Haim expressed their intense disapproval of a comment that questioned whether bassist Este Haim was “acting” during a performance.
The LA band, formed in 2007 by sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, perform vocals as well as play instruments on their songs, which include “The Wire”, “The Steps” and “Now I’m In It”.
On Saturday (10 June), NME posted a video of the group performing their 2013 track “My Song 5” on Instagram.
Este is known for pulling expressive faces and making large movements while playing the bass, as seen in the clip.
Yet her performance style led to one commenter questioning whether she was “acting”.
“Is it just me or is that bassist just acting?” they wrote.
The band soon responded directly to the comment with: “Lol I can’t believe this s*** is still happening.”
Danielle, middle sister and the band’s lead vocalist, then shared a screenshot of the interaction and posted it on the band’s Instagram story on Sunday (11 June).
“I’m so used to seeing this s*** on every f***ing video of us playing ever, but I’m so over it,” her message reads.
“Don’t ever say we don’t f***ing play our instruments.”
Fans of the band have joined in with expressing their upset. One fan page added: “It’s always men talking s*** about women playing rock music. Be a little more original next time guys.”
Haim have shared their frustrations with people underestimating their musical abilities on a number of occasions.
Their 2020 song “Man From the Magazine”, from their album Women in Music: Part III, addresses the gender bias they’ve faced, including from the music industry. In the lyrics, they criticise men who make sexist remarks about their performance style and skill.
“Man from the music shop, I drove too far / For you to hand me that starter guitar / ‘Hey girl, why don’t you play a few bars?’ / Oh, what’s left to prove?” Danielle sings.
When speaking to The Independent in 2020, Este spoke about the sceptical comments she receives for her expressive “bass face”.
“I think some men have a problem with seeing a woman enjoying herself,” she said. “That’s threatening to them.”
