Alongside the announcement of his marriage, he also shared the playlist he is planning on playing while his wedding guests will hear during the dinner service. The playlist only features instrumentals as Byrne has claimed that “words and lyrics can be distracting – the ear goes to them, especially if it’s a song one knows.” Byrne’s dedication to music knows no bounds as he has even curated the soundtrack to his own wedding. Byrne has always had an ear from music made around the world, evidenced in his early Talking Head days.

The Talking Heads album ‘Remain In Light‘ features percussion inspired by Nigerian icon Fela Kuti, German experimental rock band CAN and polyrhythms featured in Afro-Caribbean music. ‘Remain in Light‘ is only one example as his worldwide influences reach through all his music.

This new playlist, titled ‘David Byrne Radio Presents; Dinner Music‘ features 42 songs and runs for just under two and a half hours. This playlist features lots of Latin-inspired instrumentals such as ‘En El Caribe Estoy Triste’ by ‘Meridian Brothers‘, ‘Pa Japón’ by ‘El Alfa‘ and ‘Guajira Sicodélica’ by ‘Los Destellos‘.

He also includes instrumentals from well-known artists such as Brian Eno (‘An Ending (Ascent)’), Jeff Beck (‘Corpus Christi Carol’), Herbie Hancock (‘Watermelon Man’) and Post Malone (‘Wow.’). Even though the playlist consists of only instrumentals, the quality is so high that guests may still be distracted while they ask their neighbours what song is playing or subtly use Shazam.

Included on the playlist is the orchestral ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. David Byrne is currently working with Ghost Train Orchestra to release a new album. The new album, titled ‘Who Is The Sky?’ will be released this Friday September 5 and is a full collaboration between the two artists. The album is available for pre-order here. Byrne and Ghost Train Orchestra have currently released three singles from the new album, ‘Everybody Laughs’, ‘The Avant Garde’ and ‘She Explains Things To Me’. A fourth single titled ‘What Is The Reason For It?’ featuring Hayley Williams (Paramore) will be released tomorrow September 3. See the music video to ‘Everybody Laughs’ below:

Byrne is also touring in the UK next year with his latest album, tickets are available here. His UK tour dates are as follows:

David Byrne 2026 UK Tour Dates;

March 2 – Cardiff Utilita Arena

March 3 – London Eventim Apollo

March 4 – London Eventim Apollo

March 6 – Glasgow Armadillo

March 7 – Glasgow Armadillo

March 9 – Manchester O2 Apollo

March 10 – Manchester O2 Apollo

March 11 – Manchester O2 Apollo

March 15 – London Eventim Apollo

March 16 – London Eventim Apollo

The video, directed by Mike Mills, showcases a woman living her day to day life at home, the office, her car and more whilst showing how each day she becomes a new version of herself. A role the ‘Ladybird’ actress was more than happy to take on.

Ronan shared in a statement: “To simply be mentioned in the same breath as Talking Heads is hands down one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me, let alone making a video with the singular Mike Mills to accompany one of their most iconic songs – Psycho Killer. I have grown up listening to their music, so this truly is a childhood/teenage/lifelong dream come true. Mike, myself and the rest of the creative team had so much fun making this, and I can’t wait for Talking Heads fans to see it!”

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A post shared by Talking Heads (@talkingheadsofficial)

Mike Mills, the director, spoke about how being a part of the project has been one of the greatest honour of his life as well as one of the best projects to be a part of. “This album literally changed what was possible in life for me, so to get to play with the subversive, uncategorisable beauty of Talking Heads, and to play with Saoirse who brought so much surprise, power, vulnerability and mischief to the party, it’s one of the best things I ever got to be a part of – still can’t believe it actually happened.”

Even the band shared their thoughts on the brand new video clip for the iconic song, saying: “This video makes the song better- We LOVE what this video is NOT – it’s not literal, creepy, bloody, physically violent or obvious.”

Talking Heads reunited for the first time in 20 years back in 2023 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their live concert ‘Stop Making Sense’ although they all insisted the band would not be getting back together.

In March of 2023, film studio A24, known for the production of critically acclaimed films like Ari Aster’s Misommar, Daniel Kwan’s and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, acquired the distribution rights for Stop Making Sense. In September of 2023, the film was restored and re-released in public cinemas across the world. Alongside the film, a remastered track list from the feature was released both online and on physical formats. Financially, A24’s distribution deal was wildly successful. According to Variety, the re-release drew $5m (£3.9m) in sales, a figure that, admittedly by a small margin, outstripped the film’s original run in 1984. The film was not only successful at the box office, but it was also a hit with audiences, with viral footage from 2023 showing audiences leaping out of their seats to dance along to the 16-track setlist.

Given the popularity of the re-release, and the film’s 40th anniversary landing on this year, Stop Making Sense will return to cinemas once again. Seeing limited release across the US, Canada, and UK, cinemagoers will be able to catch the show starting January 27.  Tickets are currently available, but make sure to grab them fast, as there are only six screenings currently scheduled in the United Kingdom, five of which are at the Prince Charles Cinema in London.

As well as the film’s re-re-release, A24 has announced that they will sell a collection of limited-edition merchandise. The September 2023 release saw a range of clothing and a DVD/BluRay edition being sold. This year’s showing will bring with it a Zine, as well as a pre-sale for another round of home releases on January 27th.

Whether you are a long-standing Talking Heads fan or you were born over a decade after the band’s final studio album, Stop Making Sense proves the enduring appeal of David Byrne’s enigmatic band.

London’s King Charles Cinema will be hosting Stop Making Sense on the 27th of January, the 24th of February, the 30th of March, the 27th of April, and the 25th of May. Additionally, the Warwick University’s Student Cinema will feature the film on the 22nd of February.

Trosset told Agence France-Presse he had spoken with Allen only a few hours before he fell suddenly ill and was admitted into the Pompidou Hospital in Paris, where he later passed away having suffered from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Trosset confirmed the cause of death was not linked to the coronavirus.

Among the many musical legacies Allen leaves behind, his most famous is as the drummer and musical director for Africa ’70, a collective of Nigerian musicians spearheaded by bandleader Fela Kuti. Born in Lagos in 1940, Allen taught himself to play the drums when he was 18 by listening to the jazz records of Art Blakely and Max Roach. After performing for several bands, Allen was invited to join Fela’s group Koola Lobitos in 1964, which would later be renamed Africa ’70. Over the next fifteen years, the two would go on to record over thirty albums together that pioneered ‘afrobeat’, a music genre fusing the Yoruba rhythms of West African Jùjú with American jazz and funk.

REST IN POWER AND JOURNEY WELL ANCESTOR TONY ALLEN pic.twitter.com/4fYxgsdwrO

— Seun Anikulapo Kuti (@RealSeunKuti) May 1, 2020

Afrobeat is often mistakenly credited with being Fela’s sole creation, though in truth it was Allen’s incorporation American and African drumming techniques – coupled with an uncanny ability to play in several time signatures at once – that proved a defining aspect of the genre’s sound. As Fela himself once said “without Tony Allen, there would be no afrobeat”. Following Allen’s departure from the band in 1979 owing to disputes over royalties, Africa ’70 lost its vitality, releasing only two more albums. Before dissolving the group entirely, Fela had hired four separate drummers to try to fill the void Allen had left behind.  

 

 

 

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The epic Tony Allen, one of the greatest drummers to ever walk this earth has left us. What a wildman, with a massive, kind and free heart and the deepest one-of-a-kind groove. Fela Kuti did not invent afrobeat, Fela and Tony birthed it together. Without Tony Allen there is NO afrobeat. I was lucky enough to spend many an hour with him, holed up in a London studio, jamming the days away. It was fucking heavenly. He was and still is, my hero. I wanted to honor his greatness so much when we played together, and I was nervous when we started, but he made me laugh like a two year old, and we fell right into pocket. I lit up like a Christmas tree every time I knew we were about to lay down some rhythm. With Tony’s longtime musical collaborator, friend and champion, Damon Albarn, we jammed til the cows came home. We partied in Nigeria, we partied around Europe, and it was always about the music. Just grooving high, grooving deep. Tony Allen I love you, I’m so grateful to have had the chance to rock with you. God bless your beautiful soul. A post shared by Flea (@flea333) on Apr 30, 2020 at 5:06pm PDT

Despite Fela garnering attention for his uncompromising approach to recording and notable anti-authoritarian dissidence, Allen was widely considered an icon in his own right both at home and abroad. His polyphonic rhythms caught the attention of Brian Eno, who used Allen’s playstyle as a template for the production on Talking Heads’ Remain In Light. Allen was, in Eno’s words, “perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived”, a sentiment echoed in a tribute posted today by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea.  

Flea and Allen were both members of the supergroup Rocket Juice & The Moon, along with frequent collaborator Damon Albarn. After Albarn, a lifelong fan of the drummer, sang “Tony Allen really got me dancing” on the Blur song “Music Is My Radar” in 2000, the two sparked a friendship, later forming The Good, The Bad & The Queen with The Clash’s Paul Simonon and The Verve’s Simon Tong. The group released their self-titled debut in 2007 to critical acclaim, and reunited for its follow-up Merrie Land a decade later. Watch this video from May 2019 of their performance at Le Trianon, Paris in support of the album’s tour: