Live Review: The Last Dinner Party + Automatic @ The Eastern, Atlanta - June 13th, 2026

21 hours ago
4 min read

The Last Dinner Party Photo by Anna Daugherty

There is nothing quite like the electric energy of a packed house on the final night of a tour, and that is exactly the atmosphere of The Last Dinner Party’s stop at The Eastern in Atlanta. Audience members arrived dressed to the nines, dressed flowy, elaborate outfits that mirrored the band’s signature aesthetic, completely ready to scream every lyric.

The evening began with Automatic, a cerebral indie rock band whose set was shrouded by a heavy cloud of fog and colored lights that perfectly mirrored the moody, hypnotic feeling of their music. While crowd banter was sparse, they completely commanded the room, still pausing at key moments to acknowledge the significance of this being the tour's final stop and to introduce their track "MQ9" as a poignant anti-war track. Their distinctive soundscape provided a brilliant, brooding compliment to the theatrical grandeur awaiting the audience.

When Automatic's gear was cleared, the stage could be seen in all it's glory. It was perfectly set-designed to be reminiscent of a rustic village, complete with winding stairs, structural arches, and a reflective chandelier of birds suspended overhead. The Last Dinner Party started with a bang, launching into their album opener "Agnus Dei," an introduction that unleashed a surge of theatrical energy from frontwoman Abigail Morris. However, Morris wasn't the only one moving around. Keyboardist Aurora Nishevci seamlessly shifted from the upstage piano to downstage keyboards, and later both the keytar and saxophone, while lead guitarist Emily Roberts ran up and down the staircases and later played the flute.

The band then took a second to address the crowd, noting the bittersweet nature of the tour’s final performance and sharing a tender moment regarding the absence of bassist Georgia Davies, who remained in London recovering from a back injury. They dedicated "On Your Side" to her, a track that highlighted the band's immaculate vocal arrangements. Rich harmonies served as a cornerstone for several songs throughout the night, stretching beautifully across "Second Best" and culminating in a dramatic moment during "Woman Is a Tree," where the members gathered into a semicircle to deliver a striking, haunting harmonized introduction.

While the set leaned heavily into haunting, atmospheric soundscapes, one of the night's most beautiful moments came when Nishevci took a vulnerable moment to speak on her heritage, her relationship with her mother, and her pride as a child of immigrants. She then delivered the lead vocals on the deeply moving "Gjuha." Guitarist Lizzie Mayland took the vocal reins for the subsequent track "Riffle," sparking a massive surge in energy that seamlessly bridged the atmospheric intro of "Come All You Beasts" into their formidable new rock single, "Big Dog." The momentum carried directly into "The Scythe," where the bird chandelier overhead began to spin and scatter light like a disco ball, and an engaged crowd carried the final chorus entirely on their own.

Morris then took a moment during the set to highlight Ribbon for Provisions, a long-running project where the band exchanges ribbons for fan donations, noting that this specific tour leg’s proceeds were dedicated to the charity WhyHunger. The band then stripped back the production as they all sat down on the stage floor, with Morris perching directly on the edge for "Sail Away." Midway through the song, she gestured to a fan in the front row to toss up their sailor hat (an item she then wore for most of the remainder of the evening) before the song swelled into a wall of harmonies as the band returned to their feet.

The adrenaline remained for the final stretch of the main set, anchored by massive fan favorites like "Sinner," "My Lady of Mercy," and "Inferno." At one point, Morris stepped down from the stage to stand directly on the barricade, holding hands with front-row fans while singing. The band then treated the room to an unreleased track, "Knocking at the Sky," which sent a wave of visible excitement through the venue, before closing out the main set with their most popular song, "Nothing Matters." While acknowledging it as their biggest record, the band made the request for the audience to put away their phones to be fully present. The crowd obliged, transforming the floor into a collective space of dancing and shared presence.

The Last Dinner Party - Big Dog (On The Road)

The encore was something truly unforgettable. The band re-emerged, marching in a synchronized straight line to the rhythmic beat until the the chorus hit. Keeping the audience completely on their toes, Morris initiated a step-by-step dance lesson for the track, instructing the crowd to march their legs to the beat, move their arms to the beat, and then piece the choreography together. Just as they were prepared to launch back into the music, a crew member frantically rushed out onto the stage. A visibly confused Morris seemingly feared a technical shutdown, but the tension instantly dissolved into laughter as the crew member revealed a hidden pack of Smirnoff Ice. The crew member successfully "iced" the band, prompting an onstage chug before they finally tore back into the track, with the entire venue joyfully dancing the choreography they had just learned.

Reflecting on the weight of the evening, Morris herself admitted her reluctance to leave the stage on such a profound night. She took the time to personally shout out every single member of the touring crew, naming it the best final tour show they had ever experienced. Closing the night with a full-circle reprise of "Agnus Dei," the band took their final bows and exited the stage, leaving an Atlanta crowd still buzzing from the mesmerizing, theatrical world they had built for the night.