Written by “Everybody Laughs” and “(Nothing But) Flowers” were among the songs performed.
By Nate Todd Dec 1, 2025 • 12:46 pm PST
David Byrne recently brought his touring ensemble to NPR headquarters in Washington D.C. for a Tiny Desk Concert. The influential musician made his fourth Tiny Desk appearance with songs from his new solo album Who Is The Sky? and a pair of Talking Heads favorites.
Byrne is currently on tour around Who Is The Sky? As with his American Utopia production and legendary Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense, Byrne’s Who Is The Sky? live show is full of color, dance and eclectic instrumentation.
As its name suggests, Tiny Desk Concert isn’t necessarily primed for large, elaborate productions, however, the Who Is The Sky? format was well-suited for the Tiny Desk space.
“It turns out his latest tour, for the album Who Is The Sky?, is well designed for our roughly 10 by 11-foot space,” NPR’s Robin Hilton wrote. “Though Byrne and his band do normally spread out across large stages, the set design for each show is almost completely bare, without any cables or amps, and the artists wear or carry compact, custom-made instruments to make it easier to move, almost like a marching band.”
Byrne and his troupe — Mauro Refosco, Ray Suen, Kely Pinheiro, Daniel Mintseris, Stephane San Juan, Tim Keiper, Yuri Yamashita, Tendayi Kuumba, Sasha Rivero, Hannah Straney, Sean Donovan, Jordan Dobson — began the session with a pair of Who Is The Sky? cuts: “Everybody Laughs” and “Don’t Be Like That.”
The group then turned to the Talking Heads catalog with the Naked gem “(Nothing But) Flowers” followed by the rousing “Life After Wartime” off the 1979 LP, Fear Of Music. Watch David Byrne’s Tiny Desk Concert below:
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