Music / Reviews
Review: The Last Dinner Party, The Prospect Building – ‘Theatricality, fun and frolics’
The Prospect Building has enjoyed a fine run of form lately with Kneecap, Bob Vylan and Mac DeMarco playing here in recent weeks; and upcoming gigs including Fatboy Slim, Everything Everything and Geese.
The Last Dinner Party were the most recent band to appear, and keyboardist Aurora Nishevci paid tribute to one of the acts who was on the same stage less than a fortnight ago.
On their Mercury Award-winning debut album Prelude to Ecstasy is a song by Nishevci called Gjuha, which means ‘language’ in Albanian, her mother tongue.
She explained that it was while watching Kneecap’s film – during which Irish is the predominant language – that she had what she described as “a lightbulb moment” of how much language can provide something so meaningful when “yearning for connection”.
And so it was that on Sunday evening, a Bristol crowd sung words in Albanian during a cathartic moment within a former torpedo testing site.
The Last Dinner Party performed at the Prospect Building in front of a set akin to a church – photo: Martin Booth
Support on Sunday came from the enchanting Imogen and the Knife, who The Last Dinner Party lead singer Abigail Morris effusively praised.
“I’m pretty sure that you love her as much as we do,” said Morris during a lull in proceedings.
In another lull, Morris attempted to teach the crowd some choreography so they could join her by also waving their arms and kicking their feet for This is the Killer Speaking.
It was only in 2024 that The Last Dinner Party played at the Fleece. A lot has happened since then for this band who still retain a sense of intimacy even in much bigger surroundings.
The Prospect Building stage had been transformed into parts of a church tonight, with even a bell tower atop of which there was a weathervane in the shape of a greyhound at full speed.
The Last Dinner Party’s second album From the Pyre was released in October and from that, new favourites included The Scythe and Second Best with beautiful multi-part harmonies and clashing guitars.
This was a show featuring theatricality, fun and frolics, with Nothing Matters and My Lady of Mercy in particular being yet more highlights as the Prospect Building’s rich vein of form continues.
Main photo: Martin Booth
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