Review: The Last Dinner Party deliver timelessly striking show of etheral art-rock

The acclaimed London newcomers put on a show of theatrical ballads and heavy-hitting guitar riffs on a blissfully brilliant night of music at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester.

Before any band of their scale takes the stage, it's always fascinating to get down early and listen to the support acts; this tiny insight helps committed fans to better grasp the band's taste while also discovering the next great thing in the process, and luckily for them, they had a choice between two incredible artists.

Commencing the night of trailblazing live music ahead was the rising star Kaeto, who was recently coming off the release of her mixtape INTRO.

Her set was a collection of beautifully dreamy soundscapes, complimented by an electric performance from Kaeto herself. It's evident why she was selected to open up for the winners of the BRITs Rising Star Award.

Following on from the dreamy Kaeto was the wonderful Lucia and The Best Boys – and the Glaswegian collective kicked off their set with a number of hits from their 2023 album Burning Castles, which certainly carried the energy from Kaeto’s set onwards throughout the night.

Fronted by the compelling Lucia Fairfull, the band cruised through their catalogue of indie-rock selections delivered with a slice of unrivalled Scottish charm, this included the likes of Perfectly Untrue, Picking Petals and the moodily magnificent So Sweet I Could Die.

Lucia and The Best Boys made for another unique and perfect addition to the roster for a night of theatrical and musical excellence.

It was then on to The Last Dinner Party's ceremonial blessing of Manchester, accompanied by a stage dressed in the glistening materials familiar to a Shakespearean play lost in time.

The Mercury Prize-nominated band proceeded to all bounce onstage to their larger-than-life sounding opening track, a Prelude to Ecstasy, which, as the namesake and introduction track to their only album, led perfectly into the brutal and addictive Burn Alive.

Burn Alive allowed for frontwoman Abigail Morris to make a late timed entrance onto stage, as all the other members had proceeded her.

This build-up allowed the energy within the Northern venue to be raised to a higher playing field and as soon as Abigail’s vocals came in, swiftly followed by that eerily dramatic guitar riff, that’s when the night of baroque rock had truly kicked off.

The five-piece band dressed in outfits lost to time consisted of Abigail Morris (vocals), Lizzie Mayland (vocals, guitar), Emily Roberts (lead guitar, mandolin, flute), Georgia Davies (bass), and Aurora Nishevci (keyboards, vocals).

This arrangement of musical talent allows each individual during the performance to showcase their ever-burning spark, such as Gjuha which is a beautiful real tale woven by Aurora in her native language and the likes of Lizzie covering Up North by Catherine Howe due to her Yorkshire heritage and upbringing, is a sure indication of the pure individualism that the group rakes in to their harmonious advantage.

Rapturous anthems like the history lesson Caesar On A TV Screen and the sincerely intimate Sinner were magically homed in by Abigail’s onstage recital, as she frolicked across the theatre-styled backdrop, while still being able to hit every note in a state of pure perfect bliss - and as each one of these songs came to a climax Abigail composed the band like a conductor as they all featured behind her to close off each song in spectacular fashion.

Big hitters such as The Feminine Urge that have an unparalleled endless appeal roared out across the audience as the predominantly female crowd sang back the powerfully yet tender lyrics of feminine upset that dynamically delves into the heartfelt generational trauma that mothers pass down to their daughters.

Because the primarily London-based group only formed three years prior, it's understandable that a headline tour like this one would include renditions to round out their set; one particular standout cover from the first two nights has been their action-packed and show-stopping rendition of Blondie's classic Call Me.

Nearing the finalisation of their triumphant and stunningly pomp set, the BBC Sound of 2024 ensemble decided to end their leading set with the unreleased and larger-than-life sounding Big Dog and the intricately great finale in the form of My Lady Of Mercy, once the band had completed the theatrical final sounding ballad – making for a seamless close to their initial setlist.

The baroque pop trendsetters returned to the stage with a similar format from the end of their set to be incorporated into their encore, as well as an unreleased anthem, This Is the Killer Speaking (presumably from their rumoured upcoming and in the works sophomore album), only to adhere to their classical rock ballad culmination and biggest hit, Nothing Matters.

Before ending their set with the boisterously cheeky and addictive Nothing Matters, Abigail applauded the crowd for turning up in their numbers and reminded them that indeed nothing matters.

With this spectacular show under their belt, in a city known for its raw musical talent, it's clear to see why they've already been asked to return to the venue and city.

As the band prepares for a second headline slot at the Victoria Warehouse in the coming week, it's evident from their already developed elegant and rebellious sound how they've been able to ride this incredibly unprecedented meteoric rise to the very top of the music scene so quickly.

The Last Dinner Party presented a breathtakingly beautiful set that could only be characterised as a theatre of dreams, even though they were only a stone's throw away from a stadium with the same exact nickname.