Not so long ago there was an intensity to the heat felt at the height of the latest summer heatwave.
Tonight the temperature had dropped a few degrees, but there was still an intensity as Anna Calvi (8) took her place, complete with solid red background.
Calvi’s guitar no longer an instrument, more of an extension of herself as she stood purposefully, as the sonic ballet of Rider to the Sea features soaring and diving emotive guitar wails that renders the audience’s attention firmly captured.
Drifting effortlessly into the pulsating rhythm of Suzanne & I the set started with a feeling of intent.
The staging simple, flanked by talented drummer and keyboardist Calvi stood center stage in front of a large red background, despite the size of the stage and sparseness of its population, Calvi filled every inch of the stage with an aura that felt almost magnetic.
I’ll Be Your Man & Don’t Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy were definite highlights before bringing out Mr Byrne, the evening’s headliner, out a little early for a duet of their emotional song Strange Weather.
Finishing on the enthralling cover of Suicide’s Ghost Rider, Anna Calvi left her mark on myself an the crowd, a wonderful beginning to what was to be a wonderful evening.
Not long after the headline act arrived, David Byrne (10) formerly of Talking Heads redefined what it is to perform, using a talented arrangement of bandmates and dancers, all dressed in blue and completely wireless, allowing space for a true performance.
Beginning with Heaven, Byrne begins with three musicians and a display of Earth from the Moon’s surface. As the song concludes he turns to the audience and points at the Earth proclaiming ‘There is our heaven, the only one we have’.
Diving straight into the upbeat Everybody Laughs, the atmosphere lifts even further, moving into popular Talking Heads song And She Was, Byrne explains the origins of the song before the superbly choreographed motions on stage from his talented ensemble in addition to the creative visuals and film footage accompanying on screen, the evening certainly felt like an artistic experience.
Dancing was non-negotiable as the set list flowed effortlessly through songs such as This Must Be The Place, a first performance of the remixed What Is The Reason For It, Slippery People & Life During Wartime.
As the crowd had completely surrendered to David Byrne and his band’s infectious rhythms, fan favourites Psycho Killer and Once In A Lifetime were the icing on the most delicious of cakes.
Finishing an encore with Everybody’s Coming To My House & Burning Down The House it felt like a night of celebration, not just of the songs and career of David Byrne and his band, but of music itself.
I’ll Be Your Man & Don’t Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy were definite highlights before bringing out Mr Byrne, the evening’s headliner, out a little early for a duet of their emotional song Strange Weather.
Finishing on the enthralling cover of Suicide’s Ghost Rider, Anna Calvi left her mark on myself an the crowd, a wonderful beginning to what was to be a wonderful evening.
Not long after the headline act arrived, David Byrne (10) formerly of Talking Heads redefined what it is to perform, using a talented arrangement of bandmates and dancers, all dressed in blue and completely wireless, allowing space for a true performance.
Beginning with Heaven, Byrne begins with three musicians and a display of Earth from the Moon’s surface. As the song concludes he turns to the audience and points at the Earth proclaiming ‘There is our heaven, the only one we have’.
Diving straight into the upbeat Everybody Laughs, the atmosphere lifts even further, moving into popular Talking Heads song And She Was, Byrne explains the origins of the song before the superbly choreographed motions on stage from his talented ensemble in addition to the creative visuals and film footage accompanying on screen, the evening certainly felt like an artistic experience.
Dancing was non-negotiable as the set list flowed effortlessly through songs such as This Must Be The Place, a first performance of the remixed What Is The Reason For It, Slippery People & Life During Wartime.
As the crowd had completely surrendered to David Byrne and his band’s infectious rhythms, fan favourites Psycho Killer and Once In A Lifetime were the icing on the most delicious of cakes.
Finishing an encore with Everybody’s Coming To My House & Burning Down The House it felt like a night of celebration, not just of the songs and career of David Byrne and his band, but of music itself.
