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It's easy to leave part of yourself in Vancouver. Usually it's a metaphoric part, like your heart or your soul. For Abigail Morris, lead singer of British art rock band the Last Dinner Party, it was something more substantial, as she noted four songs into the group's set.

"I got so excited during [opener] 'Agnus Dei' that I chipped my tooth," Morris laughed, addressing the crowd with a distinctly Joanna Lumley-esque vocal tone. Her speaking voice tended a little tremulous, like she was always on the verge of tears—maybe due to the whole chipped tooth thing. "There'll always be a part of me here." 

She smiled at her bandmates: "Does it look bad?" 

Morris wasn't the only one getting excited. Since the Last Dinner Party sold out the Commodore on its last jaunt through Vancouver in 2024, the band has only continued to get hotter: winning a Brit Award, getting nominated for a Mercury, playing Glastonbury twice, and releasing its eagerly anticipated sophomore album, From the Pyre, in late 2025. 

As a result, the Orpheum show was also near-capacity, straining at the seams with hipsters, goths, and an alarming number of people dressed like The Lady of Shalott. Normally, "art rock" is a classification that gets thrown around for bands that like to dabble in harpsichord, though in the Last Dinner Party's case it seems to imply a propensity for pre-Raphaelite aesthetics—further cemented by the set's various arches, platforms, and wafting fabric hangings that evoked crumbling cathedrals. 

The Vancouver show was the beginning of the second leg of the band's North American tour—one that was taking place without Georgia Davies. The bassist had broken her back in Texas earlier in the year and was replaced by touring tech Max Lilley (doing a remarkable bbno$ impersonation). 

Beside him, the four remaining band members looked like they were dressed for four different events: Morris in a frou-frou pink romper like she had escaped from a 1950s pin-up calendar; pianist Aurora Nishevci in a floor-length black gown like a gothic queen; lead guitarist Emily Roberts pairing micro-bangs with the diaphanous dress of a drowned Victorian orphan; and rhythm guitarist Lizzie Mayland rocking a shaved head with their ruched shirt and skirt. 

To label the band members by their instruments, though, felt like it did the group a disservice. Morris exuded pure theatre kid energy as she twirled, twisted, and teetered her way through songs like "The Feminine Urge" and "Second Best". But, while her powerful voice made her a natural ringleader, she was happy to step back, picking up an acoustic guitar while Nishevci sang lead on the haunting "I Hold Your Anger".

Indeed, all of the four present band members got to show off their vocal chops throughout the performance. "Woman Is A Tree" opened with the four of them huddled together in the centre of the stage, singing wordless a cappella harmonies that evoked pagan chants or Irish folk songs. Elsewhere, Morris joined in on the piano; Roberts swapped onto mandolin and flute; and Nishevci absolutely wailed on the sax during recent single "Big Dog". 

Nishevci acted as a calmer deuteragonist to Morris's peppy energy, introducing "Gjuha" with a comment on her Albanian heritage. The song, she said, was originally written about her shame of not being able to speak Albanian; but, over time, it has come to be a celebration of diversity. "There is nothing more important or fulfilling in life than being around different people," she said, to rapturous applause. 

While songs off From the Pyre did receive a warm reception (and "The Scythe" was introduced by a rambling anecdote where Morris, walking around Vancouver in her "cool girl" jeans, was identified by a couple of fans who sang the hook at her), the biggest singalongs were reserved for songs off Prelude to Ecstasy. "Burn Alive", the first song the band ever wrote, was a veritable barn-burner; and "Sinner", dedicated to "the gays and the theys", saw Mayland take lead vocals and step into full rockstar territory. 

An unreleased song "Knocking at the Sky" served as the penultimate track before the band's debut single "Nothing Matters" closed out the main setlist. A suitably long cheering break led into Mayland, Morris, and Roberts marching in formation for "This Is the Killer Speaking". Morris then proceeded to teach the audience a dance for the song's chorus—a bit that lasted a bit too long—as the true final song was a brief reprise of the opening "Agnus Dei". 

With only two albums of material, the Last Dinner Party truly served fans what they wanted, playing an almost-two hour set that spanned 20 songs. What a delicious buffet—though one that, perhaps, might be improved by cutting a side dish or two.