Talking Heads first gig: Art school and inconsistency

Talking Heads always struggled to fit into a box because they refused to fall under one label, it meant their first gigs were chaotic to say the least.

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(Credits: Far Out / Sire Records)

Music » From The Vault

Fri 6 June 2025 4:00, UK

After releasing their debut album in 1977, despite having record labels see their potential and sign them quickly, the crowds didn’t flock thick and fast for Talking Heads. They travelled up and down the country playing in pizza parlours and shopping malls, essentially trying to find a place anywhere that would have them; however, the difficulty they had securing gigs is the perfect representation of what made them so great.

The reason why it was so hard to book Talking Heads was because they refused to be put into a single category. They were masters of the magic of inconsistency, not worrying about fitting within a singular genre and instead being happy with making tracks that were the polar opposite of one another but revelling in those differences.

It was when David Byrne and Chris Frantz first listened to the Velvet Underground that they realised they didn’t need to focus on fitting into a certain genre, the Velvet Underground didn’t, and the result was well-thought-out and completely free-sounding music. It gave the band permission to push boundaries and bring different ideas to the table, even if they weren’t what people would consider in line with some of their previous material.

“The Velvet Underground were a big revelation. I realized, ‘Oh, look at the subject of their songs: There’s a tune and a melody, but the sound is either completely abrasive or really pretty’,” said David Byrne when discussing the influence of the band, “They swing from one extreme to the other. ‘White Light/White Heat’ is just this noise, and then ‘Candy Says’ is incredibly pretty but really kind of dark. As a young person, you go, ‘What is this about?’”

When you hear about some of the band’s nightmare gigs in ’77, playing to crowds and bookers who didn’t know what to do with them, it’s interesting to note that their first gig ever was in 1975 at CBGB in New York supporting The Ramones, whose popularity was beginning to skyrocket. They were signed quickly and supported The Ramones a number of times, but the punk movement seemed to grow wings and leave them behind, as other listeners were more drawn to the electric guitar and eclectic nature of their heavier counterparts.

It would have been easy for Talking Heads to follow in the footsteps that were being made by emerging punk pioneers, as it seems that the music industry was craving something different and punk may well be it, but they stuck to what they believed and continued to make music that interested them and that didn’t fit into a box. The art school kids from different points of America knew no bounds to their creativity, and so didn’t apply any to the music they made. It was an exciting time to be a musician, but not necessarily a profitable one.

Pushing through those early gigs, the Talking Heads found their fan base and are now considered one of the most creative and original bands in the world. Storytellers, both in their music and their performance, whose sound transcends any genre. It was heartbreaking for fans when they broke up, and as they gear up to make an announcement on the 50-year anniversary of their first gig, people lie in wait, begging for a reunion, but know deep down it will likely be something else.

Related Topics

David ByrneTalking HeadsThe Ramones

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