David Byrne

Frontier Touring is thrilled to announce that David Byrne – Talking Heads bandleader, solo artist, visual artist and author – will bring his American Utopia World Tour to Australia and New Zealand in November 2018.

The New York City-based artist will perform songs from his acclaimed new album American Utopia as well as classics from his solo career and his days with Talking Heads. A 12-piece band will join Byrne on stage for an Annie-B Parson choreographed concert that he has called “the most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense.” Annie-B Parson also choreographed the St. Vincent and David Byrne collaboration tour around Love This Giant.

‘One of the most inspired, intriguing, energetic and joyful concerts in recent memory. To call it unique hardly does it justice.’ – The Calgary Herald

‘It’s honestly hard to believe the amazingness of David Byrne’s live show…Byrne radiates a joy while performing that few  – if any – musicians can match.’ – Seattle Weekly

‘Already the toast of Coachella, Byrne’s new road show was a knockout’ – David Fricke, Rolling Stone

‘Decades into his career, David Byrne remains an unpredictable, vital artist. There aren’t many who can say that.’ – LA Weekly

‘A marvel of staging and motion that was at once utterly novel and oddly comforting, the evening proved a celebration of Byrne’s music at its most rhythmic and transcendent.’  – Chicago Tribune

With his sets including a wealth of Talking Heads’ tracks such as ‘Once In A Lifetime’, ‘Burning Down The House’, ‘This Must Be The Place’, plus Byrne’s latest stunning new solo work, his collaboration with St Vincent and more, these shows will be unmissable.

His first solo album in 14 years (following 2004’s Grown Backwards); American Utopia was released in March 2018 via Todomundo/Nonesuch Records. The first track from the album, ‘Everybody’s Coming To My House’, was co-written with Brian Eno and contributions from TTY, Happa, Isaiah Barr Leader of the Onyx Collective, Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never), Mercury Prize winner Sampha, and others feature throughout the release.

“I’ve made a record that just has my name on it but is also the result of the contributions of many other people,” says Byrne. “I suspect that like me it is asking what are we like, what do we want, and what are we looking for.”

One of pop music’s true visionaries, Byrne has released six solo albums, collaborated with Eno, St Vincent, Arcade Fire, Fat Boy Slim, De La Soul and more; won an Oscar; founded the Luaka Bop label; turned a ferry terminal into a musical instrument, designed bike racks, and published 2012 book How Music Works. The Talking Heads leader is currently on the road in the UK/Europe, having already taken his 80+ date world tour everywhere from Santiago to Tuscan, Saskatoon to Mexico City. Read more about the tour and Byrne’s new album in in-depth interviews with The New York Times and GQ.

Byrne announced the release of American Utopia during a presentation of “Reasons To Be Cheerful” – an ongoing series he curates of hopeful writings, photos, music, and lectures. The presentation was given at New York’s New School to a live audience and also was streamed via his Facebook page, while fans can sign up to the Reasons To Be Cheerful website to receive Byrne’s “thoughts, images and audio relating to this initiative” – head here.

‘A thought provoking example of the power of live music.’ Forbes.com

‘Reports had been coming in from the east coast about how uniquely theatrical the setup is on his new “American Utopia”-supporting tour, and the brain that designed “Stop Making Sense” didn’t disappoint.’ Variety.com, Coachella’s Top 10 Sets

‘“This Must Be The Place” was the first Talking Heads hit Byrne broke out Sunday, and that was immediately followed by “Once in a Lifetime,” during which most of the crowd stood, singing along.’ – Highway81revisited.com

David Byrne is a Scottish-born American artist, and one of the defining names in modern music. The American Utopia World Tour is simply not to be missed.