea and Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Bandstand, while further appearances are planned throughout the northern summer. The group is also scheduled to join Gorillaz as special guests at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and will appear at major European festivals including Green Man, Cabaret Vert and Rock En Seine.
For a band that has repeatedly reinvented itself across changing musical eras, Live On The Moon offers both a celebration of its history and another example of its willingness to blur the lines between performance, storytelling and absurdist humour. Whether listeners choose to believe the lunar setting or simply enjoy the joke, the album provides a comprehensive snapshot of one of pop music’s most enduring and unconventional acts.
Sparks Live On The Moon Tracklisting
So May We Start
Do Things My Own Way
Reinforcements
Academy Award Performance
Goofing Off
Beat The Clock
Please Don’t Fuck Up My World
Running Up A Tab At The Hotel For The Fab
Suburban Homeboy (“Ron Speaks” Version)
All You Ever Think About Is Sex
Drowned In A Sea Of Tears
JanSport Backpack
Music That You Can Dance To
When Do I Get To Sing “My Way”
The Number One Song In Heaven
This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us
Whippings And Apologies
Lord Have Mercy
The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte
All That
Dates:
17 June 2026, Bournemouth, Bournemouth International Centre
18 June 2026, Bristol, Bristol Beacon
20 June 2026, London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Special Guests Of Gorillaz)
20 August 2026, Nijmegen, Openluchttheater De Goffert
21 August 2026, Charleville-Mézières, Cabaret Vert Festival
Date TBA, Crickhowell, Green Man Festival
25 August 2026, York, York Barbican
26 August 2026, Southend-On-Sea, Cliffs Pavilion
Date TBA, France, Rock En Seine Festival
29 August 2026, Antwerp, De Roma
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