Exclusive:David Byrne: Talking Heads legend announces huge new Edinburgh gig
The former Talking Heads frontman was born in Dumbarton
Talking Heads legend David Byrne is to return to his homeland for a series of dates in his new tour, with a new date in Edinburgh just announced.
Byrne, former frontman of new wave band Talking Heads, is to bring his Who is the Sky tour to Edinburgh Playhouse on 21 July. He will also perform in Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo venue for two nights on 6 and 7 March as previously announced.
Born in Dumbarton, and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Byrne dropped out of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design before forming Talking Heads in 1975.
Since leaving the band in 1991, Byrne has carved out a prolific and experimental solo career spanning music, filmmaking and performance art.
He left Talking Heads in December 1991, announcing the band's breakup to the Los Angeles Times. His bandmates, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison continued to tour without Byrne as Shrunken Heads in the early 1990s.
In 2018, Byrne released American Utopia, his first solo album since 2004. Focusing on optimism in an age of political uncertainty and forming part of a wider multimedia project entitled “Reasons to Be Cheerful”, the album earned Byrne his highest ever charting album on the Billboard 200, and saw him embark on an ambitious US and Europe tour.
The show found a home on Broadway in 2020, with Spike Lee appointed as its director. The concert film was released soon after, with the show winning a coveted Tony Award.
The concert will be the first time Byrne has played at the Edinburgh Playhouse since 2009. He previously held concerts in 1992 and 1994.
In May 1977, he played in Glasgow with Talking Heads at Strathclyde University as the support act for The Ramones.
Gordon Millar, theatre director of the Edinburgh Playhouse, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome David Byrne back to the Edinburgh Playhouse - his second concert with us this side of the millennium. Our history as a gig venue on the makes us proud no end.
“These seats have seen all manner of world renowned artists from Elton John to Ella Fitzgerald, Bruce Springsteen to Tina Turner and we continue to welcome the greats here to delight Scottish audiences and those from further afield.”
Byrne moved from Scotland to the US with his parents as a young child.
During the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Byrne expressed his preference for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom, saying he feared that separation from the UK might be "a bit much to handle".
In an interview conducted around the same time, Byrne said: "I have lived in the States pretty much my whole life, but from my parents and everything, there's still an affinity to maybe a Scottish sense of humour, and some of the attitudes that go with that."
A keen cycling advocate, Byrne arrived at the 2023 Met Gala in a white suit on a single speed bike.
Tickets for the Playhouse show go on general sale on Friday 6 February. Tickets are currently available for the SEC show in Glasgow.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.