Line-up

Headliner
David Byrne Last time in Edinburgh: 16 years ago

Venue

Edinburgh Playhouse

EH13AA, Edinburgh, UK

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Additional details

Doors open: 19:00

Concert in your area for Rock, Indie & Alt, and Pop.

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David Byrne biography

Making his fame in the iconic new wave band Talking Heads, front man David Byrne (born 14 May 1952) from Scotland, UK, boasts not only his Grammy award winning talent as a singer-songwriter but in his prolific career adds actor, writer and director to his impressive list of accolades.

Early on Byrne developed a love for music developing an obsession with the family record player and at five this inquisitiveness grew as his flair for music took control as started learning to play the harmonica. With his family migrating to America at nine, Byrne spent the rest of his childhood raised in Baltimore, US where he picked up guitar, playing in a few local bands.

A brief stint at Rhode Island School of Design marked the beginning of his musical path and in 1975 created the band Talking Heads who would become a beacon for new wave American rock bands of the 80’s. Whilst having a majorly successful run in the band as principal songwriter and distinctive vocalist responsible for hits such as “Psycho Killer” and “Burning Down the House”, Byrne established a solo career which allowed his creativity to blossom outside of Talking Heads.

Striking a bond with musician and producer Brian Eno would push Byrne’s experimental tendencies starting with the incredible debut solo release “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” in 1981 which critics praised as one of the best albums of the 80’s with its pioneering use of sampling and fusing electronic with world music. With iconic solo albums such as “Rei Momo” (1989), Feelings (1997) and “Look into the Eyeball” (2001) and the entire Talking Head discography, Byrne has influenced major contemporary acts such as: Radiohead, R.E.M. and Vampire Weekend.

Embracing all genres and styles of music, Byrne time after time strikes gold with his ability to adapt and inject his personal style into everything he touches, creating musical masterpieces which transcend time and genre while inspiring generations.

Live reviews

I could hardly maintain my excitement when I heard David Byrne was performing in my hometown! I absolutely adored his music with the Talking Heads and was at that time getting lost in his boundless genre defying discography. I drove down to the venue the day tickets went on sale planing to get the best seats possible within the lowest price tier. When I asked the attendant what the best seats in the $45 range was he provided me with a few options some which were excellent balcony seats. However he said that if I wanted I could get front row center seats to the show for $75. I have rarely spent that much money on a ticket, but I simply couldn't resist and I am absolutely thrilled that I didn't. It was one of the most memorable shows of my life! David Byrne was touring with a group of first class musicians all coming from very different backgrounds. Some were classically trained horn players, some played the trumpet and saxophone in Jazz groups, even one of the musicians played in the indie rock group Yellow Ostrich. All the members on stage including David Byrne were dressed in matching white uniforms. Their sense of timing was utterly impeccable. All of the musicians were perfectly coordinated both in music and their choreographed routines. On one song they marched in a circle around David Byrne while he sung and played his guitar, and sometimes the musicians would disperse on stage in a turbid manner alternatively playing their instruments in an unpredictable order. It was simply astonishing to see all these performers work together with such precession.
I was lucky to catch David Byrne on his Love This Giant tour because he was accompanied by another amazing performer, St. Vincent. They played their collaborative album in its entirety and on top of that they alternated songs from their own catalogue. St. Vincent tracks like "Cruel," "The Party" and "Cheerleader" were performed. During "Cheerleader" David Byrne lay down on his side and would lift up his head and his back when ever the song reached its apex. David Byrne played the fantastic club hit "Burning Down the House" which inspired a hoard of people to start dancing and coerce others to join in. He also performed some selections from his verbose solo career, such as the infectiously catchy "Strange Overtones" a song on his album 'Everything That Will Happen Will Happen Today" an album on which he worked with Brian Eno.
David Byrne has dabbled in sampling, world music, theatrical productions such as the "Catherine Wheel" and "Here Lies Love" and even film scores ("Last Emperor" and "Big Love"). Hands down he has one of the most exciting and unique careers in pop music history and his tours often tend to mirror this sentiment.

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