David Byrne

On 20 July 2026 at Edinburgh Playhouse, David Byrne, Scottish-born and New York–raised frontman of Talking Heads, takes the stage with the curiosity that runs through his whole catalogue. From the clipped angles of new wave and art rock to Afro-Latin swing, funk and more intimate pop writing, he treats songs as spaces for hybrid forms. Early with Brian Eno on My Life in the Bush of Ghosts he opened the door to electronics and collage; Rei Momo leaned into Caribbean rhythms; Grown Backwards added orchestral colors; American Utopia tightened everything into clear, mobile grooves shaped by movement.

Live, Byrne favors precision and interplay over effect, letting guitars, percussion and voices carry the conversation. The set can move between Talking Heads roots and solo material, with arrangements that stay lean and tactile, sometimes echoing his work with Eno and St. Vincent without copying it. Between pieces, his dry wit keeps the tone light while the music does the work. An evening that connects decades of searching to something direct and human, in a venue built for nuance.