UK rock-pop band The Last Dinner Party is coming out guns blazing with Prelude to Ecstasy, one of the most finely tuned debut albums in recent memory, out now via Island Records. To mark their cordial invitation to their realm of orchestral rock music, they will be embarking on a lengthy 20-date North American tour, including appearances at Coachella on April 13th and April 20th.
Less than a year ago, The Last Dinner Party was known exclusively through live shows in and around their native London. Having formed in 2020 by Abigail Morris (vocals), Georgia Davies (bass), and Lizzie Maryland (guitar), with Aurora Nishevci (keys) and Emily Roberts (lead guitar/flute) joining soon after, they viewed their gigs as opportunities to see what material stuck and what got crowds marching along to their grand vision.
“Nothing Matters,” the endlessly catchy and rousing rock-pop anthem, was the five-piece’s first single after signing with Island Records, garnering millions of streams in no time. From there, the remaining four singles gradually widened their scope before unveiling all 12 tracks from Prelude to Ecstasy, which came out on top at #1 on the UK album charts as the biggest debut album in nine years.
“Ecstasy is a pendulum which swings between the extremes of human emotion, from the ecstasy of passion to the sublimity of pain, and it is this concept which binds our album together. This is an archeology of ourselves; you can exhume our collective and individual experiences and influences from within its fabric. We exorcised guitars for their solos, laid bare confessions directly from diary pages, and summoned an orchestra to bring our vision to life.”
“Caesar on a TV Screen” is one shining example of their sprawling pop odysseys, where Morris expresses Shakespearean levels of emotion. Sharing more similarities to a multi-act play than traditional song structure, “Caesar on a TV Screen” moves through various parts that aim to make room for Morris’ labyrinthian storytelling. However, there’s never a sense of aimlessness in the vocals, with every instrument working together as a strong foundation for the song’s theatrics.
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Outside of the five songs previously released, “Portrait of a Dead Girl” aligns with the band’s more orchestral leanings. The sometimes whimsical nature of Prelude to Ecstasy remains despite the lyrics expressing Morris’ emotional introspection, which also applies to the piano-dominated “Sinner.” The choir comes as a satisfying closure to one of the most grandiose tracks off the album, finishing the scarlet red portrait marked by explosive displays of raw feelings.
Their ascent to the mainstream is nothing short of seismic, beginning as another band trying to find their pocket within rock and pop music to readying a western takeover with their North American tour. On top of winning the coveted Rising Star Award at the 2024 BRIT Awards, sharing the honor with previous winners like Adele and personal heroes of the band Florence + the Machine, and BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024 last month, they made their television debut with “Nothing Matters” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
It’s rare for a band to aim high on a debut album, especially when they came together not too long ago. But The Last Dinner Party did just that, making a collective effort to stake their declarative claim on the UK pop scene. If the title is to be taken at face value, then the height of The Last Dinner Party’s ecstasy has yet to be reached.
“It is our greatest honour and pride to present this offering to the world, it is everything we are.”
Words: David Sosa
Prelude to Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party is out on streaming services. For more on new music and tickets to their upcoming North American tour, follow them on Instagram, TikTok, and their website.
North American Headline Dates:
19th March – Lunario, Mexico City
21st March – Scoot Inn, Austin
22nd March – The Studio at The Factory, Dallas
24th March – Royale, Boston
26th March – Webster Hall, New York – SOLD OUT
27th March – Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn – SOLD OUT
29th March – Studio TD, Montreal – *new venue upgraded to MTELUS
30th March – The Concert Hall, Toronto – *new venue upgraded to Queen Elizabeth Theatre
31st March – The Majestic Theatre, Detroit
2nd April – Newport Music Hall, Columbus
4th April – First Avenue, Minneapolis
5th April – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee
9th April – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, Portland
10th April – Hollywood Theatre, Vancouver
11th April – The Showbox, Seattle – *new venue upgraded to Showbox Sodo
13th April – Coachella Festival, Indio
14th April – Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix
16th April – Bimbo’s 365 Club, San Francisco
20th April – Coachella Festival, Indio
31st July – The Truman, Kansas City
2nd August – Hinterland Music Festival, Saint Charles, IA
6th August – Gothic Theatre, Englewood
7th August – The Complex, Salt Lake City
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