In her early 20s, Emily Roberts, guitarist for fast-rising UK theatrical rock outfit The Last Dinner Party, landed a gig as Brian May in a Queen tribute band. Fast-forward a few years, and May himself showed up at the band’s London show – and branded them “British rock royalty”.
“I got to meet the new British Rock Royalty tonight – The Last Dinner Party – and they completely smashed it tonight at the Eventim Apollo. What a great show! What a joy!” May posted on social media. “Thanks Emily for inviting me. That was just what I needed – a good ol' dose of Rock Tonic. Folks, you have to see these guys.”
Roberts responded to the full-circle moment, writing: “It was such an honor to meet you Brian!! Thank you so much for coming, it meant the world to us!!”
Queen, along with May, remain a key source of inspiration for Roberts and her bandmates, who earlier this year earned the biggest album debut in the UK by a band in nine years with Prelude to Ecstasy.
During her time moonlighting as May, Roberts fully immersed herself in the band’s repertoire and the nuances of the guitar legend’s playing.
“I loved Queen and knew it would be fun to learn all the solos and parts. Then the pandemic happened. We only did one gig in the end, at a Queen convention near Hull. It went great,” she told Total Guitar.
“That probably ended up influencing my rock playing more than anything else, because I spent an entire summer solidly trying to get inside Brian’s playing, hearing all the little details.”
Roberts went on to call May her “original guitar hero,” sharing, “I love being able to sing along to the solos. I didn’t even learn them at that point; I was just listening and appreciating because Queen were one of my first musical loves.”
In other Brian May news, the Queen guitarist revealed he was initially reluctant to share a solo with Billy Gibbons on Steve Cropper's new album, and what eventually changed his mind.
