Old Tennis Shoes | Vintagerock's Weblog

file:///C:/Users/Charys/Desktop/Old Tennis Shoes _ Vintagerock's We...

Sparks Leeds University Refectory 22nd June 1974 & Newcastle

City Hall 3rd November 1974
Posted by vintagerock in Old Tennis Shoes, Pilot, Sparks. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts,
electronica, gig, gigs, glam, music, rock, rock n roll. 3 comments
Sparks
Leeds University Refectory 22nd June 1974.
California brothers Ron and Russel; Mael relocated to the UK In
1973, having already appeared on the Old Grey Whistle test (Bob
Harris declared Sparks a cross between Frank Zappas Mothers of
Invention and The Monkees). They recruited Martin Gordon on
bass (later of Jet and Radio Stars), Adrian Fisher (guitar) and
Norman Dinky Diamond (drums). This line-up of Sparks
recorded the breakthrough album Kimono My House which
featured their No. 2 hit single This Town Aint Big Enough For
Both Of Us. Sparks appearances on Top of the Pops were
sensational. Front man Russell was the cutesy glam singer with
strange jerky hyperactive dancing, anked by his older brother Ron,
seated motionless at the keyboard, ashing evil stares at the camera,
and sporting a weird Charlie Chaplin mustache. This Town
propelled Sparks to almost immediate teen stardom, and in June
Sparks went out on their rst UK tour. My friend Gillie and I had been blown away by This Town
and really wanted to see this crazy new band, although we hadnt heard anything else by them.
The
nearest date of the tour for us was a concert at Leeds University
Students Union, so we drove down to see the band at that gig. It was
a Saturday student event, and we werent quite sure whether we
would get into the show, not being students ourselves. We managed
to get a couple of students to sign us in at the door, and we made our
way into the vast union refectory. This was our rst visit, and we
were very excited at the prospect aDending a gig in the famous hall
where The Who had recorded Live at Leeds not that many years
before. I think the support act was Old Tennis Shoes, who were a
rock and blues band from Preston. Sparks were magnicent. I dont
recall what they played that night other than This Town Aint Big
Enough For Both Of Us, which I think they may have played twice,
once during the main set and then again as a nal encore. Ron
looked just as mysterious and mean as he did on Top of the Pops and
Russel was a liDle ball of energy; he wore a white smock top and
danced himself silly the entire evening, climbing up the PA stacks during This Town and singing it
from the top of a speaker column. Gillie and I drove back up the A1 in my liDle MG talking about just
how great Sparks were. Well worth the trip to Leeds.
Sparks Newcastle City Hall 3rd November
1974
1974 was a busy year for Sparks. They recorded the
follow up to Kimono My House, which was their
1 of 2 fourth album Propaganda, Martin Gordon and Adrian

16-7-2015 21:02

Old Tennis Shoes | Vintagerock's Weblog

file:///C:/Users/Charys/Desktop/Old Tennis Shoes _ Vintagerock's We...

1974 was a busy year for Sparks. They recorded the

follow up to Kimono My House, which was their
fourth album Propaganda, Martin Gordon and Adrian
Fisher were replaced by Trevor White and Ian Hampton,
and they had two further UK hit singles Amateur Hour
(which reached No 7) and Never Turn Your Back on
Mother Earth (which reached No 13). They toured the
UK again, to promote Propaganda this time calling at
Newcastle City Hall. Support came from Pilot, who had
been in the charts with Magic and were to have a No 1
single with January the following year. Sparks
delivered another great performance; by this point in
their career they were big teen heroes and the City Hall
was full of girls screaming at Russell.

2 of 2

16-7-2015 21:02