David Byrne and Spike Lee’s concert film American Utopia is returning to cinemas for one night only in 4K.
The Broadway production saw Byrne perform a selection of hits from both his Talking Heads and solo career alongside an 11-person ensemble that danced and carried its instruments around the stage.
It toured the world off the back of Byrne’s 2018 solo album ‘American Utopia’ before becoming a Broadway production. NME lauded the tour as “the most ambitious and impressive live show of all time”, a quote Byrne then duly named a live EP of the tour after.
Now, the 2020 concert movie which documented his production, is set to air across independent and multiplex cinemas on August 5 in 4K. You can view the trailer below.
Tickets go on sale on June 18 and can be purchased here.
The film received five stars from NME and was described as “New York’s finest teaming up for a greatest hits extravaganza that doubles as one of 2020’s best films”.
It added: “Naturally, any filmed gig that includes David Byrne will always be compared to Stop Making Sense, Jonathan Demme’s masterful 1984 concert movie that featured Talking Heads in their prime. Sadly, Lee’s feature doesn’t include a triumphant version of ‘Girlfriend Is Better’, but there’s plenty else to enjoy.
“Minimal production design – the set is free of amps and microphones – allows us to fully focus on the 12 barefoot musicians, who are immaculately attired in sharp grey suits, their efforts illuminated in striking purple and green.”
The show played at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre in New York City from October 2019 to February 2020, along with a UK city tour from October to November 2018.
It was filmed by Lee with 11 camera operators to intimately capture the multi-faceted production.
Speaking previously to NME, Byrne said: “I didn’t know how much of a fan Spike was! He’d even go, ‘Why don’t you do this song? Why don’t you add this song in’. We knew one another casually so I could text him and say, ‘I want you to come and see our show; I think that you might be interested in making a film of it’.”
Elsewhere, Byrne recently brought theatrics and choreography to Coachella with a set comprised largely of Talking Heads classics – including ‘Psycho Killer’, ‘Once In A Lifetime’, ‘This Must Be The Place’ and ‘Burning Down The House’.