According to Alana, there are three things everyone needs to do at a Haim gig. Dance your heart out, sing your heart out and “have the best fucking night”. The band make that really easy, with a glorious set that’s a little nostalgic, a little sentimental and a whole lot of fun. Coming onstage after Fergie’s hammering ‘London Bridge’, the trio launch straight into ‘
Now I’m In It’ with its big communal singalong and three-way drum breakdown. Este cracks up at just how loud the reaction is from the crowd before the dreamy ‘
I Know Alone’ morphs into a sax-laden, pop-belter, complete with a smirking dance routine.
The band are in London to kickstart the ten-year anniversary celebrations for their debut album ‘
Days Are Gone’, with Haim viewing the city as their unofficial hometown since an early gig at Dingwalls was the first place they ever heard fans sing back their lyrics. Tonight’s set is littered with those early classics, from the warmth of ‘
Want You Back’ to the vicious rage of ‘
My Song 5’. Every time she talks about their journey to tonight, Alana is on the verge of tears, while Este seems more concerned about where the after-party is happening. She even leaps down onto the barrier during a sleek ‘3am’ to get suggestions from fans.
It makes for a wonderfully heartfelt, giddy show. There’s a real sense of celebration in the fiery ‘
Gasoline’ while a closing run of ‘
Falling’, ‘
Forever’ and ‘
The Wire’ acts as a triumphant victory lap for an astoundingly confident debut. Still, there’s more to this show than sugary nostalgia. ‘
Summer Girl’ is an intricate burst of joy, ‘I’ve Been Down’ turns gloom into a cry for community, while the closing ‘
The Steps’ finds optimism and determination through pain. The most exciting thing about Haim isn’t their sprawling legacy, but where they take things next. Whichever direction they go, London will be along for the party.
