Last updated on April 28th, 2024 at 09:00 pm
Playing their first Minnesota concert, The Last Dinner Party cooked up a passionate performance to an eager all-ages crowd in the First Avenue Mainroom this week, all while delivering a taste of things to come.
The buzzworthy band only played for a little under an hour; unsurprising given their catalog of roughly that duration. Yet their enthusiastic performance put their diverse musical style on full display.
Hailing from the United Kingdom, the five person outfit is fronted by Abigail Morris on vocals, with bandmates Georgia Davies, Lizzie Mayland, Aurora Nishevci, and Emily Roberts. Despite having five members, they do not have a fixed percussionist, with Dai Azar drumming on this tour.
The band played mostly in order to the tracks on their album Prelude to Ecstasy. Following the titular opening instrumental piece, they scorched the stage with “Burn Alive”.
Morris instantly brought her sneer, saunter, and smile to the stage while singing a song that references wine, blood, grief, and ultimately being consumed in flames…all while proclaiming “I am not the girl I set out to be”.
Decked out in a combination that seemed part vintage gown, part lingerie, and accompanied by a rosary, Morris’s alluring and multi-styled presence reflects the band’s songs. They are a combination of rock guitar, operatic instrumentation, harmonious vocals, and an array of lyric motifs from traditional life themes to literary allusions.
This was immediately showcased in the band’s next two songs, “Caesar on a TV Screen” and “The Feminine Urge”, with themes that ranged from commanding fame to “mastering the art of lying still”.
Playing this pretentiousness and vulnerability to their favor, Morris hit the floor several times, and went nearly into the crowd at others. Various bandmates shared vocal responsibilities for different songs. Morris offered sincere thanks to the crowd for the support, but otherwise provided minimal narrative content between songs.
The crowd sang along rather audibly for the majority of the night, which was impressive considering that Prelude to Ecstasy was just released in February. Phones came out in force from moment-capturing concertgoers, especially during the popular “Sinner” and “My Lady of Mercy”. A good portion of the younger audience members echoed the band’s attire of indie opulence; after all, it is a dinner party.
Only once did the band depart from their album, playing a cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”. While the choice seemed peculiar, it was well received by a crowd that was eager to feed on everything offered.
The crowd also eagerly greeted the opener, Miss Grit. Playing guitar over backing percussion tracks, the singer calmly sang while hidden under geometric projections. Yet on each escalated guitar moment, crowd members pounced with yells and hoots of excitement.
Nearing the end of the set, Morris encouraged the audience to get home safely and look after each other. She immediately juxtaposed that by saying “Nothing Matters” before closing with their biggest song yet.
At one point in the show, Morris commented on spending their limited budget on a background choir for “Portrait of a Dead Girl”. But I have a feeling The Last Dinner Party will be playing larger venues soon, evident by their recent press and 2024 BRIT Award for Rising Star. It sounds like we can all look forward to leftovers.
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