The music that inspires The Last Dinner Party
The rise of The Last Dinner Party has been a fascinating and inspiring thing to witness. After buzzing around the London live scene, the five-piece, melodramatic indie outfit has climbed the ladder with such pace and power that it has left the jaws of audiences firmly planted on the floor.
As the band continues to be hit with misogynistic industry plant accusations or attempts to bring them down, one need only look at their influences to understand their destination was always set skyward. Anyone who has witnessed one of the band’s shows, whether it be their early pub gigs at The George Tavern or their triumphant slot at Glastonbury, can attest to the band having the talent, energy and tunes to more than live up to the hype.
As their debut album, Prelude To Ecstasy, is released as one of the most hotly anticipated albums in recent years, the band is on the rise. Their string of near-perfect singles like ‘Nothing Matters’, ‘Sinner’ and ‘My Lady Of Mercy’ revealed them to be a varied and vibrant outfit. A perfect antidote to the downtrodden sounds of the new post-punk scene that seems to grip London’s local venues, The Last Dinner Party deliver nothing by halves.
Their world is one of outright drama, flowering literary references, silver-screen sounds and a seemingly limitless bravery. Complete with full orchestral overtures, haunting harmonies that sound like ritual sacrifices and a healthy dose of huge roaring guitar solos for good measure; the new album proved to be a colourful musical universe.
The group’s aesthetic has always been heavily dripping in theatrical nostalgia. When looking into the albums and musicians who have influenced them, it is easy to see how, sonically, the group have also looked to the past and resent to inspire their future. Here are some of the influences you’ll hear on The Last Dinner Party’s debut album.
Music that inspires The Last Dinner Party:
Lana Del Rey
When Lana Del Rey’s debut album, Born To Die, was released in 2012, she was an instant sensation. The singer-songwriter seemed to boom into the music world with her vision and vibe already set and has held steadfast to it ever since. Even as her sound has changed, that indescribable singer’s energy remains immediately recognisable across all of her work. And The Last Dinner Party seem intent on matching it.
When the band supported Lana Del Rey at her huge Hyde Park show, they made no secret of their love for the artist. They called the experience a “crazy childhood dream fulfilled”, declaring Del Rey their “mother”. Her influence is heard across the album in both sound and spirit. On tracks like ‘Beautiful Boy’ and ‘On Your Side’, the band approach ballads with the same cool spirit as Del Rey does on ‘Shades Of Cool’ or ‘Mariners Apartment Complex’.
As singer Abigail Morris’ vocals switch between Disney princess perfection and a gravelly growl, Lana Del Rey’s influence is there too, nodding towards tracks like ‘Pretty When You Cry’ where she really lets loose.
Queen
The Last Dinner Party’s secret weapon comes in the form of their guitarist, Emily Roberts. Amidst the fun and frenzy of their live shows, Roberts steps forward with a flying V guitar and does what can only be adequately described as absolute shredding. As the breakdown of ‘My Lady Of Mercy’ comes around, the guitarist transforms into nothing short of a rock god as she seems certain to cement herself as one of the finest players of our time.
In all these big guitar moments, perfectly nestled amongst a busy and vibrant bed of drama, the influence of Queen is heard clearly. Managing to create songs that play on the line of absolute melodrama, melting orchestral moments, huge guitar riffs and full band harmonies without becoming too overdone, there are clear nods towards A Night At The Opera.
With Morris’ vocals traversing between velvety ease into big characterful moments while the band build a vibrant and theatrical instrumental, it’s exactly the kind of spirit Queen captured.
Jule Styne and 1950s musicals
As The Last Dinner Party’s debut album opens up, it feels like sitting in a theatre with the lights dimmed and waiting for that red velvet curtain to open. Building tension with a minute-and-a-half-long prelude, the piece acts as an overture and a true nod to theatricality.
It’s beautifully reminiscent of the work of Jule Styne, the band behind musicals like Funny Girl, Gypsy, and the later Marilyn Monroe film adapted from his musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. As was commonplace in the 1950s and traditional theatre, the overture floats through themes from the show. In the overture for Funny Girl, the show made famous by the Barbara Streisand movie, little snippets from the biggest songs are weaved into a thrilling orchestral piece, hyping up the crowd while tying the whole performance together.
The ‘Prelude’ to the band’s Prelude To Ecstasy serves exactly that purpose. Delivering snippets of tracks like ‘Gjuha’, ‘Burn Alive’ and ‘Nothing Matters’ while swelling to an exciting high, it’s goosebump-inducing. Proving the band’s dedication to drama, it’s a perfect introduction to the record and their world.
David Bowie
On their tour, The Last Dinner Party provide themes for each night, encouraging their fans to come dressed appropriately. For one evening, they paid homage to a clear inspiration: David Bowie. The band’s pre-show playlist is packed with Bowie cuts, including hits like ‘Modern Love’ and ‘Moonage Daydream’ along with album cuts ‘Cracked Actor’ and ‘Boys Keep Swinging’.
Another suitable theatrical point of reference is that Bowie never did anything by halves either. His albums delved deep into whatever sounds and stories related to the character he was currently playing, building a legacy based on rich creativity and ever-evolving talent. On their debut, The Last Dinner Party already seem to have their sights set on a similar career.
They’re hitting all the cornerstones that Bowie mastered. Their mega-hit ‘Nothing Matters’ delivers on the catchy, radio-ready necessity of ‘Starman’ or ‘Let’s Dance’. ‘Mirror’ provides the rousing power ballad energy of tracks like ‘Heroes’ or ‘Life On Mars’, while the harmony-heavy sparsity of ‘Beautiful Boy’ or ‘Gjuha’ proves the band’s willingness to be a bit weirder.
Nick Cave
There are several moments on Prelude To Ecstasy that could be pulled directly from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds songs. “I could never give that curse to huh-huh-her / I could never live with the guilt of lying that people are kind,” Morris sings on ‘Feminine Urge’. Elsewhere, on ‘Portrait of a Dead Girl’, the band paint a thorough image and story, singing “, If anyone killed me, it probably would’ve been you.” Regularly wading deep into dark waters, they do it with the same rich, treacly approach that made Nick Cave a star.
Just as Nick Cave merges raw instrumental power with in-depth, storytelling lyrics, The Last Dinner Party manages it in a poppier package. For listeners who want to take the time, there is a whole world of poetry and literary references to discover amongst their lyrics, just as how Cave’s work could be put on a page and analysed to no end. Both acts manage to make wordiness catchy and enthralling with a masterful approach.
The Rolling Stones
One of The Last Dinner Party’s first gigs was opening for The Rolling Stones. In their infancy, the band found themselves on the huge Hyde Park stage as the first act of the day for the Stones’ 2022 British Summer Time show. Such slots would fuel the previously mentioned erroneous industry plant rhetoric.
While musically, the two acts are very different, there is undeniably a chain of influence between the bands. In the same way that Mick Jagger plays with his voice and with the tempo on tracks like ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ or ‘Paint It Black’, The Last Dinner Party capture the same kind of energy, painting every detail of the track with whatever mood it holds.
But mostly, Abigail Morris is a through-and-through frontman. A band leader to beat them all, her energy on stage pays homage to that of Jagger’s, keeping the audience in the palm of their hands while they ensure everyone is having fun.
Florence + The Machine
When the band won BBC’s Sound Of 2024, they brought Florence Welch along to announce it to them. In 2009, Florence + the Machine were included on that same list, going on to have an absolutely storming career with highlights including headlining Glastonbury as a replacement for Foo Fighters and becoming one of the biggest acts of modern times.
In many ways, Florence Welch feels like a shining example of what The Last Dinner Party could become. Welch has the same varied vocals as Morris, ranging between the delicate and the powerful. Both acts imbue their lyricism with real poetry, literary reference and vast imagery of magic, religion and dramatic devotion.
On stage, The Last Dinner Party harness the same captivating energy as Welch, managing to turn even slow songs into a gripping performance. In every aspect, it seems that without Florence + the Machine, there could never have been The Last Dinner Party.
