David Byrne, Manchester Apollo. 9th March 2026

It seems like years since I last saw David Byrne, it’s 8 to be precise, another world away with everything that’s happened. That’s where we’re to be transported to too, another world, a better one. He was out supporting America Utopia last time in arena’s, which certainly now seems like a dead concept, but that gig lives strong in my mind, not least for its truly spectacular nature. The same untethered live treatment is deployed in the much more intimate and fully seated Apollo tonight. Each band member free from cables and anything to pin them down, even the drummers, it’s pure theatre and really works in this old one. I’ve been feeling rough the last couple of days, but this is the medicine I need. I feel like we didn’t get as much Talking Heads last time, but that’s not the case with this set, that kicks off with a lush introduction of ‘Heaven’. I don’t usually comment on attire but the matching blue outfits are wonderful. As is the carnival of joy that they bring on one of the stand out tracks from the latest record ‘Everybody Laughs’. It’s back to Talking Heads with an early deployment of ‘And She Was’, as 12 people blend together with perfect choreography against a lovely back projection. It’s all visually distinctly American, but the video is beautifully simple and wholesome and poignant and the sound is all unmistakably Byrne. No one sounds like this do they. ‘Houses in Motion’ switches things up with some night-time style lighting which is superb. As is the bass that’s getting folks on their feet. It goes without saying that they sound fantastic, but the overall production is stunning. True, ‘Tshirt’ isn’t quite as strong, but the amusing shirt slogans that are projected, help it breeze by. ‘(Nothing But) Flowers’ has some impressive timing with lights triggering on the video in time with the song, it looks effortless but I’m sure isn’t. ‘This Must Be the Place’ sees the entire room on its feet in unison. It’s a beautiful pulse wave that quickly ripples from the stage to the back of the room, but whether is an old song or new, we’re hanging on every note. The nomadic samba tone of ‘What the Reason for it’ feels like an introduction to the mid-set, or second act if we’re keeping the theatrical premise. Even if the song doesn’t grab you so much, the choreography will. It’s quite simple, but there’s a constant energy and the whole vibe is positive, like one big Sesame Street singalong. The kookiness goes up a notch on ‘Like Humans Do’ with each band member duplicated on the stage high screen behind them, but with animal heads. Byrne I think is a beaver, there’s an eagle, tiger, bull, a rooster and walrus, you get the idea, fun! ‘Don’t Be Like That’ is a low key banger even with a clarinet in the mix, but it does hit a darker shade. As does ‘Independence Day’, which isn’t the best song. If I’m being a bit harsh it’s the weakest in the set, but the names of each performer appearing on the screen as they take to the stage is a nice touch and they’re cleverly tracked as they move around. We’ve all been sat back down, but ‘Slippery People’ sees everyone up again and rightly so, you need to dance to this stuff. There are a few inevitable tuts around from those who want to stay seated. Byrne has said it’s okay to dance though, so the cranky old bastards are shit outta luck, but comically everyone sits back down for ‘Moisturising Thing’. There’s not lots of chatter, but little bits here and there, short stories, musings, reasoning for songs like ‘My Apartment is My Friend’, a love letter lament to Byrne’s pandemic safe haven. It flows nicely into ‘Air,’ that provides a nice calm cleanser for what’s about to drop. ‘Psycho Killer’ gets the response you’d imagine. The projection turns black, the band lit from below. It’s simple, dramatic and brilliant. ‘Life During Wartime’ then picks up the pace. The whole stage washed in matching blue, they all blend with just the shock of Byrne’s white hair highlighted. Before the video explodes in a montage of protest footage. It’s clear Byrne is not a fan of what’s happening in America right now. We’re at the business end, the third act teased with ‘Once in a Lifetime’ closing the main set. The big hits usually go off for gigs like this and it does but in a different way. People sing, people dance, but you still want to watch the spectacle. It’s not muted, but it’s not bonkers either. The break is short before Byrne is back for the encore introducing ‘Everybody’s Coming to My House’. It’s striped back with a beautiful bounce in its step. A mellow feel good rendition which sums up this evening well. ‘Burning Down the House’ is the all out banger to close us out. Fuck me it’s ace and puts a brilliant cap on nearly two hours of pure class. I want to live in David Byrne’s world permanently, I feel much better.