Burn (Out) Alive: The Last Dinner Party & Mental Health In The Music Industry

What a helluva year it’s been for The Last Dinner Party! What with the release of their debut album “Prelude To Ecstasy” back in Feb and their stellar sold out tour, the musical equivalent of a Sauvignon Blanc have been well and truly at it this year. Of course, there can’t be a lot of sugar without a bit of spice in between. And depending on whether you like your curries hot- you’ll either soak it up like a big brave girl or you’ll be downing yoghurt and crying into your poppadoms. And at the moment, it’s the latter. The band have recently called off dates on their European tour due to physical and emotional burnout and it’s got people on socials, music twitterers and banger-onners like ourselves alike, having a lil debate.

Should a band really put their wellbeing before their work?

We’re all for mental health in this country aren’t we? You’ve seen the Facebook mums, sharing their #BeKind posts in amongst the sharing of articles from The Sun and the slagging of their ex husbands in their status updates (“just me and the kids from now on”). But it’s about bloody time mental health issues got treated the same as any physical ailment. As someone who has spent the last 10 years being absolutely battered by their own brain, I can tell you, the physical effects of mental health issues and mental illness do not get talked about enough. It’s exhausting. It’s debilitating. Whether or not you're having panic attacks in public or fighting 'em off on the regular. And whilst you might just be doing what you love for a living, like The Last Dinner Party, it’s often not enough to cure the conflict that yer mind feels the need to chuck at you every day, 24/7. The band had already cancelled several dates on their UK and Ireland tour due to illness within the band and I was lucky enough to see them take to the stage in September at The LCR in Norwich just before. The hour and a bit they stood swirling and twirling their way through a tantalising setlist, which consisted of their debut record in full, a collection of covers and brand new’uns that remain unreleased, was bloody brilliant. Definitely the best gig I’ve attended at the venue. It takes a lot of energy to do what this band have done back to back this year. 102 shows according to Setlist FM- not to mention the illness that wrecked the band halfway through the UK leg. That’s enough to put pressure on anyone.

Since day dot, this lot have been labelled as "industry plants", a term I can't stand (but that's for another day). Their first single “Nothing Matters” skyrocketed them to stardom, as if they appeared out of nowhere, all ribbon clad and ruffly. Anyone who's been thrust into the music industry fairly quickly is bound to get burned out. There’s an argument that if a band can’t hack life on the road, they shouldn’t be in a band in the first place. Mental health issues can affect anyone and can be a barrier for getting stuck into the industry. And I'll admit, as someone whose aspired to work in this industry since their teens, I know I would've found it easier to weave my way in had I not been so ill. Most recently, there has been a petition to ensure that artists wellbeing is taken care of from early into their career, after the death of Liam Payne, who openly talked of the struggles of stardom from appearing on The X Factor as a teenager, #LiamsLaw trended on twitter. The fact it has taken years for a tag like this to gain traction is slightly concerning. We’ve seen this for years with artists like Amy Winehouse being forced to perform whilst the public were concerned for their wellbeing, with the controversial 2024 biopic “Back To Black” attracting criticism for the exploitation of her battles with alcoholism and drug abuse, years after her death. These issues were implemented into her music at a time where these subjects were still taboo. Over a decade since the release of the album of the same name, Sam Fender released Poundshop Kardashians, a semi-rant about celebrity culture and the pressures of fame. He too has had to call off shows in the past due to ill health and received backlash. It often seems like no one is safe- yet these artists are people too, not just musical machines.

And another thing, and I blimmin’ hate being that person. But have you noticed it's always women that get stick for this? It’s like there’s been a role reversal, whilst women have stereotypically been known to be more open about their wellbeing and men more likely to be attacked with criticism for it, it seems that nowadays a man can be praised for speaking out whilst a woman is branded as weak and lacking work ethic. Neither should be shamed for it, regardless of sex or gender, with men's mental health being a huge topic for the past coupla years. Femininomenon Chappell Roan was recently hounded online when she cancelled two mahoosive festivals in America, citing that her mental health was severely affected being on the road and her situation overwhelming. Yet when Lewis Capaldi decided to take time out to look after his mental health after being severely affected by his Tourettes diagnosis during his Glastonbury performance in 2023, people were quick to wrap him up in cotton wool and said he should take all the time he needed. He was due to headline Reading & Leeds that year too, albeit two months later. It’s no secret that Capaldi hasn’t been ok in the past, I mean, have you even listened to his music? Music for broken crushed velvet homes. I personally am not a fan. But people love him! He’s a man of the people! He has his own pizzas at Iceland! Most recently, Zayn Malik announced he’d postponed his North American tour dates due to the bereavement of his former bandmate. Again, this was taken well by those that had purchased tickets and the wider public, but understandable considering so many of those attending the shows would’ve been die hard directioners back in the day. In these cases, we as listeners and wider audiences see it happening before our eyes. In the case of The Last Dinner Party, we don’t see them leaning over a lav, puking their guts up or battling a menty b. To quote the facebook mummy brigade: “you never know what someone is going through.” Just because you can’t see it- doesn’t mean its not happening.

Furthermore, there’s already been targets from fans of worldwide wonderbabe Taylor Swift, whose sect of Swifties have called out the band for being lightweights with a lack of work ethic- when their hero has spent the past 2 years selling out stadiums across the globe. Swiftie or not, you’ve got to give the girl props. Each show of The Eras Tour consists of a 3 hour setlist of back to back bangers, including a surprise track at every show from the depths of her back catalogue. Again, bit different here. This is a woman who is a global megastar, with her first album released back in 2006, making her nearly 20 years into the game. Not to mention the gal has cancelled shows before.

And then, there’s the privilege debate. Because this always seems to creep in with The Last Dinner Party. It’s no secret that within hearing one singular snippet of a song that this lot just ooze sophistication. And with it being revealed that members attended private school, the band have often been referred to as a bit of a posh bunch. In fact, when telling people about ‘em, my mother (who didn’t really get them at first and now plays Prelude To Ecstasy to death, she’s not a regular mum she’s a cool mum) describes them as “a band of posh girls".It's a hard time for the music industry at the moment, so many bands are having to work themselves to the bone just to get by, whether that’s touring or releasing various pressings of their records for fans to collect and covet. So many of which come from working class backgrounds and can’t afford to give up the day job, despite the fact, with their talents, they bloody well should be able to. And it’s not that the band fail to recognise this either. The bands image is built on high class culture, the preshow to their Prelude To Ecstasy tour is a collection of classical music, their stage design a theatrical display of tapestries and operatic moons and stars. If this were the 80s, the band would be labelled as sophisti-pop, the soundtrack to the yuppie generation built on by bands and artists such as Sade and Swing Out Sister, though their sound is more likened to that of Kate Bush, Toyah and Sparks. They’re hardly a home counties band claiming to be council-housed but Mummy’s a housewife and Daddy’s a banker. Whilst out on tour, they’ve also taken the time to embark on a charity project, “Ribbons For Provisions” in which fans can purchase a silky souvenir in token for a donation to Bankuet, a charity set up to provide proper food for food banks (and not just the bog standard tinned shite you’d stick in your school’s harvest festival box).

Regardless of whether you like The Last Dinner Party with their lacy racy anthems teaming with feminine angst, you can’t knock them for striving to better themselves and set standards. If anything, with this hitting the headlines it should cause more concerns for the music industry and the fan bases within it themselves about how we can support musicians with their wellbeing on the road and maybe put legislation put in place for touring artists, in particular those just starting out in the industry as they transition into making this their full time job. Go on gals and theys, have a break, have a kitkat, we’re ready when you are x

Burn (Out) Alive: The Last Dinner Party & Mental Health In The Music Industry

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