"We wanted to come out with a bang," says bassist Georgia. "We want to always be a band that you can't really pin down, so none of the other singles sound like this one. But this is a great banger to start off with." Their album is finished, but The Last Dinner Party want to set the stage first.

Full of "Americana vibes", the band liken the track to Nicolas Cage film Wild At Heart. "It's got that energy of a runaway horse in a desert," says Abigail. What about musical influences? "The songs take more inspiration from cinema and how they feel than bands," says Georgia. "It's more nebulous than saying 'let's do a shoegaze song'."

As for that absolutely ridiculous guitar solo which Abigail calls “fucking iconic” and “definitely one of the best live moments of the show,” that came about after a producer put a load of glitch stuff over the original classic rock-inspired solo.”

The Last Dinner Party formed like a lot of groups do - five friends attended a bunch of gigs and wanted to do something similar. "We wanted to look like we were having more fun than some of the bands we'd seen at the Windmill, though," says Georgia with a smirk while a formative moment for Abigail came while watching Lucia And The Best Boys. "I was in awe of her," she explains. "Seeing this really fucking powerful woman who was also incredibly kind and joyful was really inspiring."

Lockdown meant that the first couple of years of The Last Dinner Party's existence were a bit of a struggle. "It was so demoralising having one practice, then not being able to see each other for three months," says Lizzie. There was also a period where the band would just play 'Burn Alive' over and over because they "couldn't get past that first song."

They persevered, though, and now "everything really feels like it's in its right place," says Georgia. "After the tumultuous beginnings, it feels like things have come together." "Oh, something's going to go wrong," warns Lizzie with a smile. "It's going to be chaos."

The Last Dinner Party are speaking to Dork the morning after a commanding headline show at The George, which just so happens to be the same venue where they played that very first gig in November 2021. "We're a lot more confident now," says Georgia.

So why have The Last Dinner Party waited until now to release music?

After keeping people waiting, the band aren't fazed by the hype. "People talk about us being this buzzy thing, but no one's saying it to our faces," says Lizzie, who prefers it that way. "We do our shows, we hang out, we make music. It doesn't feel like too much pressure. Hopefully, the song will get a good reaction, and people will care about it. That's good enough for me."

"We've worked so hard on it and feel so good about the whole album. We do just feel confident, peaceful and ready to put it out," adds Abigail. "We're not worried about living up to anything because this is just what we love to do. There's no other reason we're doing this than pure joy.

Speaking about the confidence The Last Dinner Party have in everything they do, Abigail says: "I'm a huge attention seeker, and I need everyone looking at me," with her tongue firmly in cheek. "It comes from what I was saying earlier about the camaraderie between us and feeling comfortable," she continues. "The confidence comes from us feeling secure and supported by each other. We're all just rooting for each other, and that gives you the confidence to really let yourself go."

Playing live is a hugely important aspect of what The Last Dinner Party do. Later this year, they're set to support Florence & The Machine and First Aid Kit alongside appearances at The Great Escape, Latitude, Green Man, Reading & Leeds. There's also a string of headline shows. "There's not much pressure around releasing music, but people do keep telling us we're going to have a busy year," says Lizzie. "I don't know what that means, and I'm not ready for what might happen, but bring it on."

"We don't want to just be a rock band," adds Abigail. The Last Dinner Party are a buzzy indie band, making interesting guitar music that's packed full of personality. Of course, the comparisons to Wet Leg are already rolling in.

"It is a compliment. Obviously, their trajectory is incredible and aspirational, and we love their music, but I do roll my eyes at the comparison. It's because we're women making guitar music, isn't it," asks Georgia.

"It's more symptomatic of the music industry at large that that's the comparison we get. It's not that accurate," adds Abigail, though the band do feel part of a wider scene.

So, what do The Last Dinner Party want their band to represent? A few moments of silence follows before Abigail and Lizzie answer in perfect unison. "Joy". "This happens a lot," explains Georgia as everyone else cracks up. "It's cool to try. It's cool to care. It's cool to put so much effort into," Lizzie continues. "You don't have to try and be aloof to seem cool. You can just have fun." ■