WORDS AND IMAGES MICHAEL BOND
The Last Dinner Party Keep going from strength to strength as the bring their all-girl indie rock to the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester 21st September 2024.
What a couple of years it has been for newcomers, The Last Dinner Party. From supporting the Rolling Stones, signing to Island Records, releasing their debut single, receiving the Rising Star Brit Award and releasing their No1 debut album, to critical acclaim.
Not for a while has a new band hit the scene with such a buzz, as the band mix a variety of influences including St Vincent, Queen, and Kate Bush amongst others. As part of their European tour, the band are in Manchester tonight, playing their first of two gigs in the space of a month as clearly demand is high for them.
For those out early, and there is a fair few who raced for a spot on the the front row, they are treated to Kaeto. Fresh of the back of releasing her debut EP, she brought a dreamy & ethereal start to the evening which the growing crowd appear to appreciate as the anticipation begins to build.
Next up is Lucia & The Best Boys, another newer band who are currently on the road promoting their debut album. Fresh off supporting Garbage on their 2024 European tour, they are maintaining good company, supporting The Last Dinner Party as part of their UK tour. Headed up by Lucia Fairfull, you can really see the frontwoman putting her stamp on the performance, beating a single floor tom in time with the drummer for their first track ‘When You Dress Up’ and making the most of the stage as she strides back and forward, building up the ever-growing crowd.
As we get close to what everyone has been waiting for, the lights drop and the orchestral album opener ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ begins to play. The band make their way onto the stage, which is set on multiple tiers and dressed in a moon & cloud backdrop and two long draped flags with cherubs on. Lastly, lead singer Abigail makes her way onto the stage & the band jump straight into ‘Burn Alive’.
Right from the get-go you can see why this band has had so much hype and it looks like the crowd are in for a real treat tonight. The band waste no time and move straight into a personal favourite, ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’. If the first song was a warmup, Frontwoman Abigail is well into her stride now. With a stage presence well above her years, she really puts on a show, channelling those that have come before her as she makes her way round every inch of the stage and then drops to her knees in the centre as the song concludes.
The band has no shortage of versatile talent, as rhythm guitarist Lizzie Mayland shares her love of the north, as a Yorkshire lass and slows the pace as she performs an acoustic cover of Catherine Howe’s ‘Up North’. This slower pace continues with ‘On Your Side’, before the intensity is ramped up again with the bands second single ‘Sinner’. As lead guitarist Emily Roberts, dressed in a gold leotard and matching gold wings like a glam rock legend, shreds her way through the track. As the setlist flows, the pace drops again for ‘Portrait of a Dead Girl’ and ‘The Feminine Urge’, as the band wind their way through their catalogue of songs.
As a new band it can sometimes be difficult to have enough content to fill a headline show but this has been well thought out tonight, with the band moving onto their second cover, a version of the Blondie’s classic ‘Call Me’. This then moves on to ‘Mirror’, a haunting track that at some point, as the band get bigger, I can see them performing live alongside a full orchestra. This is then matched by ‘My lady of Mercy’, a track that flows vocally back and forth from pop to a darker place and back, then into driving guitars and drums, which feels a fitting end to show.
After a brief break, the encore is underway with ‘Killer’ and the show is brought to a close with their debut single ‘Nothing Matters’. At the moment, The last Dinner Party juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down as they continue round the UK & Ireland, and if the crowd tonight is anything to go by their fans are well and truly on board for the ride.
Setlist:
1. Prelude to Ecstasy
2. Burn Alive
3. Caesar on a TV Screen
4. Second Best
5. Beautiful Boy
6. Up North (Catherine Howe cover)
7. On Your Side
8. Gjuha
9. Sinner
10. Portrait of a Dead Girl
11. The Feminine Urge
12. Call Me (Blondie cover)
13. Mirror
14. Big Dog
15. My Lady of Mercy
Encore:
16. The Killer
17. Nothing Matters
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LUCIA & THE BEST BOYS
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