Unfortunately, Haim aren’t flanked by the giant sausages they had at Glastonbury (inspired by their deli of Women in Music Pt III covers), but in 90 minutes they whip up their biggest hits in impressive shape. The intense direction gives them room to roam with stripped down rock’n’roll conviction. I Know Alone, complete with choreographed dance break, is the same flower it was in lockdown, while My Song 5, with its pounding drums, still hits hard: the ‘not your honeypie’ punch reverberates from the main female voice of the crowd. Where most groups do jokes, Haim do standup. “We’re playing in our dream venue, so I’m stopping to smell the roses,” Alana says, trying to be serious. “I stop smelling my armpits,” Este quips. “Four songs and I’m ripe.” They go into their skit from the Women in Music 3am track, which tonight involves Este taking a fake phone call from Sean, a ‘short king’ she met in Tesco. The joke goes on a bit longer than it should, but as she dives into the crowd looking for someone to take her on a “nice date”, you can forgive them for the indulgence. With Haim, the jokes are half the punch, smoothing out any shaky vocal moments. And even when those live ad-libs are at their craziest, they toe a fine line in bittersweet beats: Gasoline gets a warm single, while Alana’s Alanis Morissette-esque vocals on I’ve Been Down represent her best performance evening, transforming into a “which side can sing louder” sister (“I’m the baby of the family, I need this!”). As they bid farewell to the main set with Summer Girl – “I see it in your face, I’m relief” – the song’s lyrics and carefree melody exemplify the group’s sunny, escapist appeal. Was Haim worth the wait? For those who crave the perfect nail polish, maybe not. But when you’re able to fill a room with such natural charisma, who really cares?
