Mael Brothers’ Old Act Still Makes Sparks Fly

It was a big Flashback Weekend, reviving several eras with Sparks playing its first hometown show in 11 years Saturday at the Key Club.

The ‘80s? That’s when the act, led by odd-couple brothers Ron and Russell Mael, were staples on KROQ-FM (if nowhere else in the U.S.) with such favorites as “Angst in My Pants” and “Funny Face.”

The ‘70s? For more senior members of the packed-in crowd, it recalled when the Maels, then ex-pats in London, fronted Sparks in the glam-era brigade, standing somewhere between Roxy Music and Slade with the Brit hits “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us” and “Amateur Hour.”

All the old elements were intact Saturday, from Russell’s heliumated vocals and poster-boy looks to silent Ron’s dour ‘20s accountant attire and absurdist pantomime interludes. Even with Ron’s digital keyboards supplemented by drummer Tammy Glover, the music that in its day pointed the way for both new wave and electro-dance pop remained more than a guilty, nostalgic pleasure.

But packaged Saturday, Sparks’ best songs made it seem the Maels’ real place in history might have been the 1870s and ‘80s--when Gilbert & Sullivan were top of the pops. The rapid-fire wordplay, quasi-operatic melodies and recurrent themes of holding on to dreams aren’t related to “Ziggy Stardust” and Morrissey (who was in attendance) so much as “The Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado.” These songs shouldn’t be performed by a band, but by a cast. Is that Broadway calling?