Two of Britain’s most celebrated bands, The Last Dinner Party and Pulp, are making headlines once again—each for reasons that have fans old and new buzzing with excitement. In a year already marked by high-profile album releases, sold-out tours, and festival triumphs, both groups are poised to shape the sound and spirit of 2025’s music scene in a big way.
The Last Dinner Party, the London-based five-piece who burst onto the scene just two years ago, have announced a massive 35-date headline tour in support of their hotly anticipated sophomore album, From The Pyre. The album, due for release on October 17, 2025, via Island EMI, marks a bold new chapter for the band. Their journey begins at Dublin’s 3Arena on November 14 and snakes through the UK and Ireland, before culminating in a pair of shows at London’s iconic O2 Academy Brixton on December 7 and 8. But they aren’t stopping there. The band will jet off to Australia in January 2026, sweep across Europe in February, and wrap up at Oslo’s Sentrum Scene on March 6, 2026.
According to NME, the band spent the early part of this year in the studio with GRAMMY-winning producer Markus Dravs—whose credits include work with Wolf Alice, Florence + The Machine, and Björk—crafting what they describe as a darker, more raw, and more expansive record than their chart-topping debut, Prelude To Ecstasy. The band explains, “The Pyre itself is an allegorical place in which these tales originate. It’s a place of violence and destruction but also regeneration, passion and light… this record feels a little darker, more raw and more earthy; it takes place looking out at a sublime landscape rather than seated at an opulent table.”
Fans have already gotten a taste of this new direction with the lead single, “This Is The Killer Speaking,” which pairs mythic imagery with the band’s signature soaring, theatrical indie rock. The appetite for more is palpable—outstore live dates in October sold out within minutes, a testament to the feverish anticipation surrounding this new chapter. With two BRIT Awards already on their mantle, including Breakthrough Artist earlier this year, and a reputation for selling out shows across the globe (including three nights at London’s Eventim Apollo), The Last Dinner Party’s ascent continues at a breakneck pace.
It’s hard not to marvel at the band’s meteoric rise since their arrival in 2023, an entrance hailed as one of the most thrilling debuts in recent memory. As they prepare to embark on their biggest tour yet, all signs point to 2025 being a banner year for the group, with their momentum showing no signs of slowing.
Meanwhile, another British institution is taking a moment to look back—while still moving forward. Pulp, the Sheffield band whose blend of wit, drama, and pop hooks helped define an era, have announced a 30th anniversary reissue of their classic 1995 album Different Class. The expanded release, set for October 24, 2025, via Universal Music Records (on behalf of Island Records), is a treasure trove for fans, including the first-ever release of their legendary Glastonbury 1995 performance as Pyramid Stage headliners.
Different Class is no ordinary album. According to NME, it was the band’s most successful release, selling over a million copies in the UK and spawning hit singles like “Common People,” “Disco 2000,” and “Sorted For E’s & Wizz.” The album took home the Mercury Prize and, in 2013, was named the sixth greatest album of all time by NME. The new reissue will be available as both a quadruple LP set and a double CD, with pre-orders already open for eager fans.
The inclusion of the full Glastonbury 1995 performance is particularly special. The set, delivered with just ten days’ notice after The Stone Roses dropped out, became an iconic moment in British music history—one that, until now, hadn’t been officially released in its entirety. Frontman Jarvis Cocker reflected on the reissue, saying, “This 45rpm double album version of ‘Different Class’ will make it sound a whole lot better. We were obsessed with the fact that this was our ‘Pop’ album (we had finally achieved some ‘popularity’ when ‘Common People’ was a hit) &, as everyone knows, all pop albums have 12 songs on them: 6 tracks per side. Only problem: this took the running time of the record to 53 minutes. We were told this would compromise the audio quality of the vinyl record – but we were more bothered about not compromising the quality of our Pop Dream. Now, 30 years later, we are finally ready for ‘Different Class’ to be heard in all its glory. Different Class indeed.”
He added, “The Glastonbury performance in June 1995 will always be the most significant concert of Pulp’s career. Three weeks after ‘Common People’ hit number #2 in the national charts, the band filled in for The Stone Roses at the last minute. We played ‘Sorted For E’s & Wizz’, ‘Mis-Shapes’ & ‘Disco 2000’ – all receiving their live debut. This is first time the whole concert (including the long, drone-based intro) has been made available. Your chance to relive an historical moment.”
It’s not all nostalgia for Pulp, though. June 2025 saw the release of their eighth album More, their first full-length record in 24 years. NME’s glowing review declared, “Drenched in synths and strings and aided by producer James Ford’s knack for making the music feel alive and omnipresent, ‘More’ is everything you’d want a Pulp album to be, made richer from some lived experience.” The band followed up with a “You Deserve More” UK arena tour this summer, a triumphant and (badly-kept) secret set at Glastonbury 2025, and have just kicked off their North American tour in Atlanta.
At their Glastonbury set, NME reported, “With songs for the mis-shapes, a whole lotta ‘L-O-V-E’ and even a Red Arrows fly-past for the glorious crowd-engulfing ‘Common People’, these legends capture the spirit of these hallowed grounds with a little peace, love and joyous wonky-pop hedonism. One for the books? Sure, but as Cocker puts it: ‘History and stuff like that doesn’t matter because it’s all about now and what we can do right now’.”
For British music fans, then, 2025 is shaping up to be a year where the past and the future collide in exhilarating ways. Whether you’re queuing for The Last Dinner Party’s sold-out shows or dusting off your turntable for Pulp’s reissued masterpiece, there’s no shortage of reasons to celebrate. As both bands prove—sometimes, lightning really does strike twice.
