Watch David Byrne perform Talking Heads’ ‘Psycho Killer’ for first time in 19 years
David Byrne kicked off his new tour in Pittsburgh on September 16th, performing the Talking Heads classic ‘Psycho Killer’ for the first time in 19 years.
Byrne’s show at the Benedum Centre for the Performing Arts also saw him deliver a live debut to ‘My Apartment Is My Friend’ from his new album, Who Is The Sky? He also performed other cuts from the recent release, including ‘What Is The Reason For It?’ and ‘Everybody Laughs’.
The former Talking Heads frontman also delved deeply into his old band’s back catalogue to perform hits such as ‘This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)’, ‘Slippery People’, ‘Life During Wartime’, and ‘Burning Down The House’ but none were more special than ‘Psycho Killer’, which he saved until towards the end of the set.
Notably, Byrne also performed his cover of the Paramore single ‘Hard Times’ live for the first time during the Pittsburgh show.
While Byrne is happy to play Talking Heads songs live, he recently confirmed the band have no plans to reunite despite now being on amicable terms. He told Rolling Stone: “We felt more comfortable with one another, but I’m just going to anticipate your next questions. I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, yeah, let’s go out on tour again.’ Or, ‘Let’s make another record.’”
The art-pop pioneer explained his refusal by adding, “Musically, I’ve gone to a very different place.” He also noted, “I also felt like there’s been a fair number of reunion records and tours. And some of them were probably pretty good.”
In January, Byrne will bring the tour to Australia and New Zealand before travelling to the UK and Europe in February for a six-week run. In the UK, he will play Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow and three shows at London’s Eventim Apollo.
In a glowing review of Who Is The Sky?, Far Out wrote in a four-and-a-half-star verdict, “His first album in seven years is a balming celebration of life that defies all previously known party etiquette. It’s a mad modernist masterpiece that defies a lot of things, in fairness, but a sense of familiarity isn’t one of them.”
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