Live Report: The Last Dinner Party, Brigitte Calls Me Baby at The El Rey Theatre (Nov 6, 2023)

“There’s still hope for music yet.”

I overheard this quote from a man in his late 30s/early 40s as I left the El Rey Theatre last Monday night, after seeing a performance from highly buzzed-about English band The Last Dinner Party, and the man was not wrong. This group of six women lived up to the hype, and based on the crowd’s enraptured reaction, the world is theirs to take.

I arrived at the El Rey just as Brigitte Calls Me Baby were starting their first song. Taking heavy influences from The Smiths, as well as other 80’s pop rock and post-punk groups, with a hint of rockabilly, the band played into the drama of their songs, with the frontman donning an aloof demeanor during his stage banter that perfectly fit the aesthetic. But what mattered were the songs, which mined the best from the band’s influences but soared thanks to walloping pop hooks and undeniable vocal strength of the group’s singer (landing somewhere between Morrissey and Dave Havok). I was unfamiliar with the group going into the night, but queued up their debut EP This House is Made of Corners for my drive home right after they left the stage. Someone needs to book them opening for Duran Duran‘s or Depeche Mode‘s next tour.

With the lights coming on, I was finally able to get a sense of the crowd in the packed room. While there were certainly a number of music industry folks in attendance for the band’s first Los Angeles show ever, the room was mainly filled with excited fans. Young women had dressed in chic gowns in the style of The Last Dinner Party‘s press photos. This group doesn’t just have fans; they have die-hards already, with only four songs officially released. You could feel it in the air, and hear it in the pitch of ravenous screams as the band came to the stage.

What happened then was one of those performances you still talk about ten years from now, saying how you saw the band just as they were breaking. LDP owned the stage. Frontwoman Abigail Morris frolicked and pranced as she sung, full of charm and a playful sultriness. Their sound is nearly impossible to pinpoint; everything from baroque pop to indie rock to medieval motets were weaved into their songs (most of which have yet to be released). Tracks like “The Feminine Urge” (see the video at the top of the page) were brazen alt pop assaults, while “Beautiful Boy” brought in choral harmonies and showed off the group’s mellower side.

And then they transformed into a true rock n’ roll band with “Sinner”, which brought screams from their fanbase. Songs like these gave the other band members time to shine, with the rhythm guitarist Lizzie Mayland and bassist Georgia Davies playing off each other with enough attitude and skill to rival the stadium rock bands of the 80s. And lead guitarist Emily Roberts not only got to bust out a couple lovely solos; she also added a lovely flute opening to one song, and played mandolin on another. Aurora Nishevci stayed mainly behind the keys, but had a couple moments of soothing lead vocals, and donned a keytar later in the set. I digress; “Sinner” was a balls-to-the-wall rocker that had the room jumping.

Other moments that stood out; during “Mirrors”, Morris tackled one moment completely acapella, revealing a fearlessness as a performer that can’t be denied. During “By My Side”, the band incorporated parts of Pixies‘ “Where is My Mind” into the song, and the band even chucked in a little bit of classic Godzilla movie score into “My Lady of Mercy”. Morris ran into the audience at once point to shake hands with the fans, who’s passion left the band nearly speechless at times, and unable to maintain a straight face. The outpouring of love was palpable.

Closing the set with their debut single “Nothing Matters”, the room erupted with men and women singing back to the band and meeting their energy. By the time the song was over, the band members were on the floor, catching their breaths and soaking in the adoration from the audience. They promised to return many times, as this was the start of a beautiful friendship. No doubt.

That The Last Dinner Party will become a must-see live draw in the coming years is without question. I hope that their songs and future album are embraced by audiences as much as releases by boygenius, Wet Leg, Haim and Muna have been. It’s a wonderful time for women in rock, and if Island Records can figure out how to grow and cultivate the die-hard fanbase this group is already fostering, there’s no telling how far this band can go.

You can listen to their four released songs here, and be sure to catch them if they come to your town!