Live Review: The Last Dinner Party in Brussels, Belgium 21/02/24

The Last Dinner Party brought their show to Brussels for a very special night.

INDIELIVE SHOWREVIEWS

REINE BAETEN

3/4/20242 min read

The five-piece- female-only band has been conquering the world with their debut single ‘Nothing Matters’ for nearly a year. After their long-awaited debut album ‘Prelude In Ecstasy’, which came out in early February, it was time for their first-ever European tour.

One of their stops landed in a sold-out intimate venue in Le Botanique in Brussels.

The orchestral ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ that smoothly blends into ’Burn Alive' made a powerful and even theatrical entry to the show, creating a fitting atmosphere in the crowded room.

The natural and effortless stage presence of frontwoman Abigail Morris takes up the room while the four other band members, leaving out their live male drummer, take their place behind their instruments.

‘Caesar on a TV Screen’, a more familiar song (as it was their latest single), came second, encouraging the crowd to give some more of their energy while Morris dramatically sang out the lyrics as fitting. The rhythm was maintained with ‘The Feminine Urge’ before guitarist Emily Roberts timidly set aside her guitar for a moment. Then, she melancholically led into ‘Beautiful Boy’ with her flute, followed by a string of angelic harmonies.

“This is what we call the weeping hour,” Morris calls out in the heartbeat leading into the next song ‘On Your Side’. She jokingly calls upon the crowd to cry now if they wish to, “because, after that, it's all sex and dancing."

For ‘Ghuja’, the spotlight was set on keyboard player Aurora, introducing it as a replica of the feeling of her not knowing her mother tongue (Albanian) very well. With her powerful vocal expressions, she gets a chance to shine amongst those of Morris. The ending of ‘Gjuha’ brilliantly bleeds into their second single ‘Sinner’, as the crowd revitalizes for a bit.

The ethereal vocals of all five band members then harmonize into ‘Second Best’, one of their unreleased songs which did not make it to the debut album, but left us curious about what a studio version could sound like.

The set slowed down before the end with ‘Portrait of A Dead Girl’ whilst “Give Me the Strength” gave us the chance to sing along. During the midst of ‘Mirror’, the powerful acapella vocals made the overly crowded room fall completely silent.

For "My Lady of Mercy'', all members simultaneously clapped their hands, creating an intro whilst the song came on just in time to bring life back into the room.

But the moment the crowd had been waiting for arrived once the band started playing ‘Nothing Matters’, their debut single. For once, the vocal cords of the sold-out venue went into full action for a remarkable finishing touch.