STOP MAKING SENSE

In December 1983, David Byrne, the frontman of American rock band Talking Heads, stepped onto the stage at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre, wearing an outsized grey two-piece. Over three nights, the band’s performances were documented in the legendary 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense, directed by Jonathan Demme (who went on to direct multi-Academy Award winner The Silence of The Lambs). Critics consider it the greatest concert film of all time, and now, 40 years on, acclaimed entertainment company A24 is releasing a newly restored 4K version.

The film captures the band on their iconic 80s tour for their fifth album: Speaking in Tongues. The performance starts with David alone on the stage, accompanied by just a boombox and his guitar. The set then begins to build, literally and figuratively. As the songs progress, the rest of the band, including a cast of supporting musicians (Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steve Scales, Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt), join him, filling the space. Stagehands bring on instruments and props – the props are painted matte black to recede into the background. The performance is like an allegory for creativity, showing the audience how the Talking Heads sound is built and created.

“Filming the gig was very important, as we never got to take it to the UK or Europe, which was a shame, but at least the film can travel,” says David. “We’d been on tour for most of the year, so we were very tight and confident,” remembers keyboard player and guitarist Jerry Harrison. “I think the film captures the delight and joy that the band members felt with the music and with each other.” For bassist Tina Weymouth, three words sum up the gig: “inspired magical thinking”. As for the new film version, she describes it as “beyond beautiful! The colour, the picture resolution, the sound – you can see and hear things as never before. We hope audiences will be transported by the fantastically timeless spirit of our music and the musicians on the stage.”

So what was it like to be there on the stage? “Hot as fire!” says drummer Chris Frantz. As the film crescendos, so does the energy. “We wanted to capture when that thing happens at a concert when the audience feeds the performers, and the performers feed the audience. And there’s that kind of exchange of energy,” Sandy explains. As the film progresses, the lighting becomes more dramatic, casting ghoulish shadows across the band’s faces, who begin to shine with sweat – effects that are made all the more intense by the crisp visuals of the 4K restoration.

In a world where so many things don’t make sense, A24 knows exactly what does – the spirit of pure, unabashed creativity that we see on stage in David’s wobbling dance moves and the meticulous stagecraft. “A show like Stop Making Sense can be unpredictable without resorting to show-business clichés, and yet still rock like crazy,” Chris says of the performance. For Jerry, “Stop Making Sense still has the power to affect an audience with the same energy and groove – as if they were there almost forty years ago.”

See a recreation of the big suit in one of our Oxford Street windows at Selfridges London and book your tickets to watch the film at our cinema.