Girl Bands are so fucking back - The Last Dinner Party Live Review

All night, I was thinking about writing this. I couldn't comprehend the show I had just witnessed. As someone who was one of TLDP's first ever listeners and yet, biggest critic and simultaneous fan, I was not prepared for this show. First and foremost, the best way to compress this review is that it was brilliant. They sound identical, if not better in some circumstances, live than on recording/spotify. Not just that, but Abigaile's stage presence was unruly, although expected.

One thing I definitely couldn't get my mind off, which hasn't happened for me often, was the politics of it all. Mid pause in a slow song, an absolute legend screamed Free Palestine, causing a smile from Abigaile, who had also just grabbed a trans flag that was thrown on the stage. Later in the night, they discussed how they were raising money for food banks - as someone who follows them, none of this was something I'd seen and yet they'd been doing it all tour. Last year, an article came out outlining the girls' past of being extremely rich, having connections, and essentially being industry plants. Whilst this is not at all uncommon, nor does this information at all diminish their talent, the politics and motives behind everything were hard not to ignore or question. Especially when they spoke and literally sounded like they could be related to the queen (not you Georiga, legend). When the girls released their first ever single, Nothing Matters, last year, and I was one of the first to ever hear it, I loved them instantly. But I remember all of their comments on their first instagram post; 'how did they get all this marketing budget for a first single?' 'who do they know?' 'how are they getting so big so quickly?' Then, months later, news of their 40k+ a year costing school education made it all very clear. Whilst I'm very 'eat the rich' (if you can't tell), my main issue with this was that so many people without all of this are just as talented, if not more, and would never get to be where these girls are at. You would just hope that they would do all the foodbank raising had the article not come out. I hope in the future they continue to use their privilege and platform for such good things, and they raised a whopping 25k+ in pounds from their tour, so a big well done to them and all the fans that took part and donated.

With that out the way, more about the actual performance. The setlist, despite my faves extremely spread out, was okay at first glance. In person, however, the affect of the setlist is far more powerful than you'd probably assume. Including a cover of Ride by Lana Del Rey (which, I actually preferred to the original), the artistry of all parts of being a musician are greatly achieved by these women.

I am nothing if not honest; I have seen artists far funnier and that interact far more with the crowd and fans regardless of size of the venue. These things aren't usually important for most people, but I do enjoy myself far more when it is the case.

A note on the audience: do you know what dancing is? During so many upbeat songs, the crowd on the floor were basically static, which made no sense considering the girls on stage are the most free dancing performers I've ever seen. Please, for the love of music, if you go a gig, no one is looking at you judgementally, just dance, have fun. No one cares, in the best way possible.

My final note would be the lighting. Lighting for the most part this year when it comes to gigs I've been to, have been shit. Finally, a band that knows how to light up their stage and performance - totally not at all safe if you have epilepsy; some parts were insane (but I loved it). Ultimately, these girls and their sound really brings back a sense of the seventies and eighties bands I love today. Girl bands have, in modern years, been deemed as pop and pop only, and finally we are given real musicians. Emotional, raw and strong, is the only way I can describe this band live.