Speaking in Tongues

Speaking in Tongues is a tribute act devoted to the music of Talking Heads, marking fifty years since the New York band's debut album, Talking Heads: 77. The concert is held at 229, a venue on Great Portland Street in central London.

Speaking in Tongues is a tribute act dedicated to the music of Talking Heads, the band formed in New York City in 1975 by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison. The original group emerged from the city's punk and new-wave scene and blended rock with funk, art rock and world music, setting its wry, unusual lyrics and distinctive rhythms apart from many contemporaries. Its best-known songs include "Psycho Killer", "Once in a Lifetime", "Burning Down the House" and "Road to Nowhere".

The show is built around the anniversary of Talking Heads: 77, the debut LP, and includes tracks from that record alongside hits and fan favourites from the wider catalogue. Albums such as Fear of Music, Remain in Light and Speaking in Tongues drew wide critical praise, and the band's 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense, is widely celebrated.

The original band stopped performing together in the early 1990s, its members turning to other musical projects. Speaking in Tongues, which has spent more than twenty years playing this repertoire, presents the evening as its first London concert in several years. The night suits listeners who want to hear the Talking Heads songbook performed live by a group dedicated to it. The venue, 229, is a concert space on Great Portland Street.