B-Sides Rate a band - Sparta

[oaksy]

it seems everyone else are doing threads like this, and i just wanted to mention how good last nights show at the HiFi Bar was. Anyone else go?

 

[Upgrayedd]

damn melbourne :/
better half of at the drive-in, great band

 

[anti.]

wiretap scars was decent, i quite suprisingly got into porcelin but their new one just sucks complete ****.

they seemed to have gone for the overly polished and structured boring rock sound.

and to call them the better half of atdi...........sheesh!!!

 

[BomberGal]

damn melbourne :/
better half of at the drive-in, great band

What?

Shame on you!

More members have gone from Sparta to TMV than the other way around, too.

I like Sparta, they're nothing on ATDI though...but I don't think they should be compared. I like their first two albums, haven't heard their new one (didn't know there was a new one).

 

[Mr Sensitive]

I was pumped to see Sparta at the HiFi on Friday, but I have to say that I was disappointed. Jim Ward is a terrific guitarist and vocalist with a great stage presence, but he basically just pimped out the band's latest album, which was pretty ordinary, at the expense of Sparta's early tracks.

To not play Cataract, Death in the Family, End Moraine nor Mye is a disgrace. Leaving out Cataract is a real low blow cos that track is arguably their best song. I couldn't believe that they left the stage after an hour when they still had so many great tracks sitting in the barn. Fair dinkum, they haven't played here in four years and that's the best they can muster?

After seeing Mars Volta in March, there's no doubt in my mind which band gives the better live perfomance and which is the best outfit to emerge from the remains of ATDI.

I wanted to love Sparta on Friday and there were moments when they were terrific (Assemble the Empire was amazing), but they kept taking their foot off the accelerator by playing too many sub-par songs off their third album.

It's also worth mentioning that the support act for the gig, Responder, were bloody magnificent. I've seen these blokes three times now and they get better each time. Definitely a band on the rise.

 

[Portmanteau]

Did they do Air, Cut Your Ribbon and/or Breaking the Broken? I would've been a sad panda if that was not the case. Infact, I am a sad panda for them not coming to rAdelaide.

 

[Shmoses]

air and cut your ribbon are freaking badass songs. however the mars volta and atdi are/were better bands.

 

[Upgrayedd]

I was pumped to see Sparta at the HiFi on Friday, but I have to say that I was disappointed. Jim Ward is a terrific guitarist and vocalist with a great stage presence, but he basically just pimped out the band's latest album, which was pretty ordinary, at the expense of Sparta's early tracks.

To not play Cataract, Death in the Family, End Moraine nor Mye is a disgrace. Leaving out Cataract is a real low blow cos that track is arguably their best song. I couldn't believe that they left the stage after an hour when they still had so many great tracks sitting in the barn. Fair dinkum, they haven't played here in four years and that's the best they can muster?

After seeing Mars Volta in March, there's no doubt in my mind which band gives the better live perfomance and which is the best outfit to emerge from the remains of ATDI.

I wanted to love Sparta on Friday and there were moments when they were terrific (Assemble the Empire was amazing), but they kept taking their foot off the accelerator by playing too many sub-par songs off their third album.

It's also worth mentioning that the support act for the gig, Responder, were bloody magnificent. I've seen these blokes three times now and they get better each time. Definitely a band on the rise.

when i saw mars volta all they did was stand on stage playing music, no stage presence, and cedric stormed off because something was thrown on stage, hes a pussy

 

[oaksy]

Did they do Air, Cut Your Ribbon and/or Breaking the Broken? I would've been a sad panda if that was not the case. Infact, I am a sad panda for them not coming to rAdelaide.

yes they did. I would have been a sad panda as well if they didn't play those classics.

also what do people (particularly Anti) have against 'Threes'? I personally love that album. admittedly i only got into Sparta when Porcelain was released, but i do believe Threes is superior to that and Wiretap Scars.

 

[anti.]

yes they did. I would have been a sad panda as well if they didn't play those classics.

also what do people (particularly Anti) have against 'Threes'? I personally love that album. admittedly i only got into Sparta when Porcelain was released, but i do believe Threes is superior to that and Wiretap Scars.

it just sounds like an album where theyve abandoned creativity in order to up accessibility. its got a couple of moments and i wish i could love it as atdi are my favourite band but......nah.

 

[Mr Sensitive]

when i saw mars volta all they did was stand on stage playing music, no stage presence, and cedric stormed off because something was thrown on stage, hes a pussy

haha, i'm sorry dude, that really sucks... It's a sad fact that Cedric and Omar are both prone to silly hissy fits. I can't explain the inner workings of their eccentric minds, but I can tell you that when I saw them at Festival Hall this year, it was one of the greatest gigs I've ever been to in my short life thus far.

also what do people (particularly Anti) have against 'Threes'? I personally love that album. admittedly i only got into Sparta when Porcelain was released, but i do believe Threes is superior to that and Wiretap Scars.

Threes has a couple of decent moments, but my problem with it is that it marks a major shift in the band's sound. Wiretap Scars is a terrific album because it has such a raw and wild sound.
Compare 'Assemble the Empire' or 'Cataract' to any track on Threes. There's more going on in both of those tracks than all of Threes put together.
For me, Threes represents a band that seems to have lost its edge and seems content to half heartedly make a grab for mainstream attention.
I can only hope that for their next album, the band can rediscover it's creativity and impetus. It pains me to say that Threes is a tired and formulaic record because Sparta has the musical pedigree and talent to produce some great songs.

 

[Fwoy]

yes they did. I would have been a sad panda as well if they didn't play those classics.

also what do people (particularly Anti) have against 'Threes'? I personally love that album. admittedly i only got into Sparta when Porcelain was released, but i do believe Threes is superior to that and Wiretap Scars.

I still like Threes. "The Most Vicious Crime" is an awesome song

 

[Shmoses]

I can tell you that when I saw them at Festival Hall this year, it was one of the greatest gigs I've ever been to in my short life thus far.

highly highly HIGHLY agreed. it was amazing!

 

[Eggzoi]

I was pumped to see Sparta at the HiFi on Friday, but I have to say that I was disappointed. Jim Ward is a terrific guitarist and vocalist with a great stage presence, but he basically just pimped out the band's latest album, which was pretty ordinary, at the expense of Sparta's early tracks.

Wow, a band playing their latest material as a significant part of a set? Unheard of.
Travelled from Adelaide to see the Hifi show and it was well worth it. The only complaint I had is that I like to be teased about whether an encore will happen or not and when they left the stage with Cut Your Ribbon still unplayed it was obvious they were coming back, the end of Atlas with Jim alone on stage and then leaving it to the crowd is still sending shivers down the spine. Also scored me a drumstick and friends got a guitar pick each.
If anyone is interested a friend took a picture of the setlist, 7 off 3's, 5 from Wiretap and 3 from Porcelain. Wanted Echodyne Harmonic myself but wasn't ever expecting it to be there.
Also can get a bootleg of the first 4 tracks of the Metro (Sydney?) gig on myspace.com/auslive

 

[Mr Sensitive]

Wow, a band playing their latest material as a significant part of a set? Unheard of.

Glad you liked it mate. I don't have a problem with bands promoting their new material, it's the nature of the beast and I'm always interested to see what new stuff they're working on. What I have a problem with is when they do so at the expense of their older material. Sparta haven't been to Australia for four years and imo they stiffed long time fans by not playing their best stuff. "Threes" is almost a year old now anyway, so I don't think anyone at the gig that didn't already have the album is suddenly going to rush out and buy a copy. Like I said earlier, it was a good set (I wouldn't expect less from Jim Ward), but it left me wanting because it could have easily been so much better.

Here's a review of the gig for anyone interested. http://www.soundthesirens.com/articles/index.php?id=25,736,0,0,1,0

 

[The_Ash]

Sparta haven't been to Australia for four years...

Technically it's been less than 3 years, they supported Blink 182 late 2004. I didn't go, I wouldn't be seen dead at a Blink show. Plus I think that was one of the tours where the drummer broke his foot or something before they got to Adelaide.

I thought Threes was better than Porcelain, mainly because there's at least 2 songs on Threes I like to listen to where there's nothing on Porcelain I'll go out of my way to listen to. My only problem with Threes was Atlas, did anyone else think that it sounded more like a Coldplay song than a Sparta song?

 

[anti.]

well jim ward is a massive coldplay fan.