JAWS AT HEAVEN

Photocredits - www.theupcoming.co.uk

Emerging from the upcoming Birmingham B-Town scene with their EP Toucan Surf in 2012, JAWS have frequently (and righteously) been named as ‘the ones to watch’. Back in September, the release of their much-awaited album Be Slowly marked a growing point in their music; they swayed away from the almost futuristic, whimsical sounds of their older material and progressed towards something more fast-paced, whilst still keeping their dreamy sound that was born two years before. Taking the stage at Heaven nightclub on Wednesday night, it was my third time seeing the band, and bearing in mind I was initially keener to see Slaves at the NME tour than JAWS, I maintain that their unique sound and relaxed, 90’s vibe style of music is always worth catching live.

Turning up on stage to Kanye West was slightly cringe-inducing, but it set the youthful crowd into a frenzy for the opening song, Donut, which seemed a surprising choice seeing as it’s certainly not one of JAWS’ most popular hits. Still, the lack of abundant significance in the lyrics and the prominent bass sounds make me think that it could surface as JAWS’ equivalent of 1998. Frontman Connor Schofield is down to earth; the epitome of relaxation on stage, and doesn’t make a scene out of anything other than the music. Dressed in a simple Adidas tee shirt and jeans, it prompts the question of whether he could fit into the mould of true alternative rock-star status, should JAWS become big.

The set that followed was a varied mixture of old and new material, including some fresh songs that were recent recordings for the band. BreeZe, as well as a slowed rendition of Stay In unsurprisingly encouraged sing-alongs from the crowd, but it was disappointing that there were points where it seemed people were more intent on shoving each other around than paying any attention to what was happening on stage, particularly so in Time. Even so, encore Gold provided the highlight of the night, prompting the overexcited responses from the audience that, sadly, I felt some of the other songs lacked.

It did seem like the crowd was slightly lacklustre in comparison to the number of people who came to see JAWS at The Garage in September, but I assume this was partially down to the gig coinciding with the NME Awards. Nevertheless, Connor and the rest of the band didn’t let this put them off and they still produced an effortless performance.



My favourite JAWS songs: Cameron, Gold, Home
For listeners of: Swim Deep, Peace, Splashh