The moment The Last Dinner Party found their sound: “We actually sounded a lot better”
The Last Dinner Party’s rise over the past year has been incredible. The female and non-binary quintet have burst onto the scene with extraordinary force, shaking up the industry’s status quo with the thrill of their multi-instrumental pop-rock. With a number one debut album now in tow, it’s easy to forget that the band members didn’t even know each other this time five years ago, and their process in making it was still fairly hindered by the disruption of the pandemic, such has been the rush of their shot at fame. It seems a pretty chaotic way to start making music, but something made them click.
If you’re looking for some sort of profound and inspirational tale of railing against adversity to reach success, maybe turn a blind eye to this one. As it turns out, the band can attribute all their fortunes to a humble bit of Dutch courage.
Lead vocalist Abigail Morris and bass guitarist Georgia Davies confessed their unconventional source of inspiration in an interview with Absolute Radio, as Davies recalled: “We were having a rehearsal, I think even before our first ever gig, and we were not really getting anywhere; kind of hitting a wall. We really wanted to play a gig, but it wasn’t quite there yet.”
So, what was the solution to this block? “We decided, ‘Let’s go to the pub!’,” she laughed. It’s a sound method, to be fair. From there, the fledgling band “had about four or five pints each, so we were pretty on a level, and then we decided, ‘Nah, let’s go back to the rehearsal room and see what happens!’”
It seems that by this point, the creative juices were – literally and figuratively – flowing, as Davies then admitted: “Do you know what? We actually sounded a lot better, just because we were a bit pissed!” Having set the wheels in motion, Morris jumped in to add: “That then gave us the confidence to be like, ‘Yeah, let’s just book a gig right now!’, and that’s what we did.”
Leading on from that boozy brainstorm, their first gig – ironically, at another local pub – was a roaring success. Audiences clearly knew they were on to a winner, because, within months, the band were signed to a record deal and building up a name for themselves on London’s gig circuit, not least with a coveted spot supporting rock gods, The Rolling Stones. They continued to storm ahead at breakneck speed, spawning soon-to-be hits such as ‘Nothing Matters’ and ‘My Lady of Mercy’ in the process.
What The Last Dinner Party’s story teaches us is that creativity emerges in the most unusual ways and when you least expect it. If you’re an aspiring musician currently bogged down by a lack of ideas, don’t let anyone tell you that a cheeky pint or five can’t inspire your best work because if it goes well, you have this band to thank.
Sure, you might need to make up some sort of alibi when you make it big and get asked to impart your wisdom on how to make it out of humble beginnings, but The Last Dinner Party can share with you in the knowledge that no good story ends sober. Just take that advice within reason, obviously.
