Despite the cold weather and even signs of snowing befalling the evening that Australian pop-rock group The Faim were set to headline a show at The Haunt, that did not put fans off in the slightest. Pool Valley was full of exited and eager fans, as well as an abundance of photographers wanting to grab a piece of the action.

After letting fans in from the January cold, The Haunt once again proved their excellence in getting everything ready on time as it didn’t take long at all for the first supporting act of the night, Halflives.

Despite this show marking the band’s first time performing in Brighton, the French alt-pop group shone brilliantly with their charismatic, festival-ready performance. They also did an excellent job of involving the crowd frequently. Their sound was full of depth and brilliantly layered to create a beautiful experience. Halflives had everything they needed to make an impact.

Thanks to the first act starting off the show so well, the venue was nearly packed out before act number two, Chapel, set foot onto the stage. The two-piece had an incredibly vibrant and colourful atmosphere that felt very reminiscent of classic 80s pop, while also having a touch of The Killers in their sound. It was clear to see that the crowd were very into them and, once again, the crowd were heavily involved with their set, getting down to their excellent range of sing-along songs.

This was one of the first gigs I’ve been to where the songs chosen to play during the interludes were excellently picked. Between the end of Chapel’s set and the time for The Faim to begin, fans sung along to universally known tracks including ‘Uptown Funk’, ‘Mr Brightside’ and ‘All Star’ just to name a few. I felt that this was definitely noteworthy as it helped boost the crowd’s hype even further.

It was then time for The Faim to bring their high-energy performance to the venue. Their awesome and dynamic range of different pop styles were paired beautifully to the powerful and versatile vocals. It was incredibly fun through and through and many of the fans seemed to agree. There wasn’t a single bit of stillness in the crowd. The energy that The Faim emanated really rubbed off on the fans.

I totally understood what has been said about The Faim now. They have a very intimate connection with their fans, and this was proven not only with just how effortlessly they created a great energy in the crowd, but also with the frontman regularly chatting with fans in such a genuine manner; even moving into the crowd to perform one of their softer and more inspirational tracks.

After a triumphant finish to the main set, everybody was so impressed by the performance that The Faim didn’t even need to set foot off stage before performing a three-track encore. It was not only this, but many moments during the set as a whole that showed clear signs that the band enjoyed the evening just as much as we did.

This live show had exemplified such a high-standard that it arguably felt like being at a small festival. All of the acts that performed had such a remarkable stage presence and had really given fans a night to remember. It stood as yet another example of how live pop can bring such a magnificent atmosphere.

Joe Boothby

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