The Last Dinner Party | Imogen And The Knife
Brighton Centre, Brighton & Hove 
December 5th 2025

Before heading home for two final nights at the 02 Academy in Brixton, The Last Dinner Party made a triumphant return to Brighton to showcase their brilliant second album, From The Pyre. Inside The Brighton Centre, while the filthy weather outside did its best to thoroughly soak the incoming audience, The Last Dinner Party delivered a life-affirming performance of epic proportions. On a vast stage, draped with lace and adorned with gothic church arches, mossy knolls and a huge elaborate backdrop, The Last Dinner Party brought theatricality, drama, elegance and unbridled ecstasy to the East Sussex seaside.

Accompanying TLDP on their current tour, before they head out to Australia in the new year, was Newcastle born Brighton resident, Imogen Williams (aka Imogen and The Knife). Imogen and her four-piece band, also mainly from the North-East, took to the Brighton Centre stage for a polished forty five minute set that included one very special, “secret”, guest. Imogen and her accomplished, brass enhanced, band gave a rousing, very well received performance in front of a packed crowd eager to take their place for the headline act. The sax and horns elevated Imogen’s keys and soulful vocals as she delivered a stirring rendition of Mother Of God, a dedication to her sister and all siblings, in the emotive ballad, Paris Night, and an ode to her northern birthplace, If It Won’t Talk Of Rain.

Imogen’s band melted into the background momentarily for the arrival of the secret guest as The Last Dinner Party’s Lizzie Mayland joined Williams on stage for a rendition of Mother Mother. Imogen welcomed Lizzie as she explained that she’d helped produce Mayland’s debut solo EP, The Slow Fire Of Sleep, released in May of this year. The stripped back pairing conjured up a fabulous duet with some great harmonies from the two symbiotic vocals. Imogen And The Knife closed out their set with a “gift to you” in the form of a new track, Girl (Running), a Blood Bath, complete with screaming brass, delivered at full-tilt and finally the tenderness of Some Kind Of Love. “Thank you, Brighton, you’ve been amazing”, Imogen said, clearly grateful for the support she’d received from the enthusiastic audience.

Imogen’s departure brought about the arrival of the stagehands to help make the final preparations for the imminent arrival of TLDP. With a set design that could have easily been inspired by paintings of the Melrose Abbey ruins by JMW Turner or James Ward, the scale and aesthetic had the feel of a West End production. In an interval soundtracked by Sisters Of Mercy and Rosalia, amongst others, the anticipation built in a crowd wearing period costumes, floral head crowns, and some even carrying the odd lamb plushy! “I’m just looking out, you might be the best dressed crowd that we’ve seen. I’m not surprised because I was walking around today, and the collection of gorgeous shops selling gorgeous things is quite obscene” remarked Abigail later on.

Emily (Lead Guitar/Mandolin), Georgia (Bass), Lizzie (Guitar) and Aurora (Keys) confidently strode onto the Brighton Centre stage just ahead of 9pm with Abigail (Lead vocals/guitar) skipping on a few seconds later to rapturous, excitable applause. Agnus Dei, the opening track from the band’s sophomore album, From The Pyre, served as the opening track to the night and in an instant there was a palpable sense of collective euphoria amongst the crowd. (I’m confident I was not alone as I experienced a goose bump inducing moment as Abigail’s pitch perfect vocals rang out around the auditorium). Count The Ways gave way to the night’s first sing-a-long courtesy of The Feminine Urge before the band turned it up another notch for a formidable, high energy performance of Caesar On A TV Screen. “Oh, you like Rock do you?” Abigail commented after the untethered reaction of the animated crowd.

Over the course of 90 minutes, The Last Dinner Party played all of the tracks from their latest album as well as eight from their equally impressive debut, Prelude To Ecstasy. Abigail took on most of the lead vocal roles, but Lizzie and Aurora played their part too, with the latter giving a standout performance of her Albanian sung song, Gjuha. A pumped up Second Best brought an extra wow factor before I Hold Your Anger and Woman Is a Tree took the show in a different direction altogether. For the latter, all five of TLDP gathered together mid-stage to sing out the opening choral harmonies before Abigail took centre stage for the dramatic remainder of the song.

Rifle, and especially Big Dog, delivered up some explosive intensity, matched superbly by some very well coordinated lighting before Burn Alive and The Scythe played out on the theatrical setting to great effect. The lights then dimmed as Abigail strode up past Aurora’s piano to the back of the stage. As she sat in front of the stone arches and dangled her boot clad legs from the ledge, a single spotlight shone on her as if she were lit by the moon. It was a magical moment, and a highlight of the night, as the incredible Ms Morris sang Sail Away. This was a jaw-dropping performance that captivated the entire audience as one, creating a memory that will linger for a long time to come.

Lady Of Mercy, Inferno and “a song you may have heard on Radio 1″ – Nothing Matters, closed out the main set as Abigail ran down in front of the stage twice within the three songs to sing to her adoring audience. TLDP came back on for a well choreographed encore of This Is The Killer Speaking with all of them marching back on to the stage in line and turning to the beat before the key change gave rise to the biggest sing-along of the night….” Here comes the killer, here comes your girl”.

The live performances and arrangements of the new tracks gave them an extra, urgent edge and helped highlight just what a stellar collection of musicians The Last Dinner Party Are. It is no surprise to learn that both Johnny Marr and Brian May have named Emily Roberts as their favourite new guitarist after witnessing first hand her virtuoso performance and it is little wonder that the entire band are exploring more avenues for their individual creativity. Abigail Morris has matured into one of the greatest lead singers of her generation, extending a lineage of incomparable front women who have helped pave the way for her and her band.

I have no doubt that TLDP will one day be a future Glastonbury headliner; they are an unmissable and remarkable live act, and if you can’t tell, I’m so, so pleased that I’ve finally seen them for myself.

~

You can find The Last Dinner Party online here: They’re also on
Facebook and X as @lastdinnerparty

You can find Imogen And The Knife online here: They’re also on
X, as @imogen_theknife

All words by Andrew Lockwood. More writing by Andrew Lockwood can be found at his author’s archive.

All photos by Aaron Thompson. AMP Photography