The Last Dinner Party Live at Venue MOT

[@JonW9999]

I think On Your Side is one of the greatest songs ever written. As good at one of their earliest gigs as it is at Glastonbury or anywhere else. Amazing to see how fully formed the band were right at the start. Every song an absolute banger.

[@LouSmith]

It’s a beautiful song. Quite capable of making a grown man cry. I remember watching this back the night I’d filmed it, and just having goose pimples at how great it all was, and how Abi engages the viewer through the lens like they’re the only person in the room.

[@niallq8447]

Great power indie ballad.

[@LouSmith]

@niallq8447 lighters at the ready!

[@niallq8447]

@@LouSmith I recently did that at the snow patrol gig. Flashlight on your phone. Kingfishr is another one last Wednesday.

[@LouSmith]

@niallq8447 I was forgetting nobody smokes anymore.

[@stevemann1681]

Definately late to this particulular party, but, wow, wow, wow. Refuse to believe this was only their fourth ever gig!

[@LouSmith]

I know. It's mad, right? As to lateness. There's clearly still a party in progress. By this time next year, your gonna feel ahead of the curve.

[@TheBobbymcd]

@@LouSmith only known about them for 4 or is it 5 days..cant believe how good they are esp live..cant take your eyes off them...hope they are not a 1 album sex pistols legend type thing...hope they have the longevity of a morrissey

[@LouSmith]

@TheBobbymcd i can’t see a future where they don’t go from strength to strength. They’re having a fairytale start to their story, and they’ll want it to never end. I guess we could see some solo projects along the way as is only healthy too.

[@Cyan-m8g]

@@LouSmithit’s happening now!! you catch them really early!

[@LouSmith]

@@Cyan-m8g Yup I caught them at gig number three I think, and again the other night for their acoustic fundraiser at The George Tavern.

[@smurfyx]

This footage is gonna be on a documentary someday dude. Thanks for shooting it.

[@LouSmith]

Hope so. It was meant to be. Just happened to notice twenty minutes before they were on that they were playing just down the road. I know the guy who runs MOT so was able to just run down in time to sort out the single red light that made it feasible to shoot at all. The rest as they say …

[@CarloRoberto-qs7oi]

It's great to see a now famous band in it's nascent, embryonic stage of life. Interesting that the first song 'Leningrad' morphed into 'Caesar on a TV Screen' later on at some stage, title-wise? A real treasure trove, this video xx

[@LouSmith]

This was their third or fourth show. They've come a very long way in a very short time. I remember saying to Abi after the gig that I could see no way that they weren't going to be massive.

[@CarloRoberto-qs7oi]

@@LouSmith A great moment. I hope you are still in contact with them xx

[@LouSmith]

@CarloRoberto-qs7oi yes, a little. Given how ridiculously busy they have all become. They sent me a wonderful goody hamper with wine and scented candles along with a tee shirt and the album, accompanied by a lovely hand written note in red fountain pen ink. They mentioned me in several interviews on radio TV and print, more than any of the bands I've featured that have gone on to blow up. I met a couple of extremely proud parents at the Moth club, and have been pledged a lifetime of guest list tickets to go and see them. They extended this to my sister too, after she also feel under their spell.

[@CarloRoberto-qs7oi]

@@LouSmith you thoroughly deserve it - made up for you and your family and good for the girls that they keep in touch and firm friends. Needless to say, yours was the now legendary video that went viral and catapulted them to stardom? I might have to send you a hamper (of sorts), too, as your videos have rekindled my gigging drive with the camera, what with all these great bands equally deserving success that you find, record & upload xx

[@LouSmith]

@CarloRoberto-qs7oi thanks my man. Yes, this is that very video. I'm glad I've helped restore your faith in live music. I do believe you're not alone in that, which is the best vindication of the worth of what I'm doing. It takes every bit as much commitment as a full time job, but is unpaid. I wouldn't have it any other way mind, as I get to film the bands I love, and people like yourself are getting ever more responsive to my efforts which is also nice. I support myself by making merch for many of the bands, screen printing my way through the last ten years of great music. Buying band tee shirts, is a great way of supporting the ecosystem including myself. I keep meaning to set up a Patreon page to help finance my work a bit. Self promotion though is always 100 times harder than promoting others.

[@KennethHCox]

Saw them two days ago in Portland, Oregon. Wow! Thrilled to see this! How far they have come from this, as great as this is.

[@LouSmith]

Nice! That’s the thing. This was their third or fourth ever gig. Already great, and have come a long way since. Nothing short of phenomenal.

[@TheBobbymcd]

now they are all confident and dancing while playing and helping out with vocals....Huge improvement

[@LouSmith]

And they have lots more room to play in.

[@afriendlygoblin]

so that's the video that kickstarted everything? they were so good alreadyy and crazy how much they've grown since and are still growing

[@LouSmith]

That’s the one. Imagine having no idea what to expect, other than I’d seen Abi around a couple of venues we frequent, and just having a hunch that if she was fronting a band, it was going to be quite a band. Turns out it was just that, and more. Just over the four performances I filmed, there is an astonishing progression.

[@afriendlygoblin]

@@LouSmith i saw them live last week and the growth is truly exponential. yet they still have the same chill vibe when they're not performing like i had the chance to talk to them a bit before and after and they are such lovely people! also they were baby in this i want to put them in my pocket

[@TheBobbymcd]

@@LouSmith well seen and thanks for sharing..i listen to them all thee time...a bit of elo and morrisey and jim buckley...thats about it

[@LouSmith]

@TheBobbymcd all things to all people. It was a good scout. 🙏

[@sah-win]

Wow! How is this an “early” show for a band? If they were this good so early, how high are they going to fly?!!? I just hope I get to see them here in the US before they get too big and I can’t get tickets, haha!

[@LouSmith]

That’s exactly what I thought. This was their fourth gig! There was practically zero lighting in the venue and smoke to make matters worse. The red light is actually Aurore’s keyboard light which i persuaded her to mount on the other end of her keys in order to shed some light on Abi and the rest of them. There is such an engagement between Abi and the camera at times that the viewer feels like the only person in the room. It was this video that was spotted by execs at island records and started their meteoric rise to be supporting the Stones by Easter. They sent me a bouquet of flowers with a lovely message to thank me.

[@sah-win]

Fourth gig?!!? Wow. That’s ridiculous in the best way, haha! Great call on that red light, I love it.

[@LouSmith]

My understanding is that they formed in the previous summer, had their first gig in November. This is an excerpt from an article on my documenting of the scene with a quote from Georgia their bass player. ‘Lou Smith filmed The Dinner Party’s fourth ever gig, at Bermondsey’s Venue MOT. When he uploaded the video of our set the next day, we all realised what kind of company we were in, but we had no idea of the impact it was about to have on our career,” says bassist Georgia Davies. “In the caption of this video, Lou wrote that he had been ‘wanting to see this hot new band since [he] heard they were a thing’. It still mystifies me where and how he had heard that we were ‘a thing’, before most of our own friends and family even had. My friend Charlie text me congratulating us on being championed by Lou Smith, like it was some kind of holy blessing. As it turned out, it was.” Over the next few weeks, the inbox of The Dinner Party [recently renamed The Last Dinner Party] flooded with messages from labels, managers, agents and lawyers, all referencing a certain video which had made its way to them in a music industry chain-mail. Within a few months of that gig in Bermondsey, the band had signed a major record deal.’ This is that video, so it occupies a special place in my heart. The whole article is here if you’re interested. It seems I have a habit of discovering great bands in their formative moments and sharing them. hardofhearingmagazine.com/2023/02/01/lou-smith-theres-something-about-the-unfurling-of-potential/ It definitely made me well up reading this. Beautifully written by Siri.

[@sah-win]

@@LouSmith Cool! Thanks for sharing, I appreciate that. I just watched the Amp studios show again that you filmed of them; another banger! Now I’m gonna follow that link to read the article.

[@sah-win]

“To this day, Lou only films bands he likes.” Two “thumbs up” for that Lou!

[@sah-win]

Peace & Love, thank you!

[@LouSmith]

Aww. Appreciate it. Very lovely of you.

[@mcride1242]

Is there anywhere I can find their music? Can't really find it anywhere and they sound great here

[@Luci.99]

They just released their first single you can find it on spotify now... im excited for whatever comes next

[@richardnewson7827]

'Nothing Matters' pre addition of the big "ba da da" ending!!

[@LouSmith]

Yup. Very early iteration here. Gig number three or four I believe.

[@karphunt3r848]

Little late to the dinner party but glad to be here

[@LouSmith]

I think it’s safe to say there’s a lot more Party to come.

[@neilshaw7310]

This is great thanks for posting Gonna have to catch them live somewhere soon

[@LouSmith]

New upload incoming soon.

[@reidschaffer2301]

Is this also shot on a fuji film? such great quality

[@LouSmith]

Yup. It was so dark here as well. I shoot with all manual settings for exposure, focus, audio levels etc. Tbh most modern mirrorless cameras wild be great. I just like Fujifilm. I just use the standard zoom too because they're super quality for a kit lens. All still working over 1000000 shots later and countless hours of video.

[@s..777]

От них веет такая замечательная энергия ❤😮

[@LouSmith]

It’s true! Assuming Google is a safe translation!

[@marioentenza6071]

Hey! First of all, thank you for uploading these videos. I'm from Spain and I'm discovering a lot of great bands because of you, so thank you very much. Is there any other videos of this band or is this the first perfomance that someone uploads to KZbin?

[@LouSmith]

They’re pretty new, so possibly the only upload. I’ll be catching them again pretty soon, hopefully with some better lighting and better sound capture.

[@THENDER1000]

@@LouSmith Have the got any social media stuff do you know?

[@LouSmith]

Just Instagram. @dinnerpartyband Only fifteen posts so far. I like to pick up bands early!

[@THENDER1000]

@@LouSmith thanks, much appreciated 👍

[@niallq8447]

Good early version of portrait here.

[@LouSmith]

👍

[@niallq8447]

@@LouSmith it is nice to see Brian may endorsed them as the new rock royalty. Yes I am queen fan since 11 years old.

[@niallq8447]

Reminds him of their early stuff for example queen ii / sheer heart attack/ a night of the opera. I have news of the world which was out during the punk era in 1977. We will rock you/ we are the champions.

[@LouSmith]

@@niallq8447 Pretty sure Emily did some queen tribute stuff in the past. He's definitely been a massive influence on her, so it's great that he repays the compliment. He's right too.

[@niallq8447]

@@LouSmith true.

[@jacqui114]

Hey 👋..seen these 1st time last weekend...anymore concerts lined up ? in UK? Love these 💓

[@LouSmith]

Yeah. Me too. They only formed in November, so you’re among the lucky first few to catch them before they inevitably blow up. They’re supporting the stones in Hyde park ...

[@jacqui114]

@@LouSmith Thanks 😊 🙏

[@mimii3000]

Love! ❤

[@LouSmith]

It’s a beauty. This is where it started for me, and it turned out, them.

[@mimii3000]

@@LouSmith Cannot wait to hear more from them! ❤️‍🔥

[@LouSmith]

@@mimii3000 Same. I saw Abi when I was out last night. They were doing photos for the album upstairs in the George where there was a friends night on. She was so beaming with the excitement of it all.

[@heatherrogers7700]

Nice apron

[@LouSmith]

😀

[@Cyan-m8g]

you should see how cool they dress now❤️❤️

[@LouSmith]

I have! I saw them on Tuesday.

[@cuckoobrain7999]

The last song has slight jack Strauber vibes at the start

[@blackcountrynewroadie]

What microphone do you use? :)

[@LouSmith]

This one is straight camera mic only.

[@blackcountrynewroadie]

@@LouSmith For particularly loud gigs like Black Midi, what mic could you suggest that would be good? :)

[@LouSmith]

Even for black midi, most of my gigs are shot with camera mic only. I also use a Tascam field recorder set up in the rig which had the ability to record two files at different levels to avoid peaking while recording the full dynamic range in quiet parts if necessary. A Rode video mic is otherwise a good option. There one I have is built like a tank, and so severely asker's the balance of my steady rig I have to add loads of extra weight which sucks. In all cases, the preamp in a camera is never good quality, so the mic is less important. Better sound is invariably recorded elsewhere and synced later. If I was getting paid for any of this, I'd doubtless make more effort with the sound.

[@blackcountrynewroadie]

@@LouSmith ahhhh okay, thanks for the info!