It feels very easy in the modern age to furrow your brow at any artist that gets really popular really quick, especially if it isn’t necessarily the kind of music you typically listen to, but after seeing The Last Dinner Party live we can confirm they’ve earned every bit of their success.
They’re not an industry plant, they’re just dead good.
Now, we accept that isn’t exactly top-tier analysis or music journalism from the off, but we’re hoping that this review of their recent Manchester gig at Victoria Warehouse and our sincere recommendation that you go and see The Last Dinner Party live for yourself will be all the vouching you need.
We were sadly too late into the gig to catch the first warm-up act, Lucia and the Best Boys, but we did arrive in time to hear the applause as they left the stage and have been to enough concerts to know when a support act has genuinely surprised and/or impressed uninitiated listeners.
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Having gone away and listened to them in our own time, we can see why they were chosen by the TLDP. There’s a familiar level of melodrama and that almost Victorian aesthetic to frontwoman Lucia Fairfull’s presence, style and floaty vocals, even if the whole band’s vibe isn’t exactly the same.
The Scottish outfit is arguably the more outright indie of the two, but when you combine them with the second support act and even more ethereal-sounding Kateo – who really did impress us not only with her performance and stage presence but her sheer range too – that alternative feeling comes through.
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Between the two of them, it felt like the pair had been hand-picked by the headliners as genuine fans to cultivate a concert that also feels cohesive from start to finish, championing talented and aspiring artists who are trying to carve their own space not just within similar spaces but between genres.
This may not seem so uncommon but given how big the BRIT Award-winners have already gotten over the last year or so, they could have chosen more established or even regional acts for individual UK dates to win over audiences – but they didn’t. Make that anti-industry plant theory example number one.
And then we come to the matter of the 2024 Rising Stars themselves, who are clearly thriving and on top of the world but putting real effort into their live set beyond just playing the songs well.
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For instance, we didn’t quite realise just how many impressive singers there are in The Last Dinner Party until we saw them take to that iconic Manchester stage and get truly rapturous applause as multiple band members took the spotlight for their own individual heroine moments.
Be it Lizzie’s cover of‘Up North’ by fellow Halifax native Catherine Howe, Aurora’s haunting Albanian ballad or even just Emily’s genuinely shredding guitar solos, it was a reminder of just how versatile and multi-talented each of these lot are.
Don’t get us wrong, lead singer Abigail has all the charisma and style to knit them together in such a way that has no doubt helped make them such an instant hit, but they were full of surprises too.
The pseudo-medieval fantasy set, the orchestral entrance that is ‘Prelude to Ecstasy; the lighting, use of the stage and genuine rock-show moments (yes, they can thrash when they want to) – it was in seeing them in the flesh that we realised why so many have fallen in love with their music so hard and so fast.
The Last Dinner Party were buzzing to be back in Manchester (Credit: The Manc Group)
Last but not least, following a week in which the five-piece have come under criticism not only for cancelling gigs last minute but due to men even being asked to leave the shows after they were quizzed on why they were there and how long they’d be following the band, it was refreshing to see that the climate of their crowd was nothing like it has been made out to be in some reports.
Moreover, as a single male attending the gig, I can confirm we experienced nothing of the sort from security at Victoria Warehouse, and the room was as welcoming and carefree as you could hope for – not to mention all the tour tickets purchased have helped raise over £14k for food banks.
Perhaps there is an element of latent, underlying or covert sexism behind why some people have decided to take issue with the band whose members have various roots in good Catholic schools and have been accused of being ‘nepo babies’, but the plain truth is they’re just bloody good at what they do.
Creating a conspiracy around why a group of young women have become successful isn’t edgy, incisive or even an interesting theory – it’s embarrassing. Move on and just enjoy the music.
‘Sinner’, ‘My Lady of Mercy’, ‘Nothing Matters’ and a few clever covers were the highlights. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Fast-rising alt-rock cult favourites Keo announce Manchester gig on new UK tour
Danny Jones
Up-and-coming alternative rock band Keo have just announced a new UK tour and “most ambitious chapter yet” in terms of live performances, including a Manchester gig that we CANNOT wait for.
Combining the likes of post-grunge, garage rock and more, Keo are one of the most exciting and fast-emerging new acts in the space right now, having seen their recent run of half a dozen domestic shows sell out completely.
Pulling influences from artists of The Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden, as well as most notably fellow contemporaries and former tour partner, Wunderhorse, they’re well-positioned at the front of the guitar-driven revival and are bound for big things. We’re by no means the only ones banking on it either…
Having been described as “already that band” by Dork and delivering “a sound that has given UK guitar its biggest kick up the fretboard in years” by Rolling Stone, you can bet tickets for these shows will be snapped up in seconds, too.
UK and Europe spring 2026. Pre-sale: 03 Nov 2025 10AM GMT On Sale: 05 Nov 2025 10AM GMT pic.twitter.com/Xz1km0Z93O
Set to play their biggest Manchester venue to date, Keo will be playing the O2 Ritz on Whitworth Street next spring, and let us tell you, that sprung floor is not ready…
Co-fronted by two brothers, Finn and Conor Keogh (originally from Devon before ultimately getting their music careers underway in the capital), the now London-based group make quite a racket for just the four of them.
That being said, they also do quiet moments well, too, as seen in several of the ‘calm before the storm’ breakouts in songs like ‘Thorn’, ‘Fly’, ‘Crow’ and many more.
If you like anything close to grunge or even just shoegazey riffs, trust us, they’ll be right up your street.
One of the most exciting parts about this lot is how feverishly their fans have packed out their audiences all over the country, somehow learning every single word to every song before most of the material had even been released on any kind of platform. They’ve led with their live reputation – and it shows.
Case and point – the crowd at The Key Club in Leeds, where our mates over at The Hoot got to witness them up close and personal as the entire room erupted in a chorus of screams about a girl called Amber:
“To be playing venues like these with only five songs out still feels surreal”, says lead singer Finn Keogh. “We always imagined we’d reach this level after years of supporting other bands, but somehow we’ve skipped that step.
“It’s mad, come March, our biggest indoor shows will have been our own. Electric Ballroom [in London] is a special one for me personally; I’ve seen some life-changing gigs there. To be on that stage this time around is going to feel unreal.”
Listing a total of 16 live show dates up and down the country throughout March and April of 2026, it’s fair to say we Mancs are excited to see them playing their biggest room in our city to date, having absolutely smashed Gorilla this past October.
Tickets for Keo at the O2 Ritz in Manchester go on sale next Wednesday, 5 November at 10am; you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
The debut release from Keo has delighted fans and critics alike, and their Manchester gig is sure to be a stormer.
IDLES frontman Joe Talbot set for ’10 Songs That Made Me’ interview at AO Arena
Danny Jones
Cult favourite frontman Joe Talbot of IDLES fame is set to for an eye-opening sit-down interview as part of AO Arena’s ’10 Songs That Made Me’ series.
The lead singer of the politically-charged post-punk band will be joining the in-conversation event opposite BBC 6 Music host and popular radio host, full stop, Chris Hawkins.
Having often drifted into hardcore, art rock and even spoken word at times, Joe Talbot and co. have become known for the cutting lyricism and insightful songwriting in general, so we can only assume that diving into his own musical influences will be just as riveting.
Joining his fellow audophile on stage at the city’s legendary live music and entertainment venue this November, Talbot and Hawkins will be running through the tracks that quite literally helped create the musician we know today.
According to the AO, the arena will host an in-depth chat with the provocative 41-year-old artist as he walks Chris Hawkins through “the most important musical chapters of his life, his stunning musical journey from resident DJ at one of Bristol’s hottest clubs, through to headlining Glastonbury festival.”
It is quite the career he’s had when you break it down.
They go on to promise “raw honesty and trademark wit” as Joe reflects on the record, acts and cultural moments that shaped him as a young performer before breaking onto the scene with IDLES.
As for the ’10 Songs That Made Me’ series itself, it may be what it says on the tin, but most interestingly, being in the crowd and hearing it from each different group/individual changes the experience entirely.
“More than a story of success—it’s a journey of resilience, passion, and community”, they go on to add. “Expect an evening of candid conversation, unexpected anecdotes, and deep dives into the music that has not only defined Joe’s career but also resonated with millions around the world.
If you’re fans of the band or Talbot, in particular, you’ll already know they’re great orators; plus, if you caught even a small clip from his own fledgling Oh Gatekeeper podcast, you’ll know he loves nothing more than diving deep into tunes that shape not just the audio landscape but people at their core.
Just casually getting the lead singer of The Strokes on for in the first season, as you do…
On a personal note, we’ve watched the IDLES x Grammy Museum interview on multiple ocassions at this point, and know how much artistry there is behind everything they do.
The same goes for Talbot, specifically – there’s no doubt about that.
If you’re interested in being part of the audience for Joe Talbot’s in conversation event with Chris Hawkins as part of ’10 Songs That Made Me’, tickets for the date at AO Arena on Tuesday, 25 November are live now, and you can grab yours via Skiddle right HERE.
Last but not least, special mention goes to the interviewing expert himself, whose recent chat with Tim Burgess about The Charlatans getting back into the studio is also well worth a listen.
Tune in to 6 Music from 1pm today, @Tim_Burgess is my very special guest and rumour has it that we might get to hear a brand new Charlatans track… pic.twitter.com/vzoGDnvS7G
Danny Jones -
12th October 2024 
