Haven Live at the Charlotte

Haven are a band with big chorus’, very polished licks and play emotional rock songs.
They have a guitar technician who tunes, re-tunes over and over to a sell out crowd who are kept waiting by a band who seem to have had allot of money spent on them.
I suppose this is what record companies call a “priory” act.
I am squashed between two fat indie girls and we are blocking the way to the girls’ toilets...nightmare.
I’m quickly running out of air here but I’m told not to worry because Gary Briggs (lead singer) has a voice that will leave me breathless. Haven’s web site states that the band are “on the verge of ubiquity” and I’m on the verge of being crushed by obesity.
The strobes kick in and at last they stroll on stage then I notice that they are all wearing “in ear monitors” as well as having brought in their own P.A and digital lighting system. This reeks of everything that they will claim they are not (i.e. a corporate rock band). They play and it sounds very impressive but I’ve a nagging feeling that this performance seems a little too much like a stroll in the park. I think they’ve been playing these songs for a very long time. I get home and watch the video on the Internet to “say something” their hit single and I can now confidently place the band alongside the Christian band Delirious? After reading their mission statement I think they would rather have us believe that they are as genre defining as the Smiths or Stone Roses. Will Gary forgive me if I say that he has a better voice than Ian Brown?...I thought not.

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Naim Cortazzi