David Byrne opened his Australian tour with a tightly choreographed, career-spanning set in Brisbane on Saturday, 17 January 2026, reminding the crowd just how wide and restless his musical world still is.
The show leaned heavily on Byrne’s 2025 album Who Is The Sky?, with new songs woven seamlessly between Talking Heads classics and key moments from his solo catalogue. There was no sense of nostalgia-for-nostalgia’s sake. Instead, Byrne treated his back catalogue as living material, reshaping it to sit comfortably alongside his newest work.
Opening with “Heaven” set the tone. Calm, controlled, and quietly ominous, it eased the audience in before the groove-heavy pulse of “Everybody Laughs” and the jittery pop of “And She Was.” As the night unfolded, Byrne moved effortlessly between eras, from the funk tension of “Houses in Motion” to the gentle warmth of “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).”
Several songs from Who Is The Sky? stood out live, including “What Is the Reason for It?” and “My Apartment Is My Friend,” both delivered with the same conviction as decades-old Talking Heads staples. A surprise cover of Paramore’s “Hard Times” added a sharp modern edge, fitting neatly into the set rather than feeling like a novelty.
The closing run of “Psycho Killer,” “Life During Wartime,” and “Once in a Lifetime” landed exactly as expected, urgent, physical, and communal. The encore sealed it, with “Everybody’s Coming to My House” and “Burning Down the House” turning the Brisbane crowd into a single moving body.
The Brisbane setlist is expected to remain consistent across Byrne’s Australian dates, giving fans in other cities a clear idea of what’s coming.
David Byrne played the first show of his Australian tour in Brisbane on Saturday, 17 January 2026.
Here is the Brisbane setlist which should hold for all shows in the Aussie tour.
Heaven (from Fear of Music, 1979)
Everybody Laughs (from Who Is The Sky?, 2025)
And She Was (from Talking Heads, Little Creatures, 1985)
Strange Overtones (from Everything That Happens Happens Today, 2008)
Houses in Motion (from Talking Heads, Remain in Light, 1980)
T Shirt (single 2025)
(Nothing but) Flowers (from Talking Heads, Naked, 1988)
This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (from Talking Heads, Speaking In Tongues, 1983)
What Is the Reason for It? (from Who Is The Sky?, 2025)
Like Humans Do (from Look Into The Eyeball, 2001)
Don’t Be Like That (from Who Is The Sky?, 2025)
Independence Day (from Rei Momo, 1989)
Slippery People (from Talking Heads, Speaking In Tongues, 1983)
Moisturizing Thing (from Who Is The Sky?, 2025)
My Apartment Is My Friend (from Who Is The Sky?, 2025)
Hard Times (Paramore cover, single 2024)
Psycho Killer (from Talking Heads, Talking Heads:77)
Life During Wartime (from Fear of Music, 1979)
Once in a Lifetime (from Talking Heads, Remain in Light, 1980)
Encore:
Everybody’s Coming to My House (from American Utopia,
Burning Down the House (from Talking Heads, Speaking In Tongues, 1983)
David Byrne’s remaining Australian shows are:
21 January, Sydney, Entertainment Centre
22 January, Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl
24 January, Adelaide, Entertainment Centre
27 January, Perth, RAC Arena
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