THE LAST DINNER PARTY SERVE A FEAST TO REMEMBER AT SOLD-OUT CAMDEN HEADLINER
Obeying the theme of “A Night at the Opera”, the crowd gathering inside Camden Assembly are decked out in frothing lace and embroidered shirts, corsets and kid gloves, and clutching their tickets (at least figuratively – e-tickets just don’t carry the same dramatism, do they?) to one of the hottest shows in town.
Credit: Jamie MacMillan
You know a band is cool when you can look at them and think, they probably grew up watching St. Trinians. Similarly, when said band puts Girls Aloud’s ‘Sound of the Underground’ on their pre-show playlist, and there are videos online of them gleefully playing the song during their own set. That’s The Last Dinner Party.
For a long time, the London five-piece seemed committed to their slow-burn exposition: curating something of an urban mythology over countless live shows, their stubborn refusal to actually release anything forced fans to watch uploaded clips on YouTube – which is, alarmingly, beginning to feel nostalgic. Thankfully, the excitement finally came to a head last Wednesday, with the release of their debut single ‘Nothing Matters’. The track’s pulsing, hedonistic ode to infatuation proved the YouTube commenters right; this band is something special. For those headed to the Assembly, the show now promised almost legendary significance in TLDP lore.
Credit: Jamie MacMillan
Welcoming people into the intimately-sized room, Ellie Bleach offers an understated but charming support slot; she tells us she’s actually thrilled that not a single person at the sold-out show is there for her, because that makes us prime candidates for converting into Ellie Bleach fans. After a well-received performance of the tongue-in-cheek ‘Doing Really Well Thanks’, I’d say she’s been successful.
When the lights dim again, a swell of orchestral fanfare brings the band of the hour to the stage. “Welcome to our little opera”, frontwoman Abigail Morris gushes, sporting the black leotard and white tights of a ballerina, with a slogan tee demanding ‘when the fuck was the first dinner party?’. “Glad to see you got the memo about the dress code”.
The set that follows is predictably theatrical, but strikingly impassioned. ‘Beautiful Boy’ – introduced by a flute solo from guitarist (and Guildhall alum) Emily Roberts – offers a tender treatment of gender envy, before ‘Sinner’ sees Lizzie Mayland take the vocal. Each song is met with as much enthusiasm as if it has been out for months, and despite not quite having a grip on the lyrics yet, the riotous crowd do their very best to sing along.
Credit: Jamie MacMillan
By design, it’s difficult to pin down what The Last Dinner Party sounds like. They’ve embraced the grittiness of post-punk alongside guttural rock; the flamboyance of pop; and the romanticism of opera, all while fighting off instinctive comparisons to the likes of Kate Bush or Walt Disco by capturing a sound that’s undeniably their own. It’s hard to choose a standout from the setlist: ‘Beautiful Boy’ is a strong contender, but then so is ‘Portrait of a Dead Girl’, flecked with gothic imagery and boasting a truly infectious chorus.
Surprisingly perhaps, for a band so wedded to theatricality, there is no encore. Instead, they round off the party by launching straight into a triumphant rendition of ‘Nothing Matters’ – which, as Abigail points out, is celebrating its not-quite-one-week anniversary. This time the crowd does know all the words, and the finale is injected with a joyous energy that can be read all over Abigail’s beaming face. If this is a taste of what their shows will be like after a whole album has been released, then we can’t wait to see it.
