Current Issue #488

David Byrne Australia-bound for a once in a lifetime tour

David Byrne Australia-bound for a once in a lifetime tour

David Byrne is heading to Australia with a 12-piece band for a choreographed tour that is his most ambitious concert experience since Taking Heads’ Stop Making Sense tour of 1984, which was filmed by the late Jonathan Demme for one of the great concert videos of popular music.

The American Utopia tour will see Byrne perform in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast this November as well as three shows in New Zealand.

As leader of Talking Heads, the four-piece went from new wave favourites to post punk innovators as they pushed their sound — with producer Brian Eno — with Afro-beat, gospel and funk influences. The legacy of the New York band has been celebrated recently with Speaking in Tongues’  35th anniversary while West African artist Angelique Kidjo reinterpreted the Afro-beat influenced Talking Heads classic Remain in Light by essentially taking the record back to Africa.

The Talking Heads disbanded in 1991 but Byrne carved a rich and experimental solo career outside of the four-piece composing albums that experimented with jazz, modern classical and alternative rock. His latest album American Utopia was released earlier this year to positive notices. Q Magazine wrote that Byrne’s “creative fires still showing no signs of dimming” as he “remains as playful and brilliant as ever” in a four-star review of the album.

Byrne’s Australian concert tour will see the music icon joined by a 12-piece band to perform songs from Talking Heads’ back-catalogue including Once in a Lifetime and This Must be the Place (Naïve Melody), his solo work and collaborations with artists such as St Vincent. The concerts are choreographed by Annie-B Parson.

Tickets go on sale on Monday, June 18 through ticketek.

David Byrne Australian tour 2018

Sydney
ICC Sydney Theatre
Tuesday, November 20
ticketek.com.au

Gold Coast
Convention Centre
Wednesday, November 21       

ticketek.com.au

Melbourne
Margaret Court Arena
Saturday, November 24       

ticketek.com.au

Adelaide
AEC Theatre
Sunday, November 25
ticketek.com.au

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