Talking Heads' 'Stop Making Sense' is recognised as one of the greatest concert films of all time and tonight we are treated to recreation of it by the Slippery People collective. More than forty years after the original release, there is clearly an appetite for this music too as this is the first of two sold out nights.
From the start, it is clear that this will go beyond a mere tribute show and will be more of a near note by note reconstruction. There is the same interaction with the crowd and the same use of the ghetto blaster for the opening number. From the first crisp guitar chords and electronic beats of 'Psycho Killer' it is magic and the crowd are immediately all in. They even have the same 808 breaks.
Dutch Uncles' Duncan Wallis is the man in the David Byrne role and he does a pretty good impression of him, especially his impressive vocals. The stripped back 'Heaven' is amazing. The band gradually increases in size until we have a full ten piece band for the robotic soul of 'Slippery People'. The backing singers are great and give it the same gospel vibes as the original. 'Burning Down The House' is rousing and energetic, and the running man spots garner a roar of recognition from the audience.
The intensity is building, and this is continued with an excellent 'Life During Wartime'. It's like a full workout for some members of the band and Wallis, the backing singers and Michael Clapham on the guitar have to be really fit to keep up the high energy routines. There is some atmospheric lighting for the dirty funk of 'Swamp' which makes the sizeable venue feel really intimate. The Hawaiian tinged chorus of 'What A Day That Was' is uplifting and joyous.
The band take a short break, mimicking the movie and the crowd is abuzz during the interval. This carries on into the second act and the crowd is amped as the band come back on stage with the whimsical melodies of 'This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody). Duncan also gets to indulge in some lamp play with the floor lamp which is now a part of the stage set. The timeless 'Once In A Lifetime', which follows, is electric.
Wallis does a decent job in nailing some of Byrne's eccentricities. However, some of the moves don't seem entirely organic. His voice is much more convincing though.
The percussion section does a great job of driving the uptempo ethnic funk of 'I Zimbra'. The Tom Tom Club moment, 'Genius Of Love', is where they deviate from the movie with the two powerhouse backing singers taking centre stage and singing the 'Genius' sampling 'Fantasy' (yes, the Mariah Carey song) for the most part.
Byrne's oversized suit makes an appearance for the urgent 'Girlfriend Is Better'. The gospel blues of 'Take Me To The River' is blistering while 'Crosseyed And Painless' closes a terrific show in an exhilarating fashion.
Stop Making Sense Live ****
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