This is only the second night of The Last Dinner Party’s UK tour, and it is easy to see why King Tut’s 300 capacity wouldn’t have been able to hold the amount of people here to see them.
The queue to get in for doors was already going round the venue and excitement was palpable. Inside, the dress code set by the band and diffused on social media, ‘Grimm, fairy tales and folklore’ is only partially followed by attendees, the majority of whom opted for a chic or vintage dinner party look. However a few prosthetic elf ears and medieval skirts are spotted in their midst. After half an hour of anticipatory chatter, The Last Dinner Party’s walk in song finally rings out to the shrieks of the fans. The five appear on stage to a grand orchestral theme, looking radiant. Front woman Abigail starts singing, her long white voluptuous skirt swinging with her as she dances, smiling at the fans still screaming in delight. As a band with only 3 single releases to their name, it’s inevitable that a lot of the set will feature unreleased material and this is certainly the case for the first couple of tracks. For the second track, free of the mic stand, Abigail prances around the stage, sinks to her knees in earnest, sings with her bandmates. “This next song is about feminine rage” as they launch into Caesar on a TV.
The vocals in the third song, Feminine Urge undulate between grainy mids and operatic highs reminiscent of Sparks’ grand vocal deliveries, while the next one, On your side starts with a stripped back piano and quieter emotional lyrics. It ends pulsing into a slow, deep beat which is only broken by the fan’s considerable applause. Abigail gives thanks before introducing the band: “We’re so happy to be here! Glasgow is a really special city; I would live here if I didn’t live in London.” The sixth song is performed by Aurora. It begins with hand picked guitars and incorporates theatrical harmonies with the rest of the band. Instead of ending, it segways into ‘Sinner’, the band’s second single and the first song they perform tonight that is already released. The crowd immediately shouts along to the introductory lyrics: “I wish I knew ya… “ and join in with thundering enthusiasm on the chorus, “before it felt like a sin”. After playing another new song and getting the crowd to sing its build up refrain, “ give me the strength “, the typical Glaswegian crowd’s seal of approval rings out in the form of several “here we fucking go’s.”
Only a few songs left, and the band look delighted to announce their newest single ‘My Lady of Mercy’, released only three hours prior to the show. “It’s about going to catholic school” says Abigail before launching herself into the song. They end with their debut single, ‘Nothing Matters‘. As they did for most of the show, their devoted audience goes wild and sings every last word. The last few choruses are graced with the surprise appearance of Lucia Fairful of Lucia and The Best Boys; she and Abigail swing and shout arm in arm. The crowd goes erupts one last time; the show ends.
Words: Emmy Leishman
Pictures: Rosie Sco @rosiesco