Their reputation is hardly in question, but if you weren’t yet convinced that LA’s Haim sisters were three of the hottest young things going round, then their live performance would do the trick.
Melbourne’s Hi-Fi was a heaving mass of excited fans for the three-piece’s first Australian tour. As the lights dimmed, Jay Z’s “99 Problems” pumped through the soundsystem under rapturous applause to accompany Alana, Danielle. and Este Haim’s arrival on stage.
Launching straight into “Better Off”, their enthusiasm is palpable. Eldest sister Este’s trademark facial expressions make an early appearance as Alana, a.k.a “Baby Haim” rocks out as if on her own. Sultry lead Danielle sings “you don’t need to beg/’cause you’ll never get it again”, asserting herself as one you don’t want to mess with.
It isn’t long before Este proclaims the Melburnians to be “the coolest crowd we’ve ever played for, hands down” and asks for the house lights to be turned on to assess them. “Such an attractive crowd”, she drawls, “I just wanna take a moment to smell the roses. This is the dopest crowd.”
The lights are dimmed once more at Danielle’s request – “y’all are making me nervous” – before they rip into a truly ‘rock n roll’ cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well”. Alana assaults the dissembled drum kit with a maraca, as Danielle stands front of stage and shreds like a pro.
For all their Valley girl stereotypes – frequent use of the words “babe” and “totally”, and the fact that they’re “total babes” themselves – it’d be easy to assume that Haim’s skills are secondary to their image. However such an assumption couldn’t be less accurate. Growing up in a musical family, the sisters’ prowess is undeniable, even if it does come as a shock. Frequently multitasking between guitar and standalone drums, their talents are easily the source of both envy and admiration.
Hit single “Falling” gets the crowd involved before they cool off a bit with “Go Slow”. Quieter moments like this exemplify Haim’s ability to create light and shade.
Keeping the family theme running, Mrs. Haim makes a brief appearance on stage with her camera phone, prompting Este to tell a story she shared in an interview with Tone Deaf last month about threatening to run away to Australia since the age of three.
Besotted and hungry for more, the trio’s fans make a lot of noise for “Don’t Save Me”, and Danielle finds herself speechless at its conclusion, muttering expletives into the microphone before gathering herself, gushing, “Honestly we never thought we’d be here … thank you so much for coming,”
Finishing their rousing set with “Forever”, the houselights come up once again, the audience singing along to every word. Cheers for an encore see the ladies return to the blackened room, adorned with Australian souvenirs.
After a face-melting guitar solo, “Let Me Go” takes a turn for the tribal with all three sisters transforming into something of a drum circle. Punctuated with warrior-like shouts, it’s a spectacular finish to an already high-energy show.
It seems the longing for the show to go on was mutual, as to the surprise of not just the crowd, but her sisters too, Este promptly removed her shoes and dove into the adoring fans below before finally making a comparatively subdued exit.
If you were a woman in the crowd reluctantly shuffling out that night, it’s fair to assume you’d either already thought up plans for starting your own band, or you’d succumbed to the realisation that you will never be as cool as a Haim sister.
The opening bars of their new Glastonbury ally, The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” rang out at the night’s end, though judging from the last two hours for Haim, its sentiment is (hopefully) untrue.
