Live Report: The Last Dinner Party fire up 3Arena with raucous extravaganza

On this cold, stormy Friday night, the 3Arena stage has been transformed into a Gothic church – white stone walls and delicate lace curtains replace the usual dark backdrop and larger-than-life screens, making the atmosphere as haunting as it is exalting. As the members of The Last Dinner Party (TLDP) walk in, in their Baroque-inspired, black-and-white outfits, and play the first rousing notes of their new album opener ‘Agnus Dai’, the tone is clearly set.

If the visual impact is immediate, TLDP’s theatrical prowesses continue steadily with the rest of the setlist. As they jump into the second track ‘Count The Ways’, vocalist Abigail Morris is in complete control of the stage, her movements perfectly measured and making the perfect accompaniment for the band’s gorgeously dramatic brand of indie rock.

The Last Dinner Party at 3Arena on November 14th, 2025. Copyright Peter OHanlon/ hotpress.com

The theatricality only seems to pick up as they jump into fan-favorite ‘The Feminine Urge’ – which earns the first crowd-wide sing-back of the evening — immediately followed by the rousingly campy ‘Caesar On a TV Screen’, embellished with a brand new guitar solo for the occasion.

Marking the first gig of their current tour tonight in Dublin, TLDP are, without a doubt, in good form - constantly running, jumping, and dancing around the stage, the five members are clearly having the time of their lives, all punctuated by new, hard-hitting live arrangements that take their sound to a whole new level of greatness. Tune after tune, it also appears clear that the band’s chemistry is unbreakable, sharing smiles and tongue-in-cheek jokes like an old group of friends.

The Last Dinner Party at 3Arena on November 14th, 2025. Copyright Peter OHanlon/ hotpress.com

Within the joyful affair of this gig, pianist and vocalist Aurora Nishevci announces the song ‘Gjuha’ by quoting KNEECAP and their award-winning film as the inspiration to write in her own mother-tongue, Albanian. Incredibly powerful and shiver-inducing, the tune is immediately followed by ‘Rifle’, the most outwardly political and enraged track off of TLDP’s new record From The Pyre. Accompanied by dramatic lightwork and band-wide backing vocals, ‘Rifle’ is sung by rhythm guitarist Lizzie Mayland and marks, by its intensity, one of the standout moments of the show.

Sonically, too, the young band offers a tour-de-force which would make the most seasoned live musician proud. Over the entire setlist, the sound stays crisp, measured, as if right out of the studio, while also maintaining a certain live quality that makes it all the more spirited. Be it Morris’ main vocals or the occasional five-voices-strong harmonies offered on tracks like ‘Second Best’, it is hard not to find yourself feeling each note course down your spine, wrapping the room in an almost mystical energy.

The Last Dinner Party at 3Arena on November 14th, 2025. Copyright Peter OHanlon/ hotpress.com

Between the over-the-top decor, the sonic mastery, the band’s incredible charisma and the perfectly placed elevated platform in the centre of the stage, on which each band member goes to stand on separate occasions, seeing TLDP live in Dublin almost feels like being in Church – a raucous, incredibly fun and irrepressibly queer Church, in which references to lesbian sex are treated like a prayer. To punctuate the feeling, guitarist Emily Roberts performs the guitar solo on ‘Mirror’ while standing on said platform, while the rest of the group kneel in front of her.

Throughout the night, the band offers praise after praise for their Dublin crowd, reminiscing on their favorite memories playing in the city, such as their midnight headline show in The Workman’s Club in 2023, following an opening slot for Hozier that very night — one of their favorite gigs ever, as Morris insists. Truthfully, though, it is hard to tell if it is the crowd that makes this night so special, or simply TLDP and their contagious excitement to be here, back on the road, playing together.

The Last Dinner Party at 3Arena on November 14th, 2025. Copyright Peter OHanlon/ hotpress.com

It seems like no time at all has passed when we reach the show’s encore, where the band comes back onto stage walking in line, with Morris shouting “surprise, bitch!” as the buzzing intro to ‘This Is The Killer Speaking’ plays in the background. After encouraging the crowd to join into the last chorus’ choreo, TLDP offer a quick reprise of the set’s opener, ‘Agnus Dei’, and, before you know it, you have regretfully left the fiery atmosphere of the show and returned to Dublin’s cold evening air.