Haim burst on stage as label mate Jay Z’s hip-hop classic ‘99 Problems’ blared over the sound system. Armed with infectious melodies, an undeniable groove and, a cheeky sense of humour – if this SoCal sisterhood do indeed have a problem it’s certainly not in their live show.
‘Is This How You Feel’ rockers The Preatures warmed up the crowd at Sydney’s Cauldren-esque Hi Fi. The hometown five-piece received an enthusiastic reception from the growing crowd, who seemed to enjoy the band’s danceable throwback rock ‘n’ roll.
Their old-timey grooves were brought to life in a live setting thanks to lead singer Isabella Manfredi’s impressive charisma and stage presence. Wearing a jacket straight out of the movie Drive over an otherwise all-white get up it was hard to take your eyes off her.
The Triple J Unearthed darlings who describe their influences as The Patti Smith Group and The Pretenders gave the crowd a healthy dose of their 2012 EP Shaking Hands.
The tunes’ upbeat shuffle carried with the growls of overdriven guitars and the squelch of the electric organ carve a fairly unique place in Sydney’s live music scene.
With a hat tip to Fleetwood Mac the band closed their set with their biggest hits ‘Is This How You Feel’ and ‘Take A Card’. The track showed off lead guitarist Gideon Benson’s snarling vocals, which are counterpointed by Manfredi’s seductive tones in a confidant duet.
Haim began their set with the well received Forever EP opener, ‘Better Off’. The brooding track set the stage for the rest of the gig with its elastic melody, call and response harmonies and progressively building atmosphere.
The sisters (plus drummer Dash Hutton) dropped the ubiquitous, summery track ‘Falling’ mid-set. Lead vocalist Danielle cast a powerful figure behind the mic as she hissed and sung her way through a commanding delivery.
Sisters Alana and Este amped up the energy in support, with the younger literally bounding into the microphone to perform her harmonies.
Haim’s recordings lean somewhat toward the laid-back side of indie-pop, and have a certain ethereal quality to them with liberal application of harmonies and shimmery synths. Their live show however was expectantly raw, and the sisters proved themselves to be every bit the rockstars.
The space freed up by these guitar and bass focused interpretations served to accentuate the groove of the songs, and the distortion gave the songs gave some extra grunt which was not on the record.
Guitar solos and bluesy stompfests gave Danielle the chance to step away from the mic and perform the type of rock star moves required when wielding a Gibson SG which served to amp up the crowd and showed the band’s dynamic versatility.
One of the highlights was the moments when the sisters showed off their drumming ability, having booming drumline like jams, making use of snares and toms placed on stage.
The blistering drum breaks did not forsake intricacy, as the pieces moved and built in intensity, and Alana, Danielle and Este showed some real chops, making what could be perceived as gimmick-y a highly entertaining piece of musician and showmanship.
The band closed their set with two anthemic songs from their catchy second EP – ‘Send Me Down’ and ‘Don’t Save Me’. The track’s moody beginning gives way to an infectious rhythm, which ended the night on the right note.
