The Young Knives, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, The Rumble Strips, Electric Soft Parade and Rosalita to support pop pioneers Sparks in London

The Young Knives, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, The Rumble Strips, Electric Soft Parade and Rosalita to support pop pioneers Sparks in London
In February Sparks offered fans the chance to support them at their record breaking run of 21 shows entitled the Sparks Spectacular. Artists wishing to support Sparks were invited to submit a live performance video via Youtube.
Whilst it has been widely reported that Sparks inspired previous generations of musicians including Morrissey, Bjork & Erasure, the response to this opportunity to support the band has shown that a new wave of artists are also now citing the influence of Sparks:
Tom White of Electric Soft Parade, who will support Sparks on June 11th, explains: “Sparks music has had a massive effect on us in so many ways – from the rough analogue sound of their early seventies recordings to the studied digital minimalism of their most recent work, they have remained a huge influence. In short, we are honoured to be a part of the Sparks Live Spectacular!”
Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip are looking forward to taking to the stage on both May 20th and May 27th. Dan said: “It will be an honour to play with such a truly eclectic band. The width of what they have done is awe inspiring” whilst Pip added “Easily the finest choice of facial hair in music”
Taking place at the Islington Academy in London between May 16 and June 11 2008, the shows will see Sparks performing their first 20 albums — one album per night, commencing with the 1971 album Halfnelson and concluding with 2006’s Hello Young Lovers. On the 21st night Sparks will be relocating to the Shepherds Bush Empire to perform their new album ‘Exotic Creatures Of The Deep’ for the first time.
The first confirmed artists are (further announcements to follow):
May 17th The Young Knives www.theyoungknives.com
May 20th Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip www.myspace.com/lesacvspip
May 21st Belgian singer & composer Philippe Tasquin www.myspace.com/philippetasquin
May 23rd Ipswich new-wave post-punk five piece Rosalita www.myspace.com/rosalitaband
May 25th Gamine www.myspace.com/gamineuk
May 27th Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip
May 28th The Rumble Strips www.therumblestrips.com
May 30th London based trio The Standards www.myspace.com/thestandardsmusic
May 31st Last Man Standing www.last-man-standing.co.uk
June 11th Electric Soft Parade www.electricsoftparade.com
Tickets for the shows are available from www.ticketweb.co.uk cc line 0844 477 2000.
Sparks 21st album ‘Exotic Creatures Of The Deep’ is released on May 19th on Lil’ Beethoven Records.