Frontier Touring proudly presents David Byrne.
Last in New Zealand in 2018 for his critically acclaimed American Utopia tour, David’s brand-new live show will comprise of 13 musicians, singers and dancers, including members of the American Utopia band, all of whom will be mobile throughout the set.
The North American tour begins in September, with Australia & New Zealand dates kicking off in January 2026, followed by European & United Kingdom dates.
Who Is the Sky? is David’s first new album since 2018’s award-winning American Utopia. The album was produced by the Grammy-winning Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus), while its 12 songs were arranged by the members of New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra.
Click here to pre-order the album, including a limited Cantaloupe Orange / Strawberry Pink split vinyl featuring a lenticular cover.
Musical friends old and new, including St. Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner, and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco, also make appearances on Who Is the Sky?, which is led by the infectious single "Everybody Laughs.” Along with the song, Byrne has released its official video, directed by multimedia artist Gabriel Barcia-Colombo.
“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. I tried to sing about these things that could be seen as negative in a way balanced by an uplifting feeling from the groove and the melody, especially at the end, when St. Vincent and I are doing a lot of hollering and singing together. Music can do that – hold opposites simultaneously. I realized that when singing with Robyn earlier this year. Her songs are often sad, but the music is joyous.”
“It took me a second to realize, oh yeah, these songs are personal, but with David’s unique perspective on life in general,” adds Kid Harpoon (aka Tom Hull). “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 thing about David that resonates with a lot of people is that he’s in on the joke. He gets the absurdity of it all, and all of these personal observations are his perspective on it.”
DAVID BYRNE WHO IS THE SKY? WORLD TOUR NEW ZEALAND JANUARY 2026 Presented by Frontier Touring
FRONTIER MEMBER PRESALE via frontiertouring.com/davidbyrne Runs 22 hours from: Thursday 12 June (2pm local time) or until presale allocation exhausted
TICKETS ON SALE Begins: Friday 13 June (1pm local time)
Wednesday 14 January Spark Arena | Auckland, NZ Lic. All Ages ticketmaster.co.nz
