Although they come from LA, Haim’s headline show at All Points East felt like a triumphant homecoming for the trio.
Bounding on stage to Fergie’s London Bridge, the Haim sisters were ebullient, grateful, and occasionally overwhelmed as they celebrated ten years since their debut album (2013’s Days Are Gone) bringing more rock’n’roll energy to London’s Victoria Park than Keith Richards ever could.
Haim have come a long way in the past decade. The three sisters, Este, Danielle and Alana, have won a BRIT Award, been nominated for four Grammys, released three critically-beloved albums, and are coming off the back of a stint supporting Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in the US. All Point East's eager crowd and enormous stage are a far cry from their first performance as Rockinhaim, a family covers band they formed as kids with their parents, dazzled diners at Jewish deli Canter’s in LA, paid for their performance in matzah-ball soup.
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Haim at All Points East (Alamy)
But, as big a show as All Points East was, the sisters made it feel as sweeping as a stadium show and as personal as a deli counter. Introducing themselves by emphasising the hop between the ‘a’ and ‘i’ in Haim, the sisters were clearly having the times of their lives. Their energy rarely faltered as they played a set that ranged from that first album through to 2021’s Women In Music Part 3.
Alana, the youngest of the siblings and recent star of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, confessed she was feeling emotional. “My parents are here, my grandma is here, and my aunt and my cousins... The family is here in the house,” she told the audience.
“There’s other reasons why we’re in London other than to play to you sexy ass crowd,” she added between songs, claiming London as their second home after British music fans took to Days Are Gone way before anyone back in the US. “We played Dingwalls,” she said, referencing the grotty little dive bar in Camden,
“And it was the first time we heard our songs sang back to us. London and the UK was the first place to ever embrace us, so we call this home.” They received a hero’s welcome, with those very same songs being roared with gusto back at them.
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Alana Haim at All Points East (Alamy)
There was little time for tears, though. The songs came thick and fast. Haim switched between instruments, bashing the drums like their lives depended on it, switching between bass and guitar with each sister taking the lead in turn. Haim have always been a very passionate live band and Este in particular is famous for her ‘bass face’, a kind of gurn as she channels all her energy into her instrument - it was on proud display on each sister's face as they played. Daniele, the middle sister and most elusive of the three, didn’t talk much but the coy little smile playing over her lips as they ended “Want You Back” made it clear just how much she loves playing with her sisters.
Though on record, Haim sound like a pop-rock outfit, the rock is much more evident on stage. Wide-legged stances, hair flying everywhere, matching leather trousers, and a palpable thrill ran like an undercurrent through songs that channel everything from Stevie Nicks to funk and soul. Este ran down to the crowd and got right up into people’s faces, asking for recommendations of where to go out drinking after the show (to varying degrees of success - celeb hangout Chiltern Firehouse got a loud boo from the crowd, LGBTQ+ night club Heaven got a warmer response). This is not a band that stands still and goes through the motions: every second felt fresh, new and exciting.
But more than that, it felt inclusive: there was no grandstanding, just genuine warmth and appreciation for the way that their music has been embraced. Every grin between the sisters was coloured with genuine joy, every joke they played back and forth was meant for all of us. From the very front row to the crowds at the back of the park, the Haim forcefield engulfed every single person there.
The set flew by: the gentle warmth of “Summer Girl” brought the temperature of the chilly late-summer air up, and the triumph of the swaggering “The Wire” was as exciting to hear as it was the first time they played it a decade ago. Haim were at home on London’s stage and we were thrilled to have them.
