Gig: The Last Dinner Party at The Fleece, Bristol
The Last Dinner Party hailed as one of the best new indie bands off the back of their monster debut single ‘Nothing Matters’ which came out last April, took over The Fleece, Bristol on 30 January. In a postponed gig originally scheduled for October, the band have worked to establish their presence on and off the stage to wondrous results.
The band have risen to considerable renown within less than a year. Self-described as “finding artistry in the intersection between the beautiful, sublime and grotesque”, the band cite romantic poetry and Gothic novels as influences. This is evident through their classically inspired aesthetic and theatrical overtones of their onstage presence, unmistakable in this chaotic but joyful show on a quiet Tuesday night in Bristol.
The Fleece is a historic venue that usually hosts tribute bands and throwback club nights however tonight it is packed with a surprising range of faces from young girls dressed to the nines (the original theme of the night as directed by the band was Greek mythology), to the Fleece’s more typical middle-aged crowd.
Soft indie rocker support Picture Parlour set the tone and by 9 pm the crowd is brimming with anticipation. After an orchestral overture, the quintet burst onto the stage with a thrilling vigour. Opening with the sultry and bold ‘Burn Alive’, what is immediately striking is lead singer Abby’s ability to command the stage with a natural dramatic flair as she flamboyantly twirls around the stage in a movement reminiscent of Kate Bush, alongside refined vocals which balance and blend with the rest of the group when needed.
This is not to say that Abby is the only star. Every member is allowed to showcase their talents. Guitarist Lizzie supplies a significant amount of the backing vocals, while second guitarist Emily provides explosive guitar solos and moments on the flute and mandolin. Bassist Georgia, alongside their current guest drummer Rebekah keeps the pace. Albanian-born keyboardist Aurora leads a haunting interlude in the song ‘Gjuha’ as a tribute to her family’s mother tongue.
The band are at their best in the throes of dramatic fervour. Belter ‘Sinner’ gets the whole crowd moving. While emotive track ‘The Feminine Urge’ with its themes of heartbreak and loneliness captivates the audience, as we enter the ‘crying together portion of the set’. The band are ‘trying something new’ as they come together in acapella harmony for the opening of ‘Beautiful Boy’, proving just how well-oiled the young group are as a collective, just as much as they are willing to experiment.
The group pepper new album tracks in among released songs, rocking out in between heartfelt ballads and swelling instrumental breaks. The performance is a lovely preview of their full album ahead of its imminent release. Abby remarks as she stutters into the mic “We haven’t played a show in ages” and “the album is out this week so it's all feeling a bit weird”.
The skyrocketing success of the band due in part to their social media presence and virality of their lead single, has only grown after a summer of festival appearances and supporting Hozier on his UK tour. Rocking this small but crowded venue, The Last Dinner Party show they are just getting started.
Handling more than one technical difficulty with grace and humour the band are forced to cut off a song before ending with the anthemic ‘Nothing Matters’. Catchy and triumphant, the band give their all to the performance at this modest venue. This is indeed the ‘Prelude’ to what is sure to be a takeover from the Last Dinner Party.
Last Dinner Party’s debut album Prelude to Ecstasy is out now via Island Records.
