The Louisiana, Bristol
Punk is in safe hands with these four sisters.
In keeping with the “we do what we want, when we want” attitude that punk embodies, Maid of Ace arrived slightly late to the venue. Once the formalities of the sound check were out of the way the band made a bee line with beers in hand to talk to their fans, always a good sign.
Talking, joking around and laughing with the large crowd, you’d have been forgiven for thinking that Alison, Abby, Anna & Amy were just paying punters rather than the main event of the evening.
The ladies even taking it in shifts at their merch stand so they could also venture upstairs and support their fellow musicians “The Menstrual Cramps” during their set.
However when it was Maid of Ace’s turn to hit the stage it was quickly down to business. With a final tweak of the levels and a mighty roar of “Alright Bristol…..lets ave it” the band delivered a ear blistering version of “Stay away” to open at a pace that wouldn’t relent for a single second of their set.
The crowd seemed to be very familiar with the band. Rather than casual live music fans, they knew what to expect from the 4 siblings. Singing along to every word, screaming out recommendations from the two album back catalog. And moshing themselves into a frenzy.
The band fed off the electricity. The evening was hot, the crowd even hotter. Alison delivering raucous versions of “Boring”, “Hollywood Rain” and “Disaster of Noise” to try and feed the blood lust.
By the time “Made in England” came along, the band could turn the mic’s toward the baying mob of a crowd and let them do the work. They duly obliged as each word was bellowed back at the ladies on stage with fire and passion.
Make no mistake Maid of Ace have a stage presence, fire and delivery about their live performances that put them on a par with anyone from the UK Punk hay day.
Classic punk overtones of anarchy and anti establishment sewn into tracks like “Minimum wage” mixed with pedal to the metal, road trip tunes like “Spittin’ Blood” show a wide diversity of writing that will serve this band very well.
What was most pleasing to see was the ease at which the performance was delivered. This was natural, this band are the real deal. No faux, plastic punks here.
Quite simply, if you are a UK Punk fan and Maid of Ace come to your town, they are a must see.
