Haim at The Olympia | Review

Haim at The Olympia Theatre, Dublin, 10th March 2014

It’s not as if the music industry has ever been that short of famous sisters taking to the stage. Go way back to The Andrew Sisters in the 1940’s, the modern musings of Tegan & Sara, or even the folk-trio of The Staves for instance. The only difference between this California trio and their counterparts is that the Haim (pronounced with two syllables don’t you know) sisters take the archetypal notion of male dominated rock ‘n’ roll, grab it by the balls, and squeeze fucking hard.

The three ladies confidently parade on to the Olympia stage and quickly assert themselves as centre of attention for the night. Album opener Falling drops first, and from the offset the siblings’ harmonies flutter like playful notes upon a wave that just keeps on crashing against the Olympia air. It’s a constant flow of beat-driven drums and large, brash chord waves. If I Could Change Your Mind follows the calculated but playful choreography that appears on the single’s video. The movements are girly, flowing and just stop short of feeling regimented. One of the reasons for this is the pure gusto and emotion that Danielle, Este and Alana ooze while on stage.

It’s clear to hear/see that the pale faces in the Olympia crowd (albeit vocal about their appreciation) are slightly taken aback by the remarkable opening attack on the senses. The next song in the set list does little to aid this as Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well begins to shriek from the speakers. Haim have always had a bit of the Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac about the structure and delivery of their vocals but this track is the old Peter Green styled Fleetwood, before the American pop influx. The famous lyrics – “I can’t help it ’bout the shape I’m in, I can’t sing, I ain’t pretty and my legs are thin/But don’t ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to” – actually befit the Haim sisters outlook, this sense that they can do all the funny, corny stuff that might make others look dizzy. Behind it, though, these girls power on because they know they have the goods to back it up.

Honey & I right through to Running If You Call My Name showcases the slower side to the band. In their restraint they exhibit a raucous capacity to entertain – every utterance, movement and gesture is adding to the end product. The first in this run of songs starts – and continues – slow, until a silent moment before the eruption of a considerable and bulky outlay of vibration. The latter Running If You Call My Name sees the ladies come to the front of the stage; stripped-back they showcase their voices once more. While they sing wonderfully in harmony, Danielle’s voice shines brighter than her sisters. While Este and Alana feature regularly throughout, it’s the special tone and delivery of Danielle that stands out.

Forever sees Alana take her spotlight for the night as she jitters, dances and wiggles herself to the backing beat, firmly affirming her status as the saucy sexpot of the group. A brief moment off stage is ended by Danielle taking to the drums and Este leading the girls in a cover of Beyonce’s XO, a nod to Beyonce from the girls having just seen her perform the night previous in Dublin’s O2. Unfortunately, it’s one of the weaker songs of the night.

To finish up, they round off their set with The Wire which stands out as the evening’s highlight. It’s simply a different class, as the girls swagger barometer is turned up to the maximum. Just before the final song, the Dublin crowd is subjected to that annoying instance that happens all too often, as Alana thanks the “London” crowd. In fairness, she did take to Twitter to apologise.

In the end, the night showcased the immense talent that lies within the blood of the Haim clan. With a huge US tour coming up, these girls show no signs of letting up, despite them having been on the road for the guts of two years. With most bands, when looking in to their future, there is a sense of worry and fear that they won’t live up to the success of their strong debut album. But with the Haim girls, no such worry or doubt exists. It’s pretty clear to see that these girls have the melodies, desire, capability, live-performances and drive to easily outdo themselves in the years that lay ahead.