IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THESE EARS CAN STILL HEAR A #TUNE when stumbling upon one. The Last Dinner Party's most excellent debut single 'Nothing Matters' popped up randomly on my streaming platform of choice and, upon doing a little research doesn't seem like these ears are exactly taste making after all - their trajectory is already well on its way! I call this exercise of releasing this kind of debut single "to pull a Wet Leg" - that doesn't mean it shares anything more with Wet Leg than an undeniable first release, so irresistible that it simply can't be passed by. In The Last Dinner Party's case, it hinges on front woman Abigail Morris' rather posh and operatic voice, with sonics somewhere between Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux and ABBA plus some honesty / naughty lyrics to boot. And the guitar solo is the best thing this side of 80's art rock in some time.
Introducing the single on their Instagram, they wrote: “Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey so far, and to anyone who is new, welcome, take a seat at the dinner party. The feast is finally served.” <cue all future foodie headline puns>
For around 12 months, the band have existed exclusively in the deeper recesses of YouTube and on stage. We hear their show features a pretty mean Girls Aloud cover and they dress in gothic outfits with medieval influences straight out of classic, romantic 19th century literature which seeps into their music too. Without so much as a single release, they scored support slots with Nick Cave and The Rolling Stones and quickly built a rabid cult fanbase. That said, they already have heavyweight management, they’re signed to a major label and they quickly attracted superstar producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine, Foals, Depeche Mode).
“We wanted to put across that feeling of nothing being hidden, nothing being subtle with that track,” Morris recently told Rolling Stone. “It was our own way of channeling the bravado that’s just a bit lacking at the moment. We didn’t want a limpid love song. We wanted something that was carnal, free and honest and almost perverse.”
Next up are shows with Florence + The Machine, as well as slots at Reading and Leeds. Excitingly, for future Australian fans, if you listen real carefully, you'll hear the bookers of Laneway and Secret Sounds desperately scrambling to lock in their first shows Down Under.