Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall when a cult band and one of the biggest movie stars in the world get together? Well you can do just that through this incredibly delightful conversation between Sparks and Cate Blanchett, where they cover everything from dance moves, Cate cosplay, favourite songs and quintessential Aussie tips, from short shorts to magpies and lamingtons.
If you’re heading along to one of LA pop pioneers Sparks’ upcoming Australian shows at the iconic Sydney Opera House, Melbourne’s Palais Theatre, Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall or Harvest Rock festival in Adelaide, you’ll likely hear one of Cate Blanchett’s favourite songs open the show.
As Blanchett remarks, she can’t imagine a Sparks show starting with anything other than ‘So May We Start’, which is coincidentally, the song which brought about their chance meeting and an unlikely collaboration.
When Sparks performed ‘So May We Start’ at the César Awards in Paris, where they won the award for ‘Best Original Music’ for their musical film Annette, they heard a knock at their dressing room door. When they opened the door and saw Cate Blanchett, who was being honoured with the ‘Lifetime César Award’, Brother’s Ron and Russell immediately assumed she’d knocked on the wrong door. So, they were absolutely blown away when she told them she was a lifelong Sparks fan. That adoration was of course reciprocated and they quickly became firm friends, so much so that Blanchett subsequently danced in their music video for ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’ and on stage with Sparks at Glastonbury earlier this year.
So, who should Sparks turn to for some inside knowledge about Australia ahead of their upcoming tour? Cate Blanchett, of course.
Much to the dismay of Sparks, who are known for their distinctive style, Blanchett told the band that they’ll have to “wear shorts.” Explaining that in Australia, “Shorts is a state of mind, not just an aesthetic.” Not stopping at styling Sparks in short shorts, Blanchett also had some advice on the all-important protective magpie gear saying “During mating season, you do get dive bombed. I’d wear a bicycle helmet.”
Blanchett also generously shared her classic Aussie lamington recipe and offered to cater backstage with her Mum’s homemade lamingtons, which are “the best lamingtons in the world”.
On Blanchett’s dance moves, Russell strongly disagreed with Blanchett questioning whether she might have been “uncoordinated”, saying “You were amazing at Glastonbury. We loved your live performance”. With Ron adding “You inspired a lot of cosplay Cate’s. We played 40 shows and at every show there was at least one or two girls dressed in their simulation of your yellow outfit.”
Blanchett also told the band that the Palais Theatre is where she “Spent much of my misspent youth” and that while the Sydney Opera House is “terrifying” in its grandness, they’ll have a fantastic show because “Australian audiences are great audiences.”
As Sparks embark on their Australian tour, they’re enjoying a huge resurgence, with levels of interest in their work at heights unsurpassed in their 50+ year career. Californian brothers Ron and Russell Mael began making music in the late Sixties, but it was their 1974 Top Of The Pops debut with ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us’ which stunned a generation, nearly scoring them a UK No.1. Since then, their career has moved through many phases, including art rock, glam, big band swing, electro-disco, new wave and synthpop, influencing generations of artists from Joy Division, Duran Duran and Depeche Mode to Bjork, Beck and beyond. Their impact on modern music cannot be overstated, with super-producer Jack Antonoff recently declaring “All pop music is re-arranged Sparks!” in their 2021 career-spanning documentary, The Sparks Brothers, directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver).
To coincide with the release of their 26th album, the bold, genre-defying master-piece, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, Ron and Russell Mael have taken to the road for a world tour that has included two sold out headline shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, performances at Primavera Sound Festival and the largest headline show of the band’s career at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl.
SPARKS AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
Thursday 26 October 2023 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne
Sunday 29 October 2023 – Harvest Rock, Adelaide
Tuesday 31 October 2023 – Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Thursday 2 November 2023 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
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