Photo + Words: Esme Brigden
One of the UK’s fastest rising rock bands, The Last Dinner Party, are back with their biggest ever headline tour following the release of their second studio album, ‘From The Pyre’. In under three years since their first single release, with albums reaching number one and number two in UK album charts, The Last Dinner Party have shown just how deserving they are to play these iconic stages around the country. Nearing the end of the UK leg of the tour, the band displayed all the energy of an opening night set, but were exceptionally polished and very clearly well-rehearsed from the previous nine nights.
The stage was opened by Imogen and the Knife (Imogen Williams), an alt-pop solo artist alongside her four-piece band. Her soulful lyricism and delicate vocals – mirroring the emotions found in The Last Dinner Party’s own work – immediately captured the crowd, who were enthralled from the first note. Midway through the set, Williams announced a surprise: TLDP’s Lizzie Mayland joined her onstage to perform a duet of ‘Mother Mother’, a track from Mayland’s solo project that Williams helped produce. She closed the set with ‘some kind of love’, sinking to her knees to belt the final chorus, and making it clear just how effortlessly she inhabited the stage as the room continued to fill.
At 9pm, The Last Dinner Party – comprised of Abigail Morris, Lizzie Mayland, Emily Roberts, Georgia Davies, and Aurora Nishevci – walked out to enthusiastic screams from the crowd, who were immediately captured by the commanding presence of the band and silenced as the introduction to ‘Agnus Dei’ swelled. Despite the album being released just seven weeks prior, the audience sang the opening track with confidence, their voices rising to meet Morris’. Performing ‘From The Pyre’ in full, along with eight tracks from their debut ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ and unreleased ‘Big Dog’, The Last Dinner Party filled the vast stage with a mix of choreographed flourishes and spontaneous, free-flowing movement, amplifying their signature theatrical tones. The band took turns talking to the crowd throughout, congratulating Brighton on being the best dressed crowd they’ve seen all tour, and attributing it to “all the gorgeous shops selling gorgeous things” around the city.
A standout moment of the night came when all five members formed a tight circle at the centre of the stage, delivering the eerie, cult-like harmonies of ‘Woman is a Tree’ with captivating precision. Even amid their professionalism as performers, the façade briefly slipped later on in the set; the band openly giggled at Morris as she fumbled the opening line of ‘Burn Alive’, a crack in composure that only heightened the sense of warmth and intimacy rippling through the arena.
Morris described the process of writing and recording their new album, emphasising how proud they were of the new release, but highlighting that fact that “it feels like there’s something missing until you take it on the road and see people sing and dance”. They are also incredibly proud of their fundraising initiative with Bankuet across tour, with their ‘Ribbons for Provisions’ campaign having reached over £30,000 in fan donations, and the band pledging to match the funds raised. Before leaving the stage, Morris also took the time to thank every single crew member by name – from their sound and light technicians to their drivers and caterers – finally encouraging the crowd to “raise your hands skyward once again, for our fantastic support, Imogen and the Knife“.
Announcing “We’re gonna leave you with a song you might’ve heard on Radio 1”, the band appeared to close the set with their first – and biggest – single ‘Nothing Matters’, the crowd’s vocals rising so intensely they nearly drowned out the band. They exited the stage, leaving the room buzzing with anticipation as whispers cut through the darkness, before reemerging for the finale – the most popular new single, ‘This is the Killer Speaking’. Mid-song, Morris paused to teach the crowd dance moves and give a heartfelt farewell; “We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve danced – to a very impressive level, well done Brighton!”. It was a finale that proved that The Last Dinner Party aren’t just rising fast – they’re in complete control of these vast stages and will be stepping into their next chapter with undeniable confidence and charisma.
Taped Magazine 