Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The festival, when ran with respect for those willing to come through the gates, who will part with their money in return for a place to sit or stand safely and to whom the point of the exercise is to join in the idea of being part of something bigger, and accessible to all, is one of the great experiences of life; it doesn’t matter how grand, how small, if it makes a crowd happy, if it encourages them to get out more and see the world then it is of significance and important.
The bands that make this happen are always thrust into the limelight considerably more than when they perform inside avenue, and it takes an unseen strength of character to come and perform to an open field to people who may not have even left their local area for a while. In Ladies, the sound they carry, their demeanour on stage is one to take hardy note of and pencil in your diary as many times as possible; for the substantial is always a heavy load to care for but care indeed you must.
Songs of heartache and experience, the twin melancholy enriched by voices eager to dip their tonsils in honey and a great vibe, all was in safe hands in the souls of Chas Moody, Sam Branch and Mitia Smirnov.
The day may have been ticking by quicker than a stopwatch counting down the moments between a set of blinks or the realisation by an errant footballer that they were not going to get the penalty they had blatantly dived for; however in that time, in those minutes that make up a life, available to the crowd and band alike, the set was one in which was magical, huge smiles to be seen across the old Bowling Green field were positively glowing.
In songs such as Eyes Out of Dodge, the new single Pretty In My Heart, Just A Little Heartache For Me and Sometimes You Just Got To Lose Ladies showed just how much they deserve their reputation as a very good band, a group whose hard work ethic is paying absolute dividends.
A festival is there in spirit to bring people together, in music that is played not only well, but with heart and a conscious of what is going on around them in the world; for that Ladies score superbly and with honour.
Ian D. Hall