It would have been easy to forget that The Last Dinner Party were not putting on their own headline show down at Finsbury Park. Taking the stage on July 5th, TLDP were the penultimate act before Wolf Alice took the stage for their biggest show to date. The band delivered a captivating performance that demonstrate why they are so deserving of their recent successes.
From the first note of Agnus Dei, it could not be mistaken that the band had no demonstration of a ‘support slot’ style performance, but instead took it as their opportunity to show fans both old and new exactly what they could do on one of their biggest stage opportunities yet. Front-woman Abigail Morris stormed the stage with incredible confidence and certainty of her craft, switching between levels of energy that demonstrated her range of performance ability and more intimate moments with the crowd. Alongside Abigail, the rest of TLDP showed that their chemistry is strong both on and off stage and had the crowd riled up for Wolf Alice.
As the songs progressed, tracks such as The Feminine Urge and Second Best had fans singing every word back, while people new to the band found themselves staring and caught up in the performance infront of them. The ability to do so demonstrates why TLDP have rose to the international level of recognition that they have, while becoming one of the UK’s biggest acts in the process.
One of the standout moments came during My Lady of Mercy, where Morris’ unmistakable stage presence combined perfectly with the band’s synchronised instrumentation. Whether it was Lizzie Mayland and Emily Roberts swapping guitars, Georgia Davies sparking the rhythm from behind the drums or Aurora Nishevci’s strong keyboard arrangements, every member played their part in creating a performance that felt both theatrical to the setlist and effortlessly done.
The newer TLDP material From The Pyre already sat comfortably alongside fan favourites, with songs from the record already receiving huge reactions despite only recently being introduced into the band’s live shows. Rather than slowing the pace of the show, the new songs added another layer to an already impressive backlog of songs, demonstrating just how quickly the band continue to evolve and master their craft.
Closing with Nothing Matters, thousands of voices could be heard across Finsbury Park as one of the band’s biggest songs brought the set to a perfect conclusion. It was an ending that displayed how a support slot can be made into a headline worthy performance, leaving many in the crowd wishing they had been given even more time on stage and showing why people should go to their next tour opportunity.
While the day ultimately belonged to Wolf Alice as the star headliners, The Last Dinner Party ensured they created a moment that was entirely their own. In front of one of the biggest audiences of their career, they delivered a performance filled with confidence, musicality and upmost quality. If this is what they can achieve in an hour-long festival slot, it’s exciting to imagine what the future holds for one of Britain’s most captivating live bands.
Photos & Review by Nick Blandford
