When The Last Dinner Party burst onto the scene in 2023, they arrived fully formed. Or, at least, that’s how it seemed. In their elaborate corsets and ribbons, the five-piece’s theatrical debut Prelude to Ecstasy felt like a powerful statement of intent, lavishly existing in its own world of grandeur.
But as the band return with their second album, From the Pyre, they’re stepping into something different – something heavier, truer, and more mature.
“What people maybe don’t know about Prelude is that those songs were written predominantly between Abby [Abigail Morris, vocalist] writing the first song on the album when she was about 15, and then all of us adding our musical accompaniments when we were in our early 20s still at university,” the band’s Australian bassist, Georgia Davies, tells Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
“So I think there’s a natural naivety almost, and an earnestness in the songwriting from Prelude, because it literally came from a younger, less experienced place.”
Continuing to carry The Last Dinner Party’s unmistakable sound, From the Pyre builds on their debut and fills it with darker, more self-assured energy. The band have not abandoned the theatrics that made them stand out, they’ve simply expanded them. The new record is still full of drama, rich harmonies, and showcases their flair for storytelling beautifully.
“It’s not at all a departure from the first album,” Davies says. “It’s like we’re using the first album to evolve ourselves and to grow and to develop in a linear way, rather than have sort of self-contained album eras. It’s more about growing than saying goodbye to Prelude.”
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Guitarist Emily Roberts tells Rolling Stone AU/NZ that where Prelude to Ecstasy was yearning to be a part of the South London scene during its post-punk era, wrapped in orchestral brilliance, the new album is “very removed from that”.
“It felt quite natural,” she explains. “It had been over a year since we recorded the last one, and it was clear that our tastes have changed.”
Created in the studio with Grammy Award-winning producer Markus Dravs, an album steeped in classic rock and emotion started to emerge. Davies and Roberts recall influences like The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis, with their kind of unfiltered rock energy evident through tracks like “This is the Killer Speaking” and “Agnus Dei”.
“We talked a lot about sleazy rock ‘n’ roll men, and how we could sort of embody that character, particularly in ‘This is the Killer Speaking’,” Roberts says.
Elsewhere, it draws from folk traditions with intricate, orchestral vocal arrangements, blending earthy textures with choral harmonies. The result is something more spiritual and cathartic than ever before.
“Classic folk music influenced songs like ‘Woman is a Tree’, which I think is quite grounded,” she adds. “When Lizzie [Mayland, guitarist] did the BVs [backing vocals] for the last chorus in that song, I was like ‘wow this is incredible’.”
The process of maturing hasn’t just been about the music, it’s personal too. The last two years have been a whirlwind for the five-piece, with lead single “Nothing Matters” having pushed them into the spotlight quickly, with nearly 200 million streams on Spotify alone. Prelude to Ecstasy earned the five-piece two BRIT Awards, including Breakthrough Artist, led to a sold-out UK headline tour, and topped the UK Albums Chart.
It has been surreal for Davies and Roberts, who found it easy to get swept up in the glitz and glam.
“There was a moment where I was in an Uber and we drove around the corner and our name was on Hammersmith Apollo and I was like ‘woah it suddenly feels really real’,” Roberts recalls.
Davies adds: “At first it was obviously a great thing because we got to ride this wave of buzz and hype, but it got quite tiring to always, and only, be described as London’s hype-iest band. With the second album, it feels like a way of establishing ourselves as a band in the collective consciousness that people think of when they think of bands.”
The Last Dinner Party are bringing their world tour to Australia and New Zealand in January, with shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Auckland. The pair said they’re excited to head Down Under, and for Davies in particular, who grew up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, it’s a welcome trip home.
“We’re really levelling up the tour from what we did last time,” she teases. “So it’s going to be a totally mad experience.”
The Last Dinner Party’s From the Pyre is out now, via Island Records.
THE LAST DINNER PARTY AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND 2026
Saturday, January 10th
Red Hill Auditorium, Perth WA
Tuesday, January 13th
AEC Theatre, Adelaide SA
Thursday, January 15th
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne VIC
Saturday January 17th
ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney NSW
Monday, January 19th
Riverstage, Brisbane QLD
Thursday, January 22nd
Spark Arena, Auckland NZ
