Arguably one of the most successful bands of 2024, The Last Dinner Party have gone from strength to strength this year and have now found themselves on a nationwide tour conquering towns and cities across the UK night after night.
Tonight they have reached the Steel City. It’s the birthplace of some of the best in the business, which may feel like big shoes to fill, but I just know this band of baroque-pop deities aren’t sweating it.
Entering The Octagon, the place is pretty packed out already with a sea of music enthusiasts staring at an empty stage eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Last Dinner Party.
As the main lights dim, the stage ignites with ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’, the opening track from their debut album released earlier this year, blasting out from the speakers sounding like a piece from the 17th century and making the crowd feel like they’re about to witness a medieval banquet rather than a gig.
Instruments in hand and Abigail Morris, who I will brand as our ‘narrator’ for the evening rather than just a singer because their music is packed with subliminal elements of storytelling, has moved closer to the mic ready to belt out her pristine, distinctive vocals. Our first track of the night ‘Burn Alive’ full of lyrics around sorcery and witch-craft, which makes a brilliant opener for tonight’s show.
Next up is ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’. Musically this one is way ahead of the game, full of immaculate layering and changing it up sections. One minute the track is dramatic and heavy with a growling bass coursing through, then we move into a more indie-rock sound which is cool and sleek. Lyrically this was written from a mind of intelligent historical knowledge and makes a change from listening to lacklustre indie boys who write solely about cigarettes.
We move through tonight’s set list reaching our first cover of the night which is ‘Up North’ by Catherine Howe, introduced by guitarist Lizzie Mayland who delights in telling the crowd they “grew up in Yorkshire” which is well received by this northern crowd.
‘On Your Side’ served as a pinnacle part of the show as the spotlight surrounds Abigail Morris’s sweet but powerful vocals. ‘Portrait of a Dead Girl’ reiterates this as a homerun. We’re also treated to a cover of Blondie’s ‘Call Me’ which I think the rock legend herself would have lapped up.
Although the crowd cheered after each track, I couldn’t help thinking, ‘Where is the atmosphere?’ I feel like the band couldn’t have given more than what they left on that stage, and it just feels like it wasn’t appreciated to the extent I would have liked or expected.
It’s not a surprise to hear that the band finished on a track that really set them on the path to success, ‘Nothing Matters’. A song around seeking love and affection but in the most emotionally detached manner. You’d simply have to be living under a rock if you hadn’t have heard this song before so this one more well received by the crowd who belted out each line.
It’s not usually the case you get to see a band who sound even better live: that’s exactly who The Last Dinner Party are, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.
Words: Laura Mills
