A whimsical evening, The Last Dinner Party’s intimate matinee performance this evening (17th October 2025) at The Level had me levitating. From beginning to end, its theatrics and energy maintained a lively atmosphere as the award-winning band celebrated the release of their sophomore album for the first time with an early audience. 

It was already a long wait for the band’s arrival, with conversations in front of me at the general admissions queue saying they were waiting at 11am for a 6:30pm show. Doors opened at 5:30pm, and for a view by the barricade, people dressed in folk and vintage had waited since 3pm that afternoon with roses and a card sealed in a brown envelope. Three queues were formed: a general admissions queue, a queue for those who had bought a vinyl or a CD with their ticket and an accessibility queue. It was as confusing as it was frustrating for those who had to move to the back of another queue, already trailing down the wide pathways towards Nottingham Trent University. 

It was only when the avid fans (and the parents of said fans) trickled into the venue that the excitement occurred. The people around me discussed the album and what they couldn’t wait to see live. The Last Dinner Party’s newest album From The Pyre was only released that same day, and, due to this, I never got the chance to listen to the album in its entirety, beside their released singles. I was getting recommendations and the constant ‘you must see this album live’. 

The theatrics started suddenly, the lights dimming to black, with the only light source being a neon red from a sign – From The Pyre in calligraphic font. One by one, each band member, from bassist, Georgia Davies, to the other side of the stage their keyboardist, Aurora Nishevci, settled onto stage without their front member, Abigail Morris, who was nowhere to be found yet. The crowd screamed as the intro to ‘Agnus Dei’ played, and in leapt Abigail dressed in vintage white, signature to the band’s aesthetics. They soared through their openers, including ‘Count The Ways’, with graceful hands and a quieter crowd until ‘Second Best’, one of the released singles. It seemed that most of the concert attendees had not listened to the full album, or at least only part of it, before the performance. 

‘Rifle’ was a standout performance to most, with guitarist, Lizzie Mayland, lead singing the track. Before the performance, a group of girls mentioned this song the most, stating that it had to be the best from the album. Their high praise was understandable from watching the show, with Mayland completely stealing this segment with haunting vocals. No theatrics or graceful hands were needed to show the catharsis behind the song, and that is what started to make the gig more intimate than a generic performance. With a French section with Aurora playing single chords, the track is an embodiment of violence and anger.

Catharsis was the first thought I had when thinking back to my first (live) listen to From The Pyre. The Last Dinner Party is known for discussing womanhood and feminine rage in their ballads, inspired by classical periods of music such as the Baroque and Romantic eras. But their sophomore album is darker and richer, seemingly written and produced during dark times in discussing the complexity of relationships. Death may not have literally haunted them, but it takes many metaphorical forms in their songs: themes of loss are apparent, including the loss of love, self, power and choice. There is a hidden anger behind the music, lashing out at the songs’ subjects: on traumas, the breakdown of relationships and with the way of the world. Aurora Nishevci’s performance of ‘I Hold Your Anger’, also on theme with violence, was vulnerable, once again losing the theatrics in singing about generational trauma. Equally as vulnerable was the most intimate segment of the night, Abigail Morris’ raw vocals performing the ballad ‘Sail Away’ with just a keyboard behind her as she sang about heartbreak and nostalgia. 

‘The Scythe’ was an emotional performance for the band, particularly for their lead vocalist. Abigail performed dramatically throughout the night, with waving hands and a mystical exterior. Her own performance on stage creates the alluring presence of the band, but what made this concert so interesting was how her exterior slowly broke. When outstretched fingers and twirls became clutched hands on the microphone, we saw Abigail just sing, at this point of the night almost at a breakdown point on the stage. Understandably, the release of From The Pyre proved emotional for the band, with it being released in the early years of what has, so far, been a successful career. I think that their reaction is admirable: a person tearing up on stage is a person passionate about their work. You can tell how much the moment meant to them.

There are so many great things I could say about the performance, and there is also a lot I could say about From The Pyre. Their closing song, ‘This is the Killer Speaking’, with Emily Roberts skilfully leading the way as lead guitar, was upbeat and fun to round up the evening’s performance. It was a perfect choice made here which kept the mood high after some personal performances throughout the night. 

This intimate insight into The Last Dinner Party’s thoughts and fantasies proves an interesting contrast to their debut album, Prelude to Ecstasy, in that they allow themselves to not only experiment with what is melodically capable, whilst also maintaining a high degree of self-expression. The tracks are even better when we push aside performative dramatics, which made certain tracks that evening stand out compared to others. It’s a standout album that I would recommend listening to if you are looking for thought-provoking insights into the complexity of humanity.

Overall rating: 4.5/5