On Wednesday 25 September I unexpectedly attended The Last Dinner Party’s concert at The Octagon; it was an unforgettable night which left me with a newfound appreciation for the band.
Accompanying The Last Dinner Party at The Octagon were Lucia & The Best Boys and Kaeto, both of whom I was blown away by and made a mental note to follow on Spotify.
Lucia & The Best Boys delivered a powerful opening to the show with “When You Dress Up”; lead singer Lucia Fairfull’s raspy and striking vocals were accompanied by a distinct sound from the band. The Scottish indie-rock band certainly brought the energy to what was a brilliant night.
Next came Kaeto, whose siren-like vocals and enchanting stage presence captured the crowd’s attention. The Scottish-born artist performed a range of songs, from energetic, engaging tracks to softer ones.
Kaeto was very confident, with a unique and beautiful sound ringing through The Octagon; a stand-out for me was “ALMA”, as the music and lyricism paired harmoniously together, and was particularly popular amongst the crowd. Overall, she truly demonstrated her talent with this remarkable performance.
The Last Dinner party entered the stage soon after, starting strong with “Burn Alive”; the band’s outstanding stage presence was established from the beginning, with the crowd singing along immediately.
The British indie rock band formed in 2021, and have quickly risen in popularity, winning the Rising Star Brit Award in December 2023; their considerable talent was clear with each song they performed.
Throughout their performance, you could feel the friendship between the band members, making their performance that much more fun and exciting; the audience were invited into their rapport, with the band remaining very engaged with the crowd all night.
Lead singer Abigail Morris’s vocals were extraordinary, as was the rest of the band’s performance. The third song they performed, “The Feminine Urge” was one of my favourites, as the band’s collective vocals produced an entrancing sound.
“Beautiful Boy” reduced the crowd to a sombre silence, as the emotion of the song was felt by everyone in the room. Next, the band sang a cover, “in tribute to the beautiful people of the North”, covering Catherine Howe’s “Up North”; a great, and apt, tribute.
Another stand-out for me was “On Your Side”, as Morris sang, ‘I wish I didn’t want you’ and ‘I will hold your hands to stop them from shakin’/ If it takes all night, I will be on your side’. The performance was raw and sadly beautiful, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Next came “Gjuha”(meaning ‘language’) sung by the band’s keyboardist, Aurora Nishevci. She described the song as being about “being ashamed about not knowing my mother tongue,” (Albanian); the track had a captivating sound and I felt privileged to listen to a song with such passion imbued within it live.
A song I’ve had on repeat since seeing The Last Dinner Party live is “Sinner”, which was almost as energetic and exciting as the final song of the night, of course: “Nothing Matters”.
Overall, The Last Dinner Party’s concert at The Octagon was a phenomenal experience, with fantastic openers, high energy and performances as enchanting live as they are recorded – more so for certain songs. I entered The Octagon as a casual listener of the band, and was left awestruck; now, I see a bright future for myself as a fan of The Last Dinner Party.
