Almost a decade since he last toured Australia, American musician, writer, visual artist and filmmaker, David Byrne returns in 2026.
For local Byrne fans, the good news doesn't end there with the new wave, alternative legend and former Talking Heads frontman to release a new album, 'Who Is The Sky?', on 5 September, 2025 (pre-order it).
Known for his solo hits 'Strange Overtones', 'Glass, Concrete & Stone' and 'Who (feat. St. Vincent)', as well as his X-Press 2 collab 'Lazy', Byrne will headline concerts in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth next January.
His first Australian shows since his 2018 American Utopia tour, this run of gigs will feature 13 musicians, singers, and dancers, including members of the American Utopia band, all of whom will be mobile throughout the set.
His first solo studio record since 2018's award-winning 'American Utopia', 'Who Is the Sky?' was produced by the Grammy Award-winning Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus). While its 12 songs were arranged by the members of New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra.
Musical friends old and new, including St. Vincent, Paramore's Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner, and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco also make appearances on 'Who Is the Sky?', which will be led by the single 'Everybody Laughs'. The song's official video was directed by multimedia artist Gabriel Barcia-Colombo.
"Someone I know said, 'David, you use the word "everybody" a lot.' I suppose I do that to give an anthropological view of life in New York as we know it," Byrne says.
"Everybody lives, dies, laughs, cries, sleeps and stares at the ceiling. Everybody's wearing everybody else's shoes, which not everybody does, but I have done.
"I tried to sing about these things that could be seen as negative in a way balanced by an uplifting feeling from the groove and the melody, especially at the end, when St. Vincent and I are doing a lot of hollering and singing together.
"Music can do that – hold opposites simultaneously. I realised that when singing with Robyn earlier this year. Her songs are often sad, but the music is joyous."
Adds Kid Harpoon (aka Tom Hull): "It took me a second to realise, 'oh yeah, these songs are personal, but with David's unique perspective on life in general'.
"Walking around New York listening to the demo of 'Everybody Laughs' was so joyous, because it made me feel like we're all the same – we all laugh, cry and sing.
"The thing about David that resonates with a lot of people is that he's in on the joke. He gets the absurdity of it all, and all of these personal observations are his perspective on it."
Tickets on sale from 1pm (local time) on 13 June.
David Byrne 2026 Tour Dates
Sat 17 Jan - Brisbane Entertainment CentreWed 21 Jan - ICC Sydney Theatre
Thu 22 Jan - Sidney Myer Music Bowl (Melbourne)
Sat 24 Jan - Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
Tue 27 Jan - RAC Arena (Perth)
