David Byrne announces Who Is The Sky? world tour dates for Australia and New Zealand in January, 2026.
David Byrne will return to Australia and New Zealand in January 2026 for his Who Is The Sky? world tour.
The former Talking Heads frontman will bring his new live show featuring 13 musicians, singers and dancers to six cities across both countries. David Byrne last toured Australia and New Zealand in 2018 with his critically acclaimed American Utopia show, which he described as his most ambitious production since the concerts filmed for Stop Making Sense.
The Who Is The Sky? tour supports David Byrne’s upcoming album of the same name, due for release on 5 September through Remote Control/Matador. The record marks his first new album since 2018’s award-winning American Utopia and represents a continuation of his lifelong exploration of human connection and the potential for societal unity against the chaotic backdrop of the world.
David Byrne 2026 Australian tour dates and venues
- Wednesday 14 January: Spark Arena, Auckland
- Saturday 17 January: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
- Wednesday 21 January: ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney
- Thursday 22 January: Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
- Saturday 24 January: Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena, Adelaide
- Tuesday 27 January: RAC Arena, Perth
How to get tickets to see David Byrne
Frontier Members can access presale tickets from Thursday 12 June at 2pm local time, with general sale beginning Friday 13 June at 1pm local time through frontiertouring.com/davidbyrne.
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David Byrne’s Who Is The Sky? tour
Who Is The Sky? was produced by Grammy-winning Kid Harpoon, known for his work with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus, while the 12 songs were arranged by New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. David Byrne enlisted the 15-member group after hearing their 2023 tribute album to composer and street poet Moondog, later joining them on stage during a Brooklyn performance.
The album features collaborations with musical friends old and new, including St Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner and longtime collaborator Mauro Refosco, with whom Byrne has recorded and toured for more than 30 years. The record is led by the infectious single Everybody Laughs, which features prominent vocal interplay between Byrne and St Vincent.
“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,” says Byrne. “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.”
A more personal, storytelling album
According to Byrne, Who Is The Sky? contains more story songs than usual, with mini-narratives based on personal experience including She Explains Things to Me, A Door Called No, My Apartment Is My Friend and I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party. The album builds upon the optimistic themes of American Utopia and is described as particularly cinematic, humorous and joyful, continuing Byrne’s gift for riding the razor’s edge between avant-garde and accessible pop.
The creative process began in 2023 as Byrne’s triumphant American Utopia era came to a close after morphing from an album and tour into an acclaimed Broadway show and then a Spike Lee-directed HBO film. During the previous three years, “I did a LOT of cooking (Mexican and Indian mostly) and a LOT of drawing,” says Byrne, who also started compiling lyric ideas and phrases for possible songs.
13 singers, dancers and performers
David Byrne’s previous Australian tour in 2018 featured a 12-piece band and choreography by Annie-B Parson, who had previously worked on the St Vincent and David Byrne collaborative tour that followed their album Love This Giant. The American Utopia show was supported by New Zealand pop singer-songwriter Kimbra, whose unique approach to pop music and powerhouse vocals made her a perfect complement to Byrne’s innovative performances.
Producer Kid Harpoon explains his collaboration with Byrne: “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 upcoming Who Is The Sky? tour promises to be another ambitious production, with all 13 performers remaining mobile throughout the set, similar to the format that made American Utopia such a celebrated live experience. The show will incorporate both new material from the forthcoming album and selections from Byrne’s extensive catalogue spanning his solo career and his time with Talking Heads.
“At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne says. “I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what I’m doing.”
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