HAARM talk touring with Bloc Party and being 'ones to watch' for 2017

'We have fun bringing the songs to life'

HAARM are enjoying a remarkable rise. With airplay from Radio 1, a BBC Introducing live session under their belts and recent single In the Wild swiftly sailing past 100,000 streams on Spotify, it’s hard to believe the Liverpool band played their debut show just three short months ago.

They're a band brimming with clever ideas, including the name. Why is it spelled with two As? “Just to make us easier to find on Google,” Jen Davies [vocals, keys] shrugs.

They met over a drink in El Bandito, a cool tequila bar nestled amongst some of Liverpool’s finest studios and live music venues: "We were mutual fans of each other’s projects and writing, we’re all from songwriting backgrounds," Chris McIntosh [vocals, guitar] explains. “We had no schedule to release anything so there was no pressure.”

“We just really enjoyed the process,” Davies continues. “We would write until we stumbled across a sound we really liked. We’ve had fun bringing the songs to life, too – like, OK, how do we translate this into a live show? It’s been a bit of trial and error but we’ve found a way to make it work.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given this is a band still in relative infancy, they’re all able to agree on the highlight so far. “Playing at The Roundhouse”, McIntosh says, “these shows with Bloc Party, they’re all sold out, it’s such a prestigious venue. It’s a real ‘wow’ moment, like stepping into Anfield for the first time.”

“Or, for me, Old Trafford”, Olly Gorman [drums] interjects. “Don’t get those two mixed up."

Why are they the ones to watch in 2017?

"I don’t know who gets to decide who is the one to watch,” McIntosh says. "We’ve got a new record out in March and we’re doing festivals over the summer… we like writing songs, we’re enjoying the process and we’re just going to work really, really hard."

Their live music certainly lives up to the hype. It’s not a visually complicated show – although the dual singer dynamic offers an interesting focal point – the focus here is squarely on the songs, and it’s here that HAARM really deliver.

They rattle their way through a polished, well-rehearsed seven song set to a receptive and appreciative audience. While the tracks vary in pace and feel, each has clearly been crafted carefully in the studio before being taken onto the road, resulting in well-balanced songs with memorable choruses delivered in a cool, understated manner.

These aren’t tunes that try to bludgeon listeners into submission with obvious refrains or big hooks; instead, HAARM’s music carefully works its way into the subconscious, with intelligent lyrics and subtle earworms that will embed themselves into the listener’s psyche.

It all seems to be over a little too soon – HAARM suffer the same problem that all new bands have, in that they can easily fit all their best material into a half hour set. Hopefully the new music they produce this year will continue to be of this calibre – from the sound of tonight’s set they’re well on their way to a promising debut album.

HAARM perform at Manchester’s Gorilla on 28 February with Fenech-Soler