Photo by Jody Rogac

By Charles Hutchinson

DAVID Byrne will play Leeds First Direct Arena on October 21 in the first of nine extra British and Irish dates newly added to his American Utopia World Tour.

The Scottish-born former Talking Heads frontman is in Britain this week, playing a series of sold-out shows, and tickets for his autumn arena gigs go on sale on Friday at 10am.

Byrne will perform songs from his March 2018 album American Utopia – his first solo record in 14 years – as well as selections from his solo career and his days with New York post-punk art-pop pioneers Talking Heads.

A 12-piece band will join Byrne on stage for what he calls "the most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense", choreographed by Annie B-Parson, previously the choreographer for Byrne and St Vincent's tour for their 2012 collaboration, Love This Giant.

Image by Steve Powers; David Byrne's tour poster for his American Utopia World Tour

Byrne's American Utopia World Tour began in the United States in March, before moving on to Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and back to the USA.

The European leg opens tomorrow at Oxford New Theatre, the first of six sold-out UK shows to be followed by dates in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Italy. More concerts in North America await from July to October.

Byrne's special guest for October's shows will be London singer and songwriter Benjamin Clementine, having played Byrne's American tour too. "I was introduced to Benjamin Clementine’s music through a friend," says Byrne. "I was floored! I asked him to perform in the 2015 Meltdown Festival I curated in London and am honoured to have him join me at various stops along the American Utopia tour."

Leeds tickets can be booked on 0844 248 1585 or at firstdirectarena.com.