Haven are near to mapping the site

Some bands have an incredible knack to drop off from the reality’s radar between the albums: Manics, Travis, JJ72, Gomez, Embrace, Haven… Since playing at the last year’s festis, V2003 and T In The Park, the quartet have all but disappeared. In spite of a talk that the sophomore album would drop in September…

Well, six months hence ‘For All A Reason’ would be available for mass consumption and, produced by Johnny Marr, it will re-enforce The Smiths’ comparison. The band hits the road to introduce some new songs and play few favourites almost two months ahead to - what better? - a bunch of students fortified by subsidised beer. But, it is not only the uni-‘scene’…

Their music fits directly into the Brit - OK, and Irish, to nod toward The Thrills - obsession with the West Coast sounds of a bygone age. And, it seems it was destined to be: the band’s two principal members, singer Gary Briggs and guitarist Nat Wason, met in a Penzance second-hand record shop over a vintage Quicksilver Messenger Service album neither could afford; so, they put their monies together that led to forging a creative partnership they relocated to Manchester (of all places!?).

The band’s sonic expression’s original influences breeze inspirationally through songs that recall the beauty of a Californian sunset, brightness and crispness of its mornings but it gets as sizzling as its midday sun. Although it is getting rockier, one feels the Haven’s greatest snag is – making polite music. However, nothing more or less than the rest of the like-minded musos and with the equal doze of charisma/ego display.

Among the new songs are the singles, ‘Tell Me’ (previous) and ‘Wouldn’t Change A Thing’ (forthcoming), augmented by ‘What Love Is’ [a mighty, epic-proportioned song that served as the LP’s working title for a while], while the actual title track displays some delightful funkiness… Alas, they fail to perform the best cut on the album #2, the concluding ‘Getaway’: large, brave, brush, complex, kicking and a future arena shaker!

All the new material is received with a mixture of curiosity and instincts but nothing compares with the familiar sounds of tracks from the debut disc, ‘Between The Senses’: ‘Let Me Live’, ‘Till The End’, ‘Say Something’… The reaction of the audience is huge due to Haven being more assertive onstage, as well as looser, solid, vital and far less restricted than on the records.

A trio of requirements for a music career used to be songs, talent and looks; Haven have all three but, nowadays, luck plays huge part or, in their case, it could be working harder on cultivating their ‘Smith-ery’. [Silly fib, the reviewer is a known Morrissey-basher - Ed Doe.] Anyhow, a neat homily on the path to the place of their handle.

Setlist:

‘Let It Live’
‘Till The End’
‘For The First Time’
‘Wouldn’t Change A Thing’
‘Say Something’
‘Change Direction’
‘Tell Me’
‘Have No Fear’
‘Still Tonight’
‘What Love Is’
‘All For A Reason’
‘Is This Bliss’
‘Beautiful Thing’