HAIM ~ one of the better things on Jools Hootenanny? ~ Live videos

ChrisMusic

I thought a few of us may like HAIM, so I have taken the post I made in the Jools Hootenanny discussion and opened it here where it can breath a bit more.  So feel free to say loved it, hated it or whatever, but preferably constructive stuff.  Enjoy  

So from the other discussion:

@strumjoughlamps said:  "I was impressed with Haim, never heard of them before and will be checking out there album, lead singer had a voice that appeals.."

@EricTheWeary said: "Had the Glastonbury hilights on from last night whilst pishing about this morning. Haim on that as well, I quite like them.  Put the Glastonbury thing back on. Only just realised the Haim have day jobs as Primal Scream backing singers. Really."

I rather like them too.

I usually recon that the vocals are the weakest part of most bands, and while their pitching is more than a bit out sometimes, I like the delivery and I really do enjoy their music.  ( The major exception being the "bass face".. what is that about? )

Great energy.

At Glastonbury they were appearing on stage with almost every one, good PR I think, go girls...

Here are a couple of performances for anyone who likes them  (& Gibson SGs and LP DCs)

Glastonbury 2013  (8mins) (excuse the banal BBC Three waffle at the end)

Haim - Reading + Leeds Festival 2013 Set (18mins)

Haim - T In The Park 2013 Set (22mins)

HAIM Live at iTunes Festival 2012 Full Concert  (45mins)

monquixote

I think Haim are great and were one of the highlights of the Jools show. 

Been following them since they were mentioned in the BBC sound of 2013 poll. 

I think they've got noticeably tighter over the live performances I've seen of them this year. 

The album is good not a classic, but I'm hoping they will grow into something really special. 

equalsql

Yup, I enjoyed their performance on Jools last night. I think the mix sounded a bit week, but they certainly had 'something' about them, almost a 60's west coast feel. But that singer John Newman...I couldn't bear his voice..had to leave the room during his singing cos it felt like someone scratching their fingernails down a blackboard (he sounds better on his records though).

Interestingly I thought Mel C's performance of Steve Wonder's 'I Wish' was excellent.. never knew she had it in her!

ChrisMusic

I picked them up on radio some time back, but I think they really suit live performance.

Auntie Beeb (BBC) seems to have taken them under its wing, and broken them into the UK market, not sure how well known they are back home in the US, but I am sure that will follow.  I would love to know more of the story.

Thanks for the comments @equalsql, I haven't watched Hootenanny yet, but of the acts listed I knew HAIM would be a highlight for me.  Do they still use blackboards BTW? (and with all this PC nonsense, can you still call them that?)

Agreed @monquixote, I'm hoping they will grow into something really special too, I think they just might. 

Bellycaster

equalsql said:

Yup, I enjoyed their performance on Jools last night. I think the mix sounded a bit week, but they certainly had 'something' about them, almost a 60's west coast feel. But that singer John Newman...I couldn't bear his voice..had to leave the room during his singing cos it felt like someone scratching their fingernails down a blackboard (he sounds better on his records though).

Interestingly I thought Mel C's performance of Steve Wonder's 'I Wish' was excellent.. never knew she had it in her!

@equalsql

I have to agree, John Newman's voice was utterly awful, he seemed to be exaggerating his voice somehow, he does sound better on his records, yes.

I quite liked Haim, but then again, 3 fit chicks with guitars, I'm gonna like 'em, aren't I ?

monquixote

equalsql said:

Interestingly I thought Mel C's performance of Steve Wonder's 'I Wish' was excellent.. never knew she had it in her!

Me too. 

I didn't have her pegged as being a highlight, but she totally gave it her all.

ChrisMusic

Just thought I would add in another video of HAIM

HAIM iTunes Festival 2013

ICBM

I thought they were very ordinary on the Jools thing, sorry. Haven't been that impressed with them elsewhere either.

I agree about John Newman being dreadful though. I quite liked the Rudimental record he was on, but his performance last night (or whenever it was actually recorded) was dire.

I didn't see Mel C.

ChrisMusic

No need to apologise ICBM, it's all personal taste this music stuff after all.  I wouldn't describe Haim as "impressive", I just enjoy them. 

Tight drums, one custom shop SG, one LP DC gold top, two fit gals and a goldfish, what's not to like?

fretmeister

I was just looking at Dave Swift's new Fodera Bass! 

15k worth of Anthony Jackson sig model! Awesome!

ChrisMusic

fretmeister said:    I was just looking at Dave Swift's new Fodera Bass! 

His old Dingwall was up for sale a while back at Bassdirect, nice looking bass guitar too, but not cheap either.

equalsql

fretmeister said:

I was just looking at Dave Swift's new Fodera Bass! 

15k worth of Anthony Jackson sig model! Awesome!

Having started out as a bass-player I too was taking great interest in his bass. It sounded real nice, especially when he was playing along to Green Garden by Laura Mvula.

randomhandclaps

I'm sorry but for me Haim are three girls and one trick.  When they first appeared R6 was giving them a big push then saw them live and IMO nothing but a bit of promo and a willingness to turn up to the opening of an envelope sets them apart from any other 'We're rehashing the 80s' band.  There are far better groups getting a whole lot less hype.  No-one in the band does any one thing particularly well. I don't mind them and best of luck and all but the whole media love in with the 'three sisters of Haim' is wearing thin. 

ToneControl

Haim seemed pretty dull to me. Vocals were OK, everything else below average, is there some new ground being broken here? I couldn't detect anything. 

stickyfiddle

They're ok. Quite watchable, and some of the songs are very good, but the level of polish on the record is so high it's like a different band when they play live. The vocals, in particular aren't great in any live stuff I've seen.

But the LP versions of Falling and The Wire are particularly excellent.

ICBM

If you want two fit girls, drums and guitar, I much prefer Deap Vally .

Also a bit of a one-trick pony - something like the White Stripes crossed with Janis Joplin, and pretty much all the songs sound like that - but there's a lot more energy going on.

ToneControl

Not trying to be preachy, but I'd rather have ordinary looking women playing stuff I like, although since as we know, fewer women aspire to be in bands, so for me it's always suspicious when a band is mostly female, since I assume it's harder to find good players

Girlschool didn't impress me as I recall http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYNWo93fPG8&list=RD02BYNWo93fPG8

Nice to see they are still at it though http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DpxJLMZatQ

The music industry tries to pretty-up any females AFAIK, whereas there seems no shortage of ugly blokes in bands

Solo vocalists of either gender are typically pretty for good reason though

ToneControl

ToneControl said:

Haim seemed pretty dull to me. Vocals were OK, everything else below average, is there some new ground being broken here? I couldn't detect anything. 

I'm talking about the main vocalist's lines, I'm assuming they would be in tune in the studio. The instrumentation sounds ordinary though. Not unpleasant, I'm just surprised some of us were impressed enough to post about it, personal taste though of course

EricTheWeary

Ahh, Girlschool were awesome. Much more post punk energy than a heavy metal band really, it was only later on with line up changes they got more technical (well, threw in some widdly solos). Much of it probably doesn't stand up well now but then that's true of a lot of NWOBHM erastuff which suffered weedy production and under developed songwriting.

ToneControl

yes, I felt that NWOBHM was a curse to grow up through, so many lousy bands

ChrisMusic

No worries TC, I don't go a bundle on Girls School either, far too derivative IMO.  Know what you mean about female bands, but so much is hype, whatever the gender mix.

But then I have been out of the music biz for so long, it's all a great new learning curve again.  I really must listen to more music, yes sad but true, I even stopped enjoying listening, so a lot of catch up too.  ("Baby & bathwater" comes to mind there). 

If I was producing, I would be quite happy if Haim turned up, there are a lot worse out there, and at least they seem to be getting tighter now (a bit !), and not afraid of hard work and I like their sound.  So I am quite happy to sit back and enjoy listening to them.

A lot of studio stuff, whilst polished, does tend to lose something.

OK just to prove I have been living under a rock for far too long, all this acronym stuff just passes me by, WTF does NWOBHM stand for?  I have enough trouble deciphering other posts, but using *6 letters* !!!  Yes I know it will be obvious, after the fact, cheers.

Thanks ICBM, I'll check out Deap Vally.

I subverted a couple of responses from the other discussion (sorry chaps), and happily I gathered a couple of others who quite liked them (thanks), maybe in part due to the caliber of the other guests in Jools Hootenanny.

It's a fierce place on the frontier when you put your head above the parapet, so I am glad of a little support.

But I am quite happy when my quite wide ranging tastes aren't shared, no worries...

Subjective all this music stuff, isn't it ?