The Last Dinner Party close out 2025 on a remarkable high, returning to London for a two-night stand at O2 Academy Brixton that feels less like the end of a tour and more like the coronation of Britain’s most talked-about new band. Photos from the first night on 7th December — captured by photographer Neil Lupin — show a group not merely riding a wave of hype, but commanding it.
The Last Dinner Party @ O2 Academy Brixton
What began just a few years ago as a word-of-mouth phenomenon on the London scene, with the group known simply as The Dinner Party opening for The Rolling Stones (no less) on BST Hyde Park’s Great Oak Stage in July 2022, has accelerated into something far larger. The five-piece — vocalist Abigail Morris, guitarist/vocalist/flautist Lizzie Mayland, lead guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Emily Roberts, bassist/vocalist Georgia Davies and keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Aurora Nishevci — now stand among the UK’s most singular new live acts. Their theatrical art-rock, baroque flourishes, emotional intensity and tightly honed musicianship have placed them in a lineage that includes everyone from Kate Bush to early Arcade Fire, yet they sound unmistakably like themselves.
The Last Dinner Party @ O2 Academy Brixton
If 2024 was the year the band broke through, 2025 has been the year they proved the longevity of their vision. A relentless tour schedule has seen them grow from club stages to festival main slots across Europe and North America, while their ever-expanding visual world and striking aesthetic have become inseparable from their performance. Brixton, however, is different: a homecoming, the final chapter of the tour, and a chance for the band to take stock of just how far they’ve come.
The Last Dinner Party @ O2 Academy Brixton
Inside the packed Academy, Morris moves with the assurance of a frontwoman fully in command of her craft, blending cabaret dramatics with raw emotional clarity. Roberts and Mayland trade riffs, melodies and harmonies with telepathic ease, while Davies and Nishevci shift seamlessly between grounded rhythm work and sweeping, orchestral texture. The setlist — drawn from their celebrated debut Prelude To Ecstasy and its increasingly expansive live reinterpretations — has evolved into a theatrical arc, part rock concert, part ritual.
The Last Dinner Party @ O2 Academy Brixton
The band’s connection to London is palpable throughout the night. Morris, a native Londoner, introduces songs with warmth and humour, while the crowd — many of whom have followed the group since their earliest pub gigs — respond as though welcoming family home. Even new arrangements, like the extended outro of Caesar On A TV Screen and the cathartic swell of Gjuha, are met with an enthusiasm that signals just how deeply these songs have embedded themselves.
The evening ends, fittingly, in celebration. The encore features the mischievous theatricality of This Is The Killer Speaking — complete with a choreography lesson from Morris — before the band thanks each member of their crew by name, an emotional gesture that mirrors the gratitude pouring back from the room.
The Last Dinner Party @ O2 Academy Brixton
If these Brixton shows signal anything, it’s that The Last Dinner Party now stand at the edge of a new chapter. Their ascent has been seemingly fast, yes — but more importantly, it has felt earned: built on craft, ambition, originality and a commitment to performance that few new bands match.
As Neil Lupin’s photos attest, 7th December wasn’t just another stop on a tour. It was the moment a band once whispered about in London basements stood tall on one of the city’s most iconic stages — and felt entirely at home. The Last Dinner Party’s rise is no longer a story of potential. It is, simply, the story of one of Britain’s most exciting new bands stepping into their power.
Photography of The Last Dinner Party at O2 Academy Brixton, London on 7th December 2025 by by Neil Lupin / neillupin.com.
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