The Last Dinner Party deliver a thrilling set on the Other Stage at Glastonbury
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This is a crucial performance for The Last Dinner Party, on the Other Stage on Saturday afternoon at Glastonbury in hot weather. The female five-piece band from London has quickly become popular - just 15 months ago I watched them play in a dark room above a pub in Camden, and last summer they were performing in a remote tent early on a Sunday morning. And today, they are playing in front of a massive crowd, with a top-selling album and a Brit Award winner title.
I had thought their performance would be like last year's amazing set by Fred Again.. A mix of a huge crowd and perfect weather made it a legendary "Glastonbury moment" where the performance was greater than the individual elements. Did The Last Dinner Party achieve this? Not quite. They had moments where they came close and exuded confidence. But too often, their performance felt like it was holding back instead of reaching its full potential.
Maybe I expect too much from this band that has been getting a lot of attention lately. The problem is, at this highly anticipated show, there are too many slow songs compared to high-energy ones. This causes the energy in the festival crowd to drop. If they had more songs to choose from, they could really make this performance and bigger ones in the future their own. It's clear that there are exciting things on the horizon for this band.
The Last Dinner Party is an amazing band that brings excitement, ambition, and talent to their theatrical, post-punk baroque pop sound. Picture a mix of Kate Bush, Sparks, and Abba, with a touch of Roxy Music, all held together by the impressive skills and presence of lead singer Abigail Morris. Their extensive touring has helped them perfect their live performances, making them a must-see act.
They come on stage in their usual fancy clothing: long dresses with puffy sleeves, high-heeled boots, and tight-fitting tops. "Caesar on a TV Screen" is full of dramatic acting as Morris spins around on stage and guitarist Emily Roberts plays unforgettable guitar riffs. Don't be fooled by the shy band members. Wow, she really knows how to play. The slow songs are irresistibly beautiful (Morris suggests we get our tears out before we start dancing and having fun), but large audiences need powerful anthems. Songs like "Sinner" - what a tune - and "My Lady of Mercy" ("about attending Catholic school"). We want more of this, please.
The performance ended with the band's first single, "Nothing Matters," after a long political speech from Morris that some found unnecessary and preachy. The audience joined in for a big singalong moment. It's hard to say how many times the Vale of Avalon has heard those lyrics, "And I will love you/ Like nothing matters," before.
Here's a cool fact from the Glastonbury archives. Despite some issues with their performances, a surprising amount of artists who play on the Other Stage on a Saturday afternoon or early evening end up headlining the iconic Pyramid Stage in the future. Acts like The Verve in 1993, Ash in 1995, The Chemical Brothers in 1997, Travis in 1999, and Stormzy in 2017 all started off on the Other Stage on a Saturday before moving up to headline the festival.
Oh, there is another band performing: Coldplay. They performed at this same time slot in 2000, following Toploader. It's interesting to see how successful Coldplay has become since then. The Last Dinner Party has big shoes to fill following Coldplay, but with more time, they just might exceed expectations.
Keep yourself updated with live coverage from Glastonbury 2024 right here.
