‘This next song is about feminine rage,” announces Abigail Morris on the first night of her band the Last Dinner Party’s UK tour. She begins a falsetto verse, accompanied by the band’s guitarists – Georgia Davies on bass, Lizzie Mayland on rhythm, Emily Roberts on lead – and keyboardist Aurora Nishevci, to delighted shrieks. Yet, post show, fans will be unable to stream the song Feminine Urge. The Last Dinner Party are touring on only three released songs – one of which, My Lady of Mercy, dropped a few hours before the band walk on stage in Glasgow.
Despite a slim discography, the venue is packed. The quintet’s first single, the catchy baroque-pop of Nothing Matters, was released by a major label in April into instant hype, with “industry plant” discourse doing nothing to stop a snowballing fanbase.
Dressed in an array of corsets, billowing blouses and petticoats – tonight’s dress code is “Brothers Grimm” and fans have also come in their cottagecore finery – the band form dramatic silhouettes with their instruments. The spotlight is on Morris who spins, bends and darts around the stage. My Lady of Mercy is an ideal showcase for her impressive vocal range which can descend from ethereal lilting into guttural belting, without being swallowed by Roberts shredding on her guitar solos.
Fresh material is tested out. “It’s the second time we’ve ever played this live,” says Morris, introducing a song that is still untitled. A few new songs are a little rough around the edges, and lack the lyrical bite of the singles, but it’s heartening to watch a band confident enough to experiment in front of their audience. More successful is a surprise set highlight that comes when Morris relinquishes vocal duties to Nishevci who performs a poignant song in Albanian, accompanied by Roberts who swaps her electric guitar for a mandolin.
The Last Dinner Party finish a concise hour-long set by letting loose with a rousing rendition of Nothing Matters. “We will be back so many times,” assures Morris to thunderous cheers, a promise they’ll probably be able to keep.
