The Last Dinner Party are a British indie rock band from London, formed in 2021. The band consists of Abigail Morris (vocals), Lizzie Mayland (vocals, guitar), Emily Roberts (lead guitar, mandolin, flute), Georgia Davies (bass), and Aurora Nishevci (keyboards, vocals). They have no permanent drummer, and are currently joined during live performances by Casper Miles.
Morris, Davies and Mayland met in 2020 during Freshers’ Week at King’s College London, and decided to form a band after frequently attending gigs together at The Windmill, feeling inspired by being part of the scene around the venue, with bands such as Black Midi and HMLTD. Their original name the Dinner Party was “inspired by the idea of a huge debauched dinner party where people came together to celebrate with a hedonistic banquet”. Roberts was recommended to Morris as a guitarist by a mutual friend, and Nishevci was then brought in. Roberts and Nishevci attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
The band initially struggled to find time to rehearse together because of the COVID-19 lockdown, and they did not perform live until their first gig at The George in London in November 2021. They signed with management group Q Prime in early 2022. They spent the following year honing their sound and building word-of-mouth support on the live circuit in London, including playing a set as the opening act (while still called The Dinner Party) for the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park in July 2022, along with supporting Benee on her world tour for the London show.
After signing with Island Records as the Last Dinner Party (to avoid confusion with the jazz supergroup Dinner Party), they released their debut single “Nothing Matters”, which was produced by James Ford, in April 2023. The song was later announced as being part of the soundtrack for EA Sports FC 24. During the summer of 2023, the band supported Hozier, and played several festivals in the UK, Ireland, and Europe including Glastonbury and Latitude. They were also invited to play a live session on the BBC Radio 6 Music show, New Music Fix Friday. The band also opened for First Aid Kit on three of their UK dates in August 2023.
They released their second single “Sinner” in June 2023, and their third single “My Lady of Mercy” in October of the same year, both of which were also produced by James Ford. They made their first appearance on the BBC show Later… with Jools Holland in October 2023, performing “Nothing Matters” and “My Lady of Mercy”. In November 2023, the fourth single, “On Your Side” was released and the fifth single, “Caesar on a TV Screen” was released in January 2024 and month prior to the release of their debut album Prelude to Ectasy. In January 2024, they performed on the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show. They were the winners of the BRITs Rising Star award at the Brit Awards 2024. The album’s sixth single, “The Feminine Urge, was released in July 2024.
