Phill Jupitus has accused David Byrne of excluding disabled people at his recent show in Scotland, saying he “effectively shat on a minority”.
The actor, poet and retired stand-up comedian – known for being a captain on BBC Two’s Never Mind The Buzzcocks – went to see the former Talking Heads frontman at the Edinburgh Playhouse earlier this week.
- READ MORE: The NME Big Read – David Byrne: “I have a little bit of hope. Not every day, but some days”
Byrne played three headline concerts at the 3,059-capacity seated venue as part of his current UK and European tour on Monday (June 20), Tuesday (21) and Wednesday (22). The trio of dates came ahead of his bill-topping slot at Latitude 2026 tonight (Friday July 24).
Taking to Instagram, Jupitus recalled his experience of attending the third and final gig of the run. He quoted Byrne, writing: “You can dance if you like but please be respectful of the people around you.”
However, he added that “respect is in fairly short supply, especially at £135 a ticket”. Jupitus went on to share some details about the performance, along with some photos of the obscured view from his seat.
He later told his followers that he is unable to stand for long periods due to a leg condition.
“It is a sad fact that there are people at rock gigs who can’t stand. So when they see someone they love is touring they get seats,” he shared. “Then at the show the ‘artist’ says ‘You can dance if you want, but do respect the people around you’.
“David Byrne effectively shat on a minority last night. Like he gives a toss anyway. He might as well have said ‘Hey disabled people in the stalls, suck it!’ He needs to make up his mind whether he’s doing a theatre show or a rock show.”
Jupitus went on to say that the “the two songs I saw before everyone in the stalls stood up were amazing”, but added: “Thereafter I might as well have been listening to his albums at home with the same sense of disappointment at not seeing him, but £270 quid in my pocket.”
He then called on Byrne to “play fucking Barrowlands or the Hydro [arena]” in Glasgow next time he tours in Scotland. “I’d rather have given £270 to a band who needed the money,” he reasoned.
In a follow-up video, Jupitus elaborated on his thoughts, and remembered seeing Byrne at the OVO Hydro on his ‘American Utopia’ tour in 2018. “An absolutely fantastic gig,” he told viewers.
“However, last night in Edinburgh at the Playhouse, everyone was sort of sat there waiting for the gig to start at eight o’clock. And just before curtain up, they played an announcement – which was David Byrne himself – saying: ‘Be present and be in the moment’. He wanted people not to film, and I thought that was kind of cool.”
According to Jupitus, Byrne told fans that the theatre said they could dance if they were “respectful” of others. He then explained that people got up from their seats by the third song: “Basically, everyone in front of me got up and started dancing.
“I can’t stand for very long, I’ve got a leg thing, and my Mrs can’t stand either. So we saw two songs, and then we spent the rest of the gig looking at the back of people’s heads.”
Jupitus highlighted the issues with Byrne asking fans to dance at his current theatre show, saying that it is a “very tightly choreographed, incredibly visually precise and beautiful show”.
“Here’s an idea, David Byrne: why don’t you say, ‘It’s a show that’s been designed for everybody to see what’s happening on stage because it’s so complicated and convoluted’ […] It’s just absolutely incredible – if you can see it,” he added.
He tagged promoter Live Nation UK, the venue and Byrne himself in the post. NME has reached out to representatives of all three for comment.
Gordon Millar, Theatre Director for the Edinburgh Playhouse, has responded to Phil’s observations,
“We’ve heard Phil’s experience, frustration and disappointment,” he told NME. “We recognise that at gigs, of all sorts, people may want to dance and that this has a negative impact for some.
“We take our responsibilities under the Equality Act very seriously and always consider whether adjustments can be made where audience members with access needs may be placed at a disadvantage. We have explored whether asking audiences to remain seated could be a reasonable adjustment. Unfortunately, this is very difficult to enforce en mass at live concerts, without causing safety concerns.
“We are grateful to Phil for raising this as it points to a model we’re exploring to allocate a portion of seats as seated only, that don’t have seats in front of them, for those for whom this would be beneficial.”
Byrne recently took the show to Mad Cool 2026, with NME describing it as a “bonanza of a set” from “the art-pop eccentric and his troupe”.
“As he and his backing musicians moved in formation across the stage, video screens depicted a variety of colourful environs – waves, a misty forest – before the Talking Heads track ‘Life During Wartime’ was accompanied by images of brutal ICE raids,” our review added.
“Elsewhere in the show, the videos were emblazoned with the words: ‘CONGRATULATIONS HUMANITY YOU’VE MADE IT.’ Time marches on, but you can always rely on David Byrne to make sense of the madness. Same as it ever was.”
Meanwhile, David Byrne has announced an intimate UK book tour for later this year.
