The Last Dinner Party / Sunday (1994) - Live 2026.02.22 UFO im Velodrom, Berlin, Germany

The Last Dinner Party had one of my favorite albums of last year (even if their debut was even better), so when a friend expressed interest in going to this show, I was sold. That said, it was a tough choice considering that Magdalena Bay, one of my 2024 faves, were playing the same night at the Columbiahalle.

Sunday (1994) opened the night. Despite the name, they are not a tribute act for The Sundays, although they do make a version of dream pop. However, they unfortunately leaned a little harder on the pop than the dreamy side. Paige Duddy’s vocals were excellent (as was her dress), but the music was a bit cheesy and uninspired. Despite having four performers on stage, they relied heavily on backing tracks for acoustic guitar, keyboards, and even vocals. That sapped a lot of the energy from the performance. The one heavier song they played was a marked improvement.

The Last Dinner Party took their time coming out but launched right into a strong set. With a sizeable stage setup, they deftly tore through most of their catalog, pausing only for two security incidents until the encore break. They played every song from last year’s From the Pyre, nine from Prelude to Ecstasy, and the unreleased but regularly performed “Big Dog”. With all five members contributing vocals and all but Abigail playing a variety of instruments, they regularly moved around in different configurations to highlight various instrumental and harmony arrangements.

[The Last Dinner Party in peak witchy vocal formation.]

The vocals might be the band’s strongest point, and all five contributed flawless parts. Abigail’s voice may be the centerpiece, but when Lizzie and Aurora sang lead, I was impressed by just how strong and nuanced their voices were as well. I’m a sucker for intricate harmonies, and they provided them in spades. On top of that, their musicianship shone. Aurora moved between piano, synth, keytar, and sax; Emily played mandolin and flute in addition to a variety of guitars; Georgia added some synth bass; and Abigail even sat down at the piano, although I don’t know that she actually played. I saw a stage hand playing acoustic guitar off to the side for one song (I think it was “I Hold Your Anger”), but there was also what sounded like a violin sample. Otherwise I didn’t hear any backing tracks. The drums were played by Dave Adsett, who seemed somewhat relegated to the background. I was pleased to notice that among Emily’s guitars was a St. Vincent signature model.

When the band came out for the encore, they were accompanied by a large choir, who it turned out were the D-Dur Dykes*! They’re Europe’s largest FLINTA* choir and conspicuously more visible than the trans choir I sing in, but I also know them because a friend sings with them, although she wasn’t there that night. They added an especially dramatic flair to “Beautiful Boy” and a brief closing reprise of “Agnus Dei”. That was quite a surprise and a very cool enhancement to the set.

[The Last Dinner Party with the D-Dur Dykes*.]

As a major label band, I expect a certain level of professionalism, budget, tightness, and show. Without a doubt, The Last Dinner Party delivered. I wouldn’t say the same for the openers, but they were pleasant enough. I’m still thrilled by the bonus feature of the choir! Apparently “Beautiful Boy” has not been a regular feature of the sets this year. (They’ve even been debuting new songs on other nights, too!) It’s great to see a relatively young band still at the height of their powers, not yet thoroughly disillusioned by a corrupt industry or cashing in without putting in any effort. I’m excited to see them continue to grow.

Setlist:
01. Agnus Dei
02. Count the Ways
03. The Feminine Urge
04. Caesar on a TV Screen
05. On Your Side
06. Second Best [with false start]
07. I Hold Your Anger
08. Woman Is a Tree
09. Gjuha
10. Rifle
11. Big Dog
12. The Scythe
13. Sail Away
14. Sinner
15. My Lady of Mercy
16. Inferno
17. Nothing Matters

Encore:
18. Beautiful Boy [with D-Dur Dykes*]
19. This Is the Killer Speaking
20. Agnus Dei (Reprise) [with D-Dur Dykes*]

Scores:
Sunday (1994): C+
The Last Dinner Party: A

P.S. Thanks to Ali!

2025 in Review

Musically, 2025 treated me well. I finally have been going to more shows again and actually reviewing most of them! I saw a lot of great concerts, including several from bands that put out my favorite records of this year and the last. I also went to the opera for the first time and wrote my first theatrical review in ages. And on top of that, Soltero released a new album that I appear on!

Here are my favorite releases of 2025:

• Ian Fisher - Go Gentle - Ian’s album-length memorial to his mother, who died after a long battle with cancer, is honest, uplifting, and moving. It’s heavy, but it doesn’t wallow or feel weighed down. It’s a great set of songs that offer some comfort in trying times. He also released “Con Artist Narcissist” and “Will You Will Be”. The former kinda speaks for itself, and the latter is a critique of AI. Both are great. They’re a throwback to his more directly political writing, but even sharper and bitterer.
• Genau Genug Orchestra - Enough - Dave Benjoya is a regular Soltero collaborator so of course I’m biased, but I love all the little worlds his songs inhabit. The genres shift faster than I can process, and the wordplay moves even faster than that. The arrangements are as splendid and nuanced as the politics.
• Greet Death - Die in Love - Slowcore-shoegaze with a variety of influences, mostly splintered into two distinct sounds: thick distortion with gloomy vocals (from Logan Gaval), and sweeter pop with meek vocals (from Harper Boyharti). They are joined in abject sadness. I’m reminded of Merchandise. “Emptiness Is Everywhere” is beautiful and makes me miss my family of origin.
• The Last Dinner Party - From the Pyre - Not quite as exciting as last year’s Prelude to Ecstasy (which I came late to), but their sharp drama and elaborate arrangements shine. I appreciate their gender politics, and Alan Moulder’s mix is superb, especially for the vocals.
• Lutzilla - Nebenbei retten wir die Welt EP - A couple songs are recordings in higher fidelity from the First We Tape Manhattan mini-album from 2022, but the real gems are the new songs. Lutz’s critiques of capitalism and social media continue to ripen, as does his voice. I love all the backing vocals and extra musicians. It’s a much fuller picture than anything he or they have done yet. And Uli’s bass tone continues to be fantastic!
• Mogwai - The Bad Fire - Certainly darker than As the Love Continues (2021), but the quality is just as high as ever. They continue to pack a lot of emotion into their music without relying on many words. They also released the soundtrack to The Bombing of Pan Am 103, which is dark, not very dynamic, and trapped within the confines of the form.
• Nation of Language - Dance Called Memory - The shoegaze and Cocteau Twins moments are sparser than advertised, but I love them regardless. Their last album, Strange Disciple (2023) didn’t excite me as much as the first two, but this time around they did a great job bringing new influences to their standard successful model.
• Chappell Roan - “The Subway” - I didn’t find “The Giver” particularly exciting, but this is a perfect slice of queer pop with great little touches all over. Her voice is in fine form.
• Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory - s/t - Wow, collaborating with her own live band has truly brought out the best in everyone involved. “Indio” is the only dud. I love the synthier arrangements and Devra Hoff’s foregrounded bass. The direct, humanist, socially conscious lyrics resonate with me.
• Stereolab - Instant Holograms on Metal Film - Six years after reuniting, they finally have a new album! It’s more in line with their latter-day material, which is to say it’s a bit formal, stiff, and clean. The fidelity is superb, and the wide array of synthesizers is impressive, but I wish there was more raw energy, noise, and excitement. Sadier’s lyrics are still on point, but her phrasing is tight and restrained. I know she can still shout “La Resistance!” on stage, but I miss that here. Regardless, it’s still Stereolab, and the music is beautiful, intricate, and captivating despite my complaints. The non-album double single “Fed Up with Your Job” / “Constant and Uniform Movement Unknown” is similar, but I like that they’ve brought back their chaotic discographical abundance. (There’s even a tour-only 7” single that I missed and still haven’t heard!)
• Wednesday - Bleeds - The country-shoegaze, pedal steel + distortion strategy is a winner. The harsh realism of the songwriting makes it all the more emotionally devastating, as if the two most visible members breaking up wasn’t enough on its own.

Here are a few honorable mentions:

• The Chameleons - Arctic Moon - See the live review for details. The album has some great songs, but there are only seven total, perhaps because they’re all so unnecessarily long. It’s better than last year’s EPs, which felt a bit slight, especially since 6 of their 8 songs were just rerecordings of some of the band’s earliest songs. It’s great to have Reg back in the fold; he also did the album artwork in their classic vein. (The Where Are You cover, on the other hand, is awful.)
• James David Fitzpatrick - I Feel Pretty Good About It [EP] - three “spontaneously composed” pieces of layered guitar with some analog synth and field recordings. Quite similar to Cup Collector and equally pleasant.
• Geese - Getting Killed - A bit overhyped, but it undeniably rocks. Cameron Winter’s voice grates on me a bit and the buzzing picked bass bugs me. Nonetheless I enjoy the chaos.
• Pale Blue Eyes - New Place - After two solidly impressive shoegaze-pop albums, I suppose expecting a third on the same level was optimistic. It’s still good, but not as exciting or fresh. The lyrics are simpler and the arrangements more predictable.
• Kassi Valazza - From Newman Street - 60s-indebted country-folk-psych that reminds me of Quilt and the lazy heat in Austin.

And here are a couple other 2025 releases that I have opinions about:

• Big Thief - Double Infinity - Well, they dealt with the departure of their bassist by going maximalist. Certainly getting Laraaji on most of the songs is a coup. Regardless, it’s a bit by the numbers, even if the vibe is as warm as ever.
• Peter Murphy - Silver Shade - I hate the obviously AI-generated album art, but for his first proper studio album in 11 years, it’s better than I expected. It’s not unlike Lion (2014) and features the same core crew of collaborators, but it’s sonically a bit richer. The best songs are the aggressive opening salvo of songs featuring Trent Reznor and the sweet closing duet with Boy George. The middle gets a bit bogged down and repetitive. It might help if the lyrics were a little more approachable.

I also caught up on some more great records from 2024 that I’d initially overlooked:

• Deary - Aurelia EP - Blissful blend of shoegaze and dreampop in the vein of Slowdive. Their s/t EP from 2023 is also solid and leans a bit more Beach House.
• Isolation Berlin - Electronic Babies - “Ratte” is so relatable, and “Verliebt in dieses Lied” captures a magical feeling. But the heavy parts get a shade too dark for my taste.
• Sunshy - I Don’t Care What Comes Next - MBV ripoff, but so good. Focuses on the upbeat, brighter side, but still full of heavy distortion. Pretty middling lyrics as expected for the genre.