Sparks band to play York Barbican on August 25, 2026

Cult pop pioneers Sparks, have announced a long-awaited return with a headline show at York Barbican this summer – their first performance in the city since 1974.

The brothers Ron, on keyboards, and Russell Mael, vocals, will take to the stage on Tuesday, August 25 as part of a wider international tour spanning Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe.

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The York date has been added due to demand, alongside a second new UK show in Southend-on-Sea, following previously announced performances in London, Glasgow, Blackpool, Bournemouth and Bristol.

The career-spanning set comes off the back of the band’s latest releases, their 28th studio album MAD! and companion EP MADDER!, and follows a critically acclaimed 2025 world tour.

Reviews praised the band’s enduring live appeal, with Louder Than War calling the show “a hundred minutes of energetic, thrilling pop songs”, while The Spectator described it as “an unadulterated triumph”.

Sparks first rose to prominence in the UK in 1974 with the hit This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both of Us, and went on to inspire artists such as Joy Division, Depeche Mode to Björk, Beck and contemporary acts including The Last Dinner Party.

The band, dubbed “your favourite band’s favourite band”, were also the subject of Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers.

Alongside their headline shows, Sparks are set to appear at Green Man Festival and will support Gorillaz at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Mael brothers recently joined Gorillaz on Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform The Happy Dictator, a collaboration featured on Gorillaz’s latest album, The Mountain.