Haim, Coop Live. 30th October 2025

I have seen Haim once before, 8 years ago, in the sunshine at Glastonbury. A world away, nearly a decade later on a very autumnal Manchester evening, the vibe could be a little different, but fear not, for these three sisters bring their own sunshine. Does that sound a bit cheesy? Well, so do Haim sometimes, in a grown up indie pop rock sort of way. They’ve come to this massive arena (that I’m slowly warming to), to sing songs from their latest album, the 4th in their catalogue, which is rather brilliant (although I’m a little disappointed they don’t play the U2 assisted ‘Now It’s Time’). I’m seated tonight, which has its pros and cons. It doesn’t matter where you are in here, the sound is great, but on Level 3 in the back corner, you are a fair way from the stage. If you’re coming here in the future and are able, it’s much better on the floor. That said I’m quite thankful for my seat as there’s a crazy long wait for them to appear. There was support apparently, but I must’ve just missed that and instead land myself with a 40 minute wait, with just a very slow moving LED loading bar creeping across the front of the stage. This lighting motif will be important tonight. The letterbox screen flickers into life, a giant panel of red that parts to reveal Danielle, Este and Alana as they tease out ‘Gone’, with its George Micheal “freedom” refrain. It’s a bit Spinal Tap from my vantage with them still largely hidden, but they sound fantastic. ‘All Over Me’ follows as the stage is bathed in white light and The Sign LED panel as it’s to be referred to, rises out of the way. It’s a big stage too. The drums and keys are tucked back in the corners, leaving the trio free rein to play and throw poses in the remaining space, as the riffs let loose. The back projection then kicks in for ‘Take Me Back’ which I’m thankful for, you can’t exactly see the whites of their eyes from up here, so the relay is much welcomed. It feels a bit odd though. I feel like I should be dancing, but you can’t in a seat, especially when no one else is moving. Particularly the old dear two seats over who appears to have been dragged along with I assume her granddaughter. She doesn’t seem impressed. ‘My Song 5’ doesn’t grab her either, with its dirty glam rock stomp. Alana’s hyping up the crowd and is pretty effective as a wave of excitement spreads through the vast space. Standing in seats can be divisive, but that wave see’s people taking to their feet and it certainly improves the atmosphere in the gods, although grandma remains seated. ‘Cry’ with Este taking the lead vocal isn’t the strongest truthfully, but there’s a genuine rawness to it that gets it through. Everyone’s getting a go at taking centre stage as Alana takes the limelight for ‘Spinning’, encouraging us all to do just that, which the floor does beautifully and looks pretty cool from up here. ‘Don’t Wanna’ lands too, with mass hand clapping and when the crowd is offered the chorus to sing, it more than rises to the occasion. There’s a lot more women in here than men. I’m not saying thousands of blokes don’t sound good singing together, but this does sound better. ‘Million Years’ sort of passes by as I get distracted by the counter animation counting up to said number. Then there’s then an odd interlude with Alana talking to The Sign, to which The Sign responds in text. It’s fun, in a weird game show fashion. It’s a decoy really though, to make time for the stage to be moved around a bit. Drums coming to the fore for Danielle to take the seat for ‘The Steps’. It’s rock, but distinctly American. Polished. College radio. Effortlessly cool. They’re a party band with an insane amount of confidence and it’s easy to get swept up in the pure joy of it. ‘Gasoline’ is faithfully rendered, before the stupid pillock behind me drops the dregs of her drink on the floor which splashes all over the place. ‘Blood On The Street’ is playing and I’m tempted to add to it. Honestly some people shouldn’t be allowed out in public. ‘The Farm’ is delivered acoustic. Relaxing me again as hundreds of phone lights illuminate the arena. Again cheesy right? but it really is rather lovely. The saxophone has been out quite a bit already tonight, but takes centre stage for ‘Summer Girl’, but only after an extended intro. I love this song. It sounds utterly timeless and is a clear high point. We’re into the final stretch though as the big hitters come out with ‘Want You Back’. With its understated power, this is pure stadium rock, never mind arenas and it sets up the biting R&B banger ‘Relationships’ beautifully. Grandma makes a dash for the door as soon as it’s over though, seemingly having had enough and is not interested in the encore. Which is a shame as it’s ’The Wire’ next. It fucking rocks and Alana’s energy levels are still impressively high. I know she’s the youngest of the three, but she really does put a shift in. ‘Down To Be Wrong’ might not seem like an obvious closer, but in a set that boasts a disarmingly vast array of moods and melodies, it brings the night to a close wonderfully. It’s hard to beat the excitement of the first time, but my second time out with Haim was marvellous. I hope grandma secretly enjoyed it too.