Haiver @ Òran Mór, Glasgow, 11 Dec

With only a handful of songs released so far, Haiver remain something of a mystery. Fronted by former Frightened Rabbit guitarist Billy Kennedy, the band has been carefully assembled over the past couple of years. With a scattering of live shows and festival appearances under their belt, it seems Kennedy is finally ready to step back into the spotlight. The impressive turnout for the group’s headline show at Òran Mór speaks both to his musical legacy and the curiosity of the fanbase he’s built.

Support on the night comes from newcomer Rupert Bullard and Aberdonian alternative rock band Ample House. Both are a good fit for the bill, sharing the same heart-on-sleeve approach to songwriting that runs through Haiver’s material too.

The bulk of tonight audience are Frightened Rabbit fans who find lots to enjoy in Haiver’s set, which inevitably shares some DNA with Kennedy’s previous band. The songs are understated and carefully constructed, built around delicate guitar lines and introspective lyrics. The twinkly and regretful So Slow is a particular highlight and is the closest the audience get to singing along on the refrain: 'I can’t retract the words I said to you / I think about them most / Days go by so slow when you’re not there'.

Image: Haiver @ Òran Mór, Glasgow, 11 Dec by Simon Murphy

But the biggest reception of the evening is reserved for Frightened Rabbit’s 2017 song Roadless. It is given a tender arrangement, which draws attention to the quality of the musicians who make up Haiver. The newest member, talented keyboard player and multi-instrumentalist Devin Casson, is introduced by Kennedy who jokes that she “brings our collective age down a lot.”

Between songs, Kennedy is chatty with an endearing nervous energy. He speaks unguardedly about a wide variety of things: sobriety, mental health, family, his time performing with Frightened Rabbit and friendship with Scott Hutchison. Haiver’s set is short but memorable; a restrained introduction to what the band is about, and enough of a window into the project to explain why so many people are already paying attention.