The Last Dinner Party share cover of Blondie classic
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(Credits: Tim Schulz)
Mercury Prize-nominees The Last Dinner Party have shared their cover of a Blondie classic, ‘Call Me’, for an Australian radio station.
Released in 1980, ‘Call Me’ was first written for the Paul Schrader film American Gigolo, which starred Richard Gere as an escort. Debbie Harry penned the lyrics for the song inspired by the story they would accompany, seemingly taking on the voice of Gere’s protagonist as she declares, “You can call me any day or night.”
Giorgio Moroder provided the danceable instrumentals for the track, which would go on to become one of the biggest hits in the new wave genre. It would also become one of Blondie’s signature songs, and further cement their status as an era-defining act.
Now, The Last Dinner Party have provided a modern take on the track for triple j‘s ‘Like A Version’ series. They swap the disco-infused sound of the original track for their distinctive indie rock guitars and bright keys, while singer Abigail Morris affords the vocals a slightly floatier quality.
In an accompanying behind-the-scenes clip, Georgia Davies explained that her and Morris used to frequent the “explosive” song at karaoke as teens. “What’s good about this version is we didn’t try and do it like her,” Morris added, “Because I don’t think I could have. So I think it’s nice that we’ve been able to reinterpret it and do more of a homage rather than trying to be Debbie Harry, because no one can.”
The cover follows the news that The Last Dinner Party’s debut record, Prelude to Ecstasy, has been nominated for the coveted Mercury Prize.
After a long wait, the album was finally released earlier this year to a four-and-a-half star review from Far Out, who described it as an “immersive art-rock experience.”
The Last Dinner Party aren’t the only band to have secured a nomination with their debut album. Leeds art-rockers English Teacher have also received a nod for their first full-length offering, alongside debuts from Barry Can’t Swim, Cat Burns, Berwyn, corto.alto, Nia Archives and Beth Gibbons. A date for the ceremony is yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, The Last Dinner Party are set to spend the rest of their summer on the road. The band have upcoming festival slots at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Rock en Seine in France, and Reading and Leeds in the United Kingdom. They will then embark upon a tour of the UK and Ireland this autumn.
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