For Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, 2012 was a big year.
The LA trio of sisters, simply known as HAIM, made waves performing at Austin’s legendary SXSW, toured internationally to play Brighton’s The Great Escape, and released their debut EP Forever.
Tracks like “Don’t Save Me” and “Falling” won them many Aussie fans, so much so that now they are soon headed our way for Splendour In The Grass and some sold out sideshows in Melbourne and Sydney.
The eldest of the three, Este, stresses in the most iconic of Valley-girl accents that she is “so excited” to finally see this great Southern land, having had it in her sights since childhood.
“When I was three years old and my mum wouldn’t let me do something, instead of crying I would storm out of the room and slam the door, and I’d look behind me and scream ‘I’m gonna move to Australia!’”
“If anything I feel like Mick Jagger should hire extra security at Glastonbury because I am going to be relentless. He is not going to be able to hide from me.”It’s hard to say how valid her threats were, but 24 years later, they’re paying off. Except that now she has a legitimate reason to visit.
“At least now I can kind of pay for the plane ticket; I’m not a three year-old with a broomstick and a pillowcase with, like, my teddy bear in it.”
With still two months until Haim’s inner-toddler’s wishes are fulfilled, there’s a pretty notable pit stop along the way: Glastonbury.
“I’m freaking out … for me, growing up watching Glastonbury on TV I was like, ‘well, that’s never gonna happen’ … It’s surreal.”
Describing the mammoth lineup as “retarded”, she and her sisters will take the stage on the same day as The Rolling Stones. Frontman Mick Jagger was famously nonchalant at the NME Awards earlier this year where HAIM had four nominations, saying that he’d “never heard of them”.
Este jokes, “I hope that he looked us up after he said that and it was on the cover of the NME”, adding, “Even if he doesn’t [know who we are] it’s going to be a nice little surprise.”
Eager to befriend Sir Mick, she goes on, “If anything I feel like Mick Jagger should hire extra security at Glastonbury because I am going to be relentless. He is not going to be able to hide from me.”
All this talk of Glastonbury gets Este excited, as she describes it, “like a Chihuahua … like I’m going to make some kind of a mess.” It’s to the point where she has to sit down, telling herself “it’s gonna be ok.”
Her excitement quickly returns when the subject moves back to her impending visit Down Under. It’s not just the shows that will be “insane”; this passionate Californian also has some perceptions of our people as well.
“I’ve seen Australians and y’all are super banging, everyone’s super attractive; every Australian that I’ve ever met has been either a six foot four surfer model babe or a beautiful, magical, blonde wizardess.
“Everywhere I go it’s just babes, everywhere. I don’t know how I’m gonna compete. I think I had to start exercising, like, yesterday.”
“To hear people at shows sing the lyrics back that my sisters and I have written is the most mind-blowing thing to me”Despite this charming self-deprecation, the longhaired, leggy Haim sisters draw attention wherever they go and are considered “babes” themselves. Knowing their way around a guitar and having some killer stage moves doesn’t hurt.
Este’s fervour translates into her on-stage persona too, where she’s been known to wear it on her face.
“I look at pictures of myself after shows and I’m like, ‘that definitely happened’ … some people love it and some people think it’s weird but, I can’t be tamed.”
These “ugly” faces are indicative of the freedom they all feel on stage: “Being able to just let yourself go and do what you love, it’s a really awesome feeling.”
What makes it even better is being able to do it with her family, Este says, who grew up playing in a cover band with not only her sisters but her parents as well.
She reflects, “It was different, it was fun … [it was] kind of crazy now looking back on it”, but says to play their own songs “is a really special feeling.”
“To hear people at shows sing the lyrics back that my sisters and I have written is the most mind-blowing thing to me,” she earnestly admits. “It makes me incredibly happy. That’s why we do it; we make music to connect with people.”
When they haven’t been connecting on stage, HAIM have been busy recording their debut LP, long awaited by not only the fans but also the band itself.
“I want it to come out. I wanted it to come out yesterday. I want people to hear it because we’re really proud of it. It’s going to be a scary feeling finally sending it off, but it’s also going to be a really good feeling. It’s our first record, you know?”
Leaving any apprehensions aside, the bass player is quick to lighten the mood again, this time turning on her best Aussie accent, quite convincingly pulling off the pronunciation of “Melbourne” (no ‘borne’). She also drops in random words like “Neighbours” and “Natalie Imbruglia”.
“If you wanted me to, I could totally do the rest of this interview in an Australian accent,” she brazenly offers. Ever confident in her approach, she explains, “I’m really good friends with Sia.”
Sia isn’t the only local act that HAIM are fans of, adding Tame Impala, Pond (“I’m obsessed with them”) and Chet Faker to the list. The latter, she drawls, “blew my mind [at the Great Escape]. I was mesmerised, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.”
It’s fair to say that crowds lucky enough to see the Californian girls here can expect one hell of a show. As for Este, she says she has no clue as to what awaits them. Well, almost.
“The only thing that I expect is really, really awesome party times and hopefully getting a tan … I feel like you can get a tan every day that ends in Y in Australia.
“That’s literally all I want – to have as much fun as possible.”
Haim Splendour 2013 Sideshows
Wednesday 24 July – The Hi-Fi, Sydney NSW – SOLD OUT
Thursday 25 July – The Hi-Fi, Melbourne VIC – SOLD OUT
