“We exorcised guitars for their solos, laid bare confessions directly from diary pages, and summoned an orchestra to bring our vision to life.” THE LAST DINNER PARTY

Celebrating career defining wins with BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024 and the BRIT Rising Star award, The Last Dinner Party are creating a real buzz across not only the UK music scene but globally. From sold out tours across the UK and Europe to their biggest US tour scheduled for the spring, it seems everybody wants a piece of this alluring rising band.

Recorded within the walls of the stunning London based Church Studios, Prelude to Ecstasy was produced by James Ford and today (02/02/24) released by Island Records. Prelude to Ecstasy is no normal debut album though. Grab a pew and prepare yourself for a Shakespearean-esque tragedy of lust, love, betrayal, grief, sin and repent for the music will consume you.

Grandeur from the offset, the opening track ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ is a spine-tingling orchestral fanfare. Borrowing familiar ear worms from the songs still to come, ‘Prelude’ provokes both curiosity and anticipation. First full song ‘Burn Alive’ draws a darkness to the spectacular of the theatrical introduction. A beating snare drum continues the momentum whilst allowing the ominous guitar tone to draw a discordant ambience. Complimented by Abigail’s (Morris – vocals) delicate tone, ‘Burn Alive’ will have you thirsty for more.

Harmonious song transitions is what separates this album from many. Not just an agglomeration of great songs, but a journey. A concept album or a story arch of songs which together form an allusive experience. Most recent single ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’ is a fluent transition from ‘Burn Alive’, retaining the haunting guitar tones before erupting into an anthemic celebration of feminine masculinity.

‘And just for a second I could be one of the greats, I’ll be Caesar on a TV screen, champion of my fate, no one can tell me to stop, I’ll have everything I want, anyone.’

The theatrical references to Caesar is an mask in which The Last Dinner Party dress in to portray a frustration and deep anguish of being a woman in a man’s world. With feminist ideology at its core, this album claims ownership of androgynous desire.

‘Here comes a feminine urge, I know it so well, to nurture the wounds that my mother held’.

The Last Dinner Party submerge themselves with deep passion. Like a true theatrical experience, the lyrics and its delivery convey every emotion whilst every instrument connect to amorously enrich the songs sentiment. ‘All the poison I convert it and I turn it to love’ reverberates as a voice of resentment of one’s own vulnerability. Previously confessing that ‘Feminine Urge’ was about really ‘feminist rage’, like all the tracks on the album, it’s still open to personal interpretation.

Fueled by the regret of becoming so vulnerable, ‘On Your Side’ penetrates deep within the listener. Fighting the desire to please a partner despite their negligence is a heavy pill to swallow.

‘And you smiled so sweetly as you threw me, down the rocks into the seaweed, you thought that I could fly’.

As a metaphor for rejection, ‘On Your Side’ is a beautifully composed song which when Abigail’s last gasp enters, you feel that pain like your own.

It’s challenging not to listen to Prelude to Ecstasy and not create your own personal narrative to the tracks. For me, it’s pure theatrical pleasure. ‘Beautiful Boy’ picks up where ‘On Your Side’ ends. A haunting oboe creeps in creating a deep sense of melancholy. Building with every verse until it crescendos to a crashing climax, ‘Beautiful Boy‘ brings Side 1 (or part 1 for us who are no longer listening to an album, but experiencing a great Shakespearean Tragedy) to a natural interlude.

Side 2 charms with the operatic bombshell which is ‘Gjuha’. Like any great tragedy, ‘Gjuha’ encapsulates a sombre energy that the story so far has led us to. Sung by keys player Aurora Nishevci in her native Albanian tongue, the sense of impending doom is captured impeccably. Leading straight into ‘Sinner’ – a song about forbidden love, the lyrics reflect repented lust which we ultimately give in to.

Side 2 flows just as seamlessly. Keeping the theme of repent and sin, ‘My Lady of Mercy’ is an exploration of sexuality and shame.

‘Teach me how to do what you do, Guide me show me how, I wanna be your arrow, baby make me bow’.

The offbeat rhythm carries the track into an apocalyptical bridge which sounds like an exorcism of lust. Enviable classically inspired guitar solos with striking crashing cymbals portray a band who is not only visually compelling but technically sublime.

A tone shift explores a much more reflective vulnerability with the enchanting track, ‘Portrait of a Dead Girl’. The idiosyncratic verses are a precursor to what is one of the most powerful bridges and even bigger explosive choruses. A song about feeling captive, the notion of leaving a toxic relationship behind, whether that abuse if emotional or physical, it’s a momentum which resonates deeply with fans.

Leading into their first and biggest single so far, ‘Nothing Matters’ continues the merciful narrative. It’s about unapologetically giving into temptation and celebrating being in love regardless of the consequence. It captivates that unique sense of euphoria that comes from a place of pleasure. ‘Nothing Matters’ captures everything fans love about The Last Dinner Party.

Reaching the finale of this album is bittersweet. ‘Mirror’ is appropriately titled reflective piece of song writing.

‘I’m just a mirror, break my glass to fix your heart’ refers to somebody who breaks you down just to make themselves feel better. Furthermore, the lyric ‘I don’t exist without your gaze’ implies that worth is only justified by others. Laden with captivating guitar solos and string accompaniment, ‘Mirror’ digs deep to even the strongest of psyche. When it fades out, opening instrumental ‘Prelude to Ecstasy‘ is resurfaced. The curtain is drawn, leaving listeners on a tantalising cliff edge, ready for round 2.

Despite only releasing their debut single less than a year ago, The Last Dinner Party are uniquely poised to become the sound of 2024. Amidst the ‘nepo baby’ rumours, The Last Dinner Party have stood tall. There appears to be a genuine disbelief amongst the music scene that women can’t create sonically profound music without an injection of sorcery (aka men, money or both).

Controversy aside, Prelude to Ecstasy is an incredibly solid debut from a young band which no doubt will go down as a modern classic. Even if they are a so called ‘industry plant’ then we applaud the industry because this is special and we are here for it.

The Last Dinner Party are set to head on their biggest UK Tour yet this Autumn. For early access to tickets, order Prelude to Ecstasy by Tuesday 6th February HERE

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Anne Kelly

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