Ladies First rocks Buskirk-Chumley with inspired covers, harmonies

As the last straggling audience members found their seats at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, the lights dimmed and the performers took the stage.

Without instruments, the women launched into a full-percussion version of Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody?” to raucous applause.

Ladies First, IU’s premier women’s a cappella group, entertained a wildly enthusiastic crowd Friday during their fall concert supporting their new album. The group, founded in 1999, covered a wide range of popular hits ranging from songs by The Beatles to Christina Aguilera to 4 Non Blondes, much to the pleasure of the audience.

“I had absolutely no idea it was going to be like this,” freshman Carolyn Mlynski, a first-time audience member, said. “This is absolutely incredible.”

Freshman Natalie Salzman, who came to support her close friend and group member freshman Sally Stempler, noted that the group’s success seemed to stem largely from their close bonds to one another.

“I thought they had beautiful control of harmony and knowledge of music,” she said. “You can see there’s a close connection between all of them. There’s a close bond, and I thought they all were very talented.”

Ladies First also had support in the audience from its male counterpart, the well-known men’s a cappella group Straight No Chaser. Sophomore Andrew Morstein, a member of the men’s group, said Ladies First was performing exceedingly well.

“They’re blending really well,” he said. “They have a really unique sound, and for a female a cappella group, they have a lot of power. It’s a lot of fun to watch.”
Morstein, who said he interacts with the group during

rehearsals and has gotten to know them fairly well, said Ladies First is among the elite women’s a cappella groups in the country.

“You don’t get much better than that,” he said. “Their sound is great. Individually, their solos are incredible, and on top of that, they’re great girls. It’s about as good as it gets.”