Solo talk by David Byrne, inspired by his book 'Sleeping Beauties', about the discoveries and works of art that were overlooked in their own time.
David Byrne is at the Hackney Empire on Sunday 8 November, 19:30, for a solo talk presented by Intelligence Squared. It's a brand-new piece of work, and the whole thing is built around his forthcoming book, Sleeping Beauties.
Byrne's career has been a long, restless one. He co-founded Talking Heads in 1975, and since then he's worked across music, film, theatre — American Utopia and Here Lies Love both being on the stage — photography and visual art. His most recent record, Who Is The Sky?, came out in 2025. This evening is a different kind of project: a solo talk that draws on the central argument of Sleeping Beauties.
That argument is that many of history's most transformative discoveries and works of art were overlooked in their own time. He pulls examples from across the board: continental drift and dark matter from science, and the work of Bach, Vermeer and Melville from the arts. The common thread is that these things were largely ignored until the world finally recognised their significance. The talk runs for about an hour with no interval, so it's a single stretch rather than a broken-up evening.
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If you're interested in the book as well as the talk, you can buy a hardback copy with your ticket for £22 — the RRP is £26 — and collect it when you arrive. The show is currently sold out, though there's a waiting list for callers. Byrne's fees are donated to the Rocksteady Foundation. Tickets were £23.99 to £71.99, with an additional £1.50 per ticket for online and phone bookings.
