Exotic Creatures of My House

Just under a year after playing all 21 of their albums live in 21 different concerts, Sparks were back in London for 2 days to do a little bit more of the same. This time they they played their latest album, Exotic Creatures of the Deep, together with one of their classic albums, Kimono my House on one night and No. 1 Song in Heaven on the other.


Friday evening opened with Exotic Creatures of the Deep and the show was much the same as that given at the premier last June at the Shepherds Bush Empire, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Sparks put something of a show on for Exotic Creatures with performers supporting them on some songs (Intro, She Got Me Pregnant and This is the Renaissance) and good use made of the large video screen on others (e.g. Let the Monkey Drive and Photoshop).

Ron added humour at various stages such as when he tried to play the piano shown on the video while it was being contorted by Photoshop.

Kimono My House made for a great second part of the show with its familiar poppy songs that first brought Sparks to wide attention some 35 years ago (bloody hell!!).

Ron changed his style for this part swapping his straight tie for a bow tie and his humour for the deadpan looks he was famous for at the time of Kimono.

I did not go to the Kimono show last year (I did go to several others), because I saw them do Kimono at the Royal Festival Hall at a special concert in 2004, so it was good to have the opportunity to see it this year.

Kimono is probably best known for its opening track This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us, which was a hit single, but my favourite is the final track, Equator, and we were treated to an extended version of this to close the main part of the show. It was pure magic.

They played three sing-along classics for the encore and we all joined in, clapped along and cheered (and the French woman next to me screamed like a Banshee). It was tremendous fun and a fantastic end to a superb concert.

To make the evening even better I had two chance meetings: while queueing for the show I met the Fabulous Ms Angel (dancer with Space Ritual) and on the tube back to Waterloo I spoke to Pete Feenstra who promotes concerts locally.

And the best bit was knowing that I would be seeing Sparks again the next night.