By now, Haim are basically Glasto locals. First performing here almost a decade ago, their prime-time Saturday afternoon slot at Glastonbury 2022 was their fifth trip to Worthy Farm. Their history at the festival has seen on-stage illness (in 2013 Este passed out during their Pyramid Stage performance), doing it digitally (their Stone Circle set was a highlight of last year’s digital festivities), and a lot of killer performances.
They’re not shy about how much they love the festival, too. As Alana tells the audience early on in their performance: “I cannot believe we’re here!…last year we were lucky enough to do the livestream, it was fun; but this is a bit fucking better!”
Catching up an hour after they smashed their Pyramid Stage performance, we spoke to Haim about their favourite Glasto moments, where they are with album four and hanging out with Drake in Toronto.
Your show today felt like a long time coming – you were meant to perform in 2020 the weekend your album ‘Women In Music Pt. III’ came out. How did it feel to be back on the Pyramid Stage?
Alana: “I mean we’ll play Glastonbury any time they want us to play, I don’t care! We were just so happy to be here.”
Este: “On a record cycle, off a record cycle…”
Alana: “Releasing ‘WIMPIII’ was a big deal for us, I think it’s our favourite album that we’ve put out, and it just felt so good to finally play it live on the Glastonbury stage.”
You’ve spoken before about watching videos of it growing up – what does this festival mean to you?
Danielle: “We watched crazy bootleg YouTube videos as it wasn’t broadcast as widely in the States, so you had to find videos of different years and watch it, so we were always huge fans of it. And I actually came here when I was 20 with Julian Casablancas. We played the John Peel Stage, and so I told my sisters, ‘one day we will play Glastonbury – I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but one day we will make it!'”
Este: “And me and Alana were like: ‘We will?!’”
Do you have any particular favourite memories of the festival? Would today be one?
Alana: “Oh my god, I think today was my favourite time we ever played I have to say, it’s hard to pick one moment that’s incredible…”
Este: “I have one! As an audience member when we saw Nile Rodgers, that was life-changing for me. I had my first cider, I’d never had a cider before. And I was watching Nile RoDgers with my first cider!”
‘WIMPIII’ came out two years ago now, are you working on new music?
Alana: “We’re always writing, it never stops. I think the biggest thing is being away from touring for two years was the most heartbreaking for us, we’ve always considered ourselves a touring band. We love playing live, and we just did our tour in the states and in a couple of weeks we get to do our UK tour, and we’re just so excited. We’re playing The O2 arena!”
Este: “That was bucket list.”
Alana: “And we’re just so happy, I cannot believe it, and we’re so happy to finally be able to play this record live because we’ve always said when we made this record it was to be played live, it was not to be just listened to on record, it was meant to be seen and played live, and it feels really great.”
So after this tour, will you maybe head home and start record four?
Alana: “Of course, why not, come on! We always are writing.”
And we saw a picture recently of you and Drake hanging out. When he posted it he called you The Beatles. So, which Beatle would you all be?
Alana: “You can’t ask us which Beatle we are.”
Este: “That is such an unfair question!”
Alana: “We had no idea he was going to call us The Beatles, so we’re very thankful. Thank you Drake.”
How did the picture happen?
Alana: “We literally landed in Toronto, and went to the first restaurant we saw…it’s like something out of a movie. We were at this random restaurant and Drake showed up.”
Danielle: “It sounds like folklore, like a mythic story.”
Alana: “But that’s what happened!”
Este: “We were straight-up wearing our clothes from the plane, to see Drake.”
Alana: “Well we didn’t know! It’s pretty crazy.”
Este: “But that’s what I’m saying, we didn’t know and he showed up and I was wearing pyjamas and uggs and no make-up and acne medication, to meet Drake.”
Alana: “It was great.”
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