"The numbers 1 and 26 defined my Saturday night

"The numbers 1 and 26 defined my Saturday night - and I'm hoping 27 will one day, too"

Musicians are obsessed with numbers.

I don’t just mean the amount of singles sold or chart position. There’s also a time signature to follow, set times to adhere to, and hours of studio time to fill.

But no musicians might be more obsessed with numbers than Sparks, as the Bridgewater Hall found out last night (May 27). And it’s an obsession which is still serving the electronic duo very well, 50 years into a stellar career.

Sparks, synonymous with quirky lyrics, off-beat electronica, and legions of fans, are still the original brothers of Ron and Russell Mael.

“It’s one of our favourite cities and we have so many great memories,” Russell, singer, said. “Today is extra special because we have a new album out… any guess what number?,” he asked at the start of last night’s set.

A cacophony of integers were called out. None were correct.

Twenty-six is the answer, in case you were wondering. The first big number of the night eluded to the barely 24-hour old record, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte.

But that wasn’t the only big number of the show. Sparks, energised by Russell’s endless commitment to gee a seated audience up and complimented by Ron’s stoic keyboard playing, were on a mission.

Showing off new tracks like ‘Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is’ and ‘Escalator’, the duo confirmed, even after 26 albums, they are fresh. They stick to a blueprint, yes, but they know what they’re good at. In some ways it’s refreshing to see a group stick to its musical guns for so long.

But the new stuff isn’t why the Bridgewater Hall swayed. The big numbers did that.

First came their, ‘Number 1 Song In Heaven’, part of a one-two sucker-punch with ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us’.

By that point, Sparks’ numerical obsession had sucked an adoring audience in. Russell pranced, Ron pranged the keys, and fans stamped.

Even a succession of microphone failures couldn’t deter the group, throwing off the shackles of age, expectation, and longevity.

As important as 26 and 1 are to Sparks, the sun of those two figures will be the numeral that’s likely lodged in fans’ heads.

Why? Ron, the usually mute, brains of the operation, broke his silence to tell us.

“Thank you for this reaction, we don’t take it for granted. We’ll be back,” he said at the show’s close. And a return to the city can only come from one thing - a 27th album.