From The Pyre to Newcastle: The Last Dinner Party light up O2 City Hall
Following their debut, The Last Dinner Party hasn’t stopped touring, and their next stop is Newcastle’s O2 City Hall.
A long, restless summer spent reminding everyone of their undeniable cool along festival grounds spanning across Europe saw The Last Dinner Party promoting some promising new material.
The recent work would eventually come into fruition in the form of the band’s sophomore record: From The Pyre. Following the high expectations set by their debut, From The Pyre lands as an ambitious follow-up that retains the same operatic drama of Prelude to Ecstasy, whilst slightly adjusting their norm to something far bolder.
It’s an album steeped in metaphorical symbolism and post-fame reflection, while still rooted in the Kate Bush-esque theatricality that made their debut feel so singular. This release saw the bands return to the UK for the From The Pyre Tour. Though sudden acclaim carved out pathways for a wider reach to the global stage, the bands’ return to Newcastle’s O2 City Hall feels more like a homecoming.
At this point, the band could easily fill larger venues, but a decision to opt for more modest choices displays their priority of hosting shows with the fans who helped spark their unlikely rise in the first place. Their return is steeped in a divine femininity that courses through every arrangement, lyric and styling choice, sure honouring the band’s theatrical mythology that they built themselves around.
No longer the breakout newcomers with everything to prove, they step into this era with the unbothered assuredness of five best friends whose once improbable dream has formed into something surreal but entirely their own.
Much like From The Pyre itself, the set opened with Agnus Dei, a song that delves into lead singer Abigail Morris’ speculation of love now that she’s entrapped under the impermanence of this so-called ‘desired’ rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
The set design seemingly draws straight into the band’s theatrical imagination, with towering archways draped in marble curtains framing the altar like pedestal of the centre stage. Seemingly, a trend started to form throughout the set, with lead guitarist Emily Roberts climbing the pedestal to perform the opener’s climax of a guitar solo.
The track list then shifts into a more reflective tone with Gjuha, led and written by keyboardist and vocalist Aurora Nishevci. She later explained that she came to realise the song was about “the importance of language” and a “yearning for connections, place, culture and people you’ve been removed from.”
Following a stray of crowd swayers, a poetic rendition by bassist Georgia Davies eventually built up into the unreleased Big Dog. Much like fan favourite Sinner, Big Dog acts as a clever turnaround from the preceding mellower tracks, creating a dynamic flow within the performance. Lyrically, Big Dog shifts between playful sensuality and sinister imagery with lyrics like: “Use your lips, treat mine like cherries / You are so sweet, I’m a big dog / My feet bleed from dancing / Lick them clean like you’re my big dog.” The ominous atmosphere created pivots into the chorus’s aggressive chanting of “Big Dog,” marked by the confrontational climax of the guitar strains, showcasing the band’s ability to seamlessly blend theatricality with raw musical power.
The climax, inevitably, is a chaotic combination of Nothing Matters and This Is The Killer Speaking, the lead singles from their debut and sophomore records, respectively. Despite Nothing Matters undeniably being their most recognisable track and pulling the biggest response from the crowd, it’s This Is The Killer Speaking that ultimately steals the crown.
The anthemic, cult-esque chanting of “here comes the killer” is built for communal engagement, ultimately building a moment of pure collective unity within the crowd and Abigail Morris. The track’s sudden collapse into silence before rebuilding from those stark opening piano chords ignites one final chance: an overwhelming last chant from the crowd that cements it as the night’s true highlight.
All photos by Madeleine Wrigley.