Talking Heads Icon Turns A Post Punk Classic Into A Wordless Act Of Protest On Stage
by Paul Cashmere
David Byrne has never separated art from ideas, and on the current Who Is The Sky Tour the former Talking Heads frontman is once again using his catalogue as a living, breathing commentary on the present. During recent performances, Byrne has recontextualised the 1979 Talking Heads song Life During Wartime, transforming it into a stark visual protest against the actions of ICE in the United States during the Trump era.
Rather than delivering a speech or framing the moment with commentary, Byrne allowed the performance itself to carry the message. As Life During Wartime unfolded, the stage visuals shifted into confronting imagery, including explicit statements condemning ICE alongside footage associated with police brutality during New York protests. The effect was deliberate and unsettling. Byrne did not need to explain his position, the images spoke directly to the audience, amplifying the tension already embedded within the song.
Life During Wartime has always existed in a space of unease. Written for Talking Heads’ third album Fear of Music, released in 1979, the track captured a sense of urban paranoia and political instability that reflected late 1970s New York. Byrne wrote much of the album while living in a loft on Seventh Street and Avenue A, an area then marked by decay, protest culture and social anxiety. The song’s narrator moves through a fractured American landscape, referencing cities such as Houston, Detroit and Pittsburgh while hinting at clandestine survival during civil unrest.
Released as the first single from Fear of Music, Life During Wartime entered the US Billboard Pop Singles Chart in November 1979, peaking modestly at number 80. Its impact, however, far outlasted its chart performance. The song later became one of the defining moments of Stop Making Sense, the 1984 concert film that immortalised Talking Heads at their peak. Byrne’s jogging, almost aerobic performance of the song in the film reframed it as both anxious and oddly celebratory, a contradiction that has kept the track relevant across decades.
The official single title, Life During Wartime (This Ain’t No Party… This Ain’t No Disco… This Ain’t No Foolin’ Around), remains one of the longest in pop history and underlines Byrne’s instinct for sharp, observational lyricism. The song has since been recognised by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll, cementing its place as a cultural marker rather than a period piece.
On the Who Is The Sky Tour, Byrne draws a direct line between that late 1970s sense of instability and the modern American political climate. By overlaying contemporary images of protest and state power onto a song written more than four decades ago, Byrne reframes Life During Wartime as an ongoing narrative rather than a historical document. The silence from Byrne himself during the segment only heightens its impact, reinforcing the idea that the song’s themes require no verbal update to feel urgent.
The wider setlist reflects Byrne’s full creative arc, blending Talking Heads classics with solo material and songs from the upcoming album Who Is The Sky?. Tracks such as Everybody Laughs, What Is The Reason For It? and Moisturizing Thing sit comfortably alongside And She Was, Houses In Motion and This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody). The inclusions underline Byrne’s continued relevance as a songwriter who adapts without nostalgia dictating his choices.
Australian audiences are witnessing a show that balances celebration with confrontation. While moments like Burning Down The House and Once In A Lifetime deliver communal joy, the reinvention of Life During Wartime stands as a reminder of Byrne’s enduring commitment to using music as a lens for examining power, society and responsibility. It is a performance that resonates not because it is loud, but because it is precise.
David Byrne setlist Melbourne, 22 January 2026
Heaven (from Talking Heads, 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 listed below.
24 January, Adelaide, Entertainment Centre
27 January, Perth, RAC Arena
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