Eight years after his last London show, in front of 20,000 people at the O2 Arena, David Byrne returned to the English capital for the first of four performances at the much more reasonably sized Hammersmith Apollo. The spry 73-year-old delivered a mesmerising, blazing set to 5,000-odd fans, seamlessly melding superb solo material with timeless Talking Heads songs such as Once in a Lifetime and Psycho Killer.
But this was no ordinary concert. Instead of a backline of amplifiers, keyboard rack and a drum kit, Byrne’s sensational 12-piece band played while on the move, instruments strapped to their bodies, sometimes dancing, never still. As the wraparound screen at the rear of the stage showed images of trees and lawns, during an elegant rendition of And She Was, the blue-suited troupe and their leader looked for a moment like rhythmic landscape gardeners. Nature was a theme throughout. “I’ve watched a lot of David Attenborough wildlife documentaries,” the Godfather of funky New York alt-rock told the crowd, not once but twice.
The visuals played as large a part as the music, with Byrne’s beloved New York featuring prominently on-screen. But as well as neon and bodegas, sometimes the views were unexpected. Prior to the sublime My Apartment is My Friend, from last year’s magnificent album Who is the Sky?, the auditorium was lit bright with the sight of the interior of the singer’s Manhattan flat. I’ve seen a lot of elaborate gigs over the years; this was the first one that did include the kitchen sink.
In a concert filled with spectacle and wonder, the thorny aspects of real life were permitted entry only on artful terms. It was all about human connection: at one point, the screen filled with scenes from Italy of people singing opera for their neighbours during the pandemic. As the band struck up the wholly fabulous Talking Heads 1979 classic Life During Wartime, the images on-screen showed people in America protesting and, in one case, escaping from ICE agents.
As the night drew to a close with (fittingly) the eternal Burning Down the House, David Byrne and his world class ensemble were granted a standing ovation and the loudest swell of voices I’ve heard at the Apollo since AC/DC played there in 2003. It might just be that the feeling is mutual. During his 2025 song T Shirt, three words appeared on the screen: “I love London.”
Touring the UK until March 16; whoisthesky.davidbyrne.com