Time for a party – and at any time that you want. After a summer of endless studio album releases, the feel-good festival season kind of made it appropriate to turn attention to an album release that captures the irreplaceable magic of a live show, and that spontaneous connection between band and audience.

When ‘Mad’ landed it was the first time for years I felt suitably acquainted with Sparks music to welcome the new songs with a sense of familiarity and excitement – having grown particularly fond of  ‘Hello Young Lovers’ and their nineteenth studio album ‘Lil’ Beethoven’ over the previous year…

Click the heels and make a wish – “You can go wherever you wish to go.” Badflower opens their fine new album with a line from the ‘Wizard of Oz’. Dorothy yearns to go home.