Gig Review: Ladylike At SON Estrella Galicia

The time has come once again for SON Estrella Galicia’s now annual run of gigs leading up to their major event of the year: Soundhood Hackney.

The Sebright Arms is a no-nonsense venue: a SON Estrella Galicia sign has been put up above the stage, but other branding is minimal. It is clear that the event is more about the music than the marketing opportunities, a nice change of pace from other gigs and festivals at the minute.

Starting off the trio of acts is the ethereal and meandering ‘Evelina’ - as they start, a Telecaster takes centre stage. Their slow alt-rock riffs clearly take clear inspiration from slacker country such as MJ Lenderman, and the guitarist and bassist begin to synchronise with minimal effort. The three-piece take a bit more time to explore their vocal range, whilst the drums keep things moving at a slow yet consistent pace that neither rushes or obsfucates the rest of the band.

Evelina’s sound is, above all, melody-driven and full of yearning; their passion is palpable, and the instrumental segments more than fill in when the vocals take a break. The guitarist leaves and comes back with a harmonica that cuts through the rest of the noise sharply for the last couple of songs, but still not in such a way that stifles his compatriots.

The last segment of their set is decidedly their strongest as Evelina moves from the slacker country to something more adjacent to math rock. By the end of their set, the band is sweating and triumphant; the rest of us are just sweating.

Following up Evelina was a four-piece called ‘Speedial’, another London-based band and evening highlight. The band mixes blues and folk, creating an indulgent and hypnotic soundscape - their saxophonist particularly contributes to this effect, making his instrument weep with a quiet rage that seeps into the crowd like fog on the moors. At their core, they seem to be a soundscape band, filling the room with a delicate mix of whimsy and tightness that neither relents nor overwhelms. For the latter third of their set, they delve into a more mature pop-punk: the guitar and bass become less restrained by now, and the band are visibly having a bit more fun before returning to the rich soundscape that they had cultivated earlier by the end of their set.

Headlining the show were Brighton-based folk/post-rock quartet ‘Ladylike’, who also boast female-led vocals. The band, despite having four members, does not have a bassist. While the richness and variation in sounds created by the two electric and single acoustic guitar almost make up for its absence, they unfortunately still fall a little flat in their attempts to hit the lower ranges or sink their teeth into an especially deep groove. Still, despite their shortcomings, performances like ‘Burning Heather’ make clear their ability to tap into a beautiful emotional hue - a strength which is particularly heralded by the vocalist/acoustic guitarist, who channels the group’s most passionate sounds.

The band is technically very competent, and they play just as tightly as Speedial (despite their lack of bass). The dreamy vocals are reminiscent of floating over the crowd in an effervescent haze, which is made all the more impressive by the fact that they are coming from the acoustic guitarist whose rhythmic riffs act as the backbone of the group’s sound.

The drummer does his best to maintain rhythm and pace, but without a bassist is slightly devoured by the three guitarists, and his sound gets lost in their menage. Near the twenty-fifth minute, the music crescendos in what should have been the apex of their set, but they are once again let down by the lack of a bass to anchor them; still, the guitar tone is mostly clean with a touch of reverb injected into the soundscape.

The band finishes on a slower, more melodic note with ‘Sour Carol's viscous and baleful instrumentals. The crowd is enjoying themselves, but, as the rest of the night, seems distracted and sluggish. Blame it on the heat.

For the first of a trifecta of gigs, this has been a promising start for SON Estrella Galicia’s run of shows leading up to SoundHood Hackney 2026.