The legendary US art pop icons, Sparks, are coming to New Zealand for the very first time this May!
Since storming into the UK charts, minds and airwaves in 1974 with ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both of Us’, Californian act Sparks – brothers Ron and Russell Mael – have been at the cutting edge of pop, creating new musical genres and inspiring generations of musicians.
Buoyed by Edgar Wright’s admiring 2021 documentary, Sparks have gone from strength to strength, scoring major films, releasing critically acclaimed records, and touring the world with rapturously received, sold-out performances.
And now they are coming to New Zealand for the very first time for two special shows this May! Sparks will perform in Christchurch at the Town Hall on Thursday May 21 and in Auckland at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre on Saturday May 23.
Presented by Destroy All Lines, tickets for Sparks go on sale at 9am, Friday March 20 from XXXX
The influence of “your favourite band’s favourite band” – Sparks have been recognised by successive generations of artists from Joy Division and Squeeze to Depeche Mode, Bjork and Beck, to The Last Dinner Party and beyond. Their impact on music cannot be overstated – as super-producer Jack Antonoff declared “all pop music is re-arranged Sparks”.
They’ve collaborated with everyone from electronic guru Giorgio Moroder to Todd Rundgren, The Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin and maverick French filmmaker Leo Carax (on 2023’s musical Annette), and earned high-profile fans from Paul McCartney to “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Following the 2024 release of their acclaimed 28th studio album MAD! and the companion EP MADDER!, the band’s recent world tour was rapturously received.
New Zealand concert-goers can expect musical thrills and euphoric entertainment from the career-spanning show by this legendary band.
With more than six-decades of classics – including ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us’, ‘Angst In My Pants’, and ‘The Number One Song In Heaven’ – plus recent hit albums The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte (2023) and MAD! (2025) in their arsenal, Sparks is set to deliver a euphoric evening of music that has become the stuff of legend.
