One of the most in demand events of the year so far has to be David Byrne live in Scotland. Whether it’s his connection to our wonderful land, our fantastic taste in music as a nation or just his ability to connect with an audience, there has been an incredible demand for multiple performances of his new show in both Glasgow and Edinburgh
David Byrne has managed to maintain his revered status through not only continuing his path of creativity and individuality in recording and live performance since the end of Talking Heads, but by also keeping his foot in the door with new artists and music allowing him to continue to be relevant in the world of music today. This can be seen from the list of artists engaging in the Stop Making Sense anniversary tribute album, and also in his covers of recent pop hits in Olivia Rodrigo’s Drivers License and Paramore’s Hard Times.
With no support, the show began shortly after 8PM opening to a backdrop of the moon as David soared through a hauntingly stripped back string arrangement of Heaven that was both ethereal and moving. Everybody Laughs then brought his full troupe into play who were clad head to toe in orange. The 12-piece band consisted of 4 dancer vocalists, 4 percussionists and 4 multi-instrumentalists who embodied David’s quirky vision perfectly with not a step or note out of place. The song itself brought an insurmountable level of joy to the room.
Choreography throughout the set was simple yet effective, making full use of the stage and elevating the songs with the live interpretations combined with the all-encompassing visuals. These were particularly successful when used during T Shirt, showing a wide array of funny slogans you might see on a t shirt. David also took time to speak to the crowd, detailing his few days in Glasgow leading up to the show, seeing all sorts of costumes for Comic Con taking place in the SECC next door as well as talking about his birthplace in Dumbarton and the infamous story of the bridge jumping dogs.
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) provided the first singalong of the night and brought the audience to their feet. Another highlight, was getting a look inside David’s New York apartment where he spent his time during lockdown. I tried very hard to glance at what he had stashed on his shelves but alas, all my eye squinting amounted to nothing! Newer tracks such as Moisturizing Thing (which is a lyrical hoot) and What Is The Reason For It? brought the appropriate level of eccentricity without alienating those less familiar with his new album ‘Who Is The Sky’.
After an exceptional run of tracks of Psycho Killer, Life During Wartime and Once in a Lifetime, it was time for the encore. Everybody’s Coming to My House was given a minimalist approach in staging and arrangement, allowing us to appreciate the harmonies of the vocals and the message of the song before David and his band brought the energy right back up for an epic finale of Burning Down the House.
David Byrne‘s show was a visual spectacular worthy of the Sphere in Vegas. Not many artists put as much thought into this, especially those who have been involved in the industry as long as he has. This was a refreshingly exciting take on live performance, raising the bar of what we’re used to seeing at a live music event.
David returns to Scotland in July for three shows at Edinburgh’s Playhouse. If you can’t wait that long or weren’t lucky enough to grab a ticket, enjoy the full set below.