Jaws LIVE @ Think Tank, Newcastle 24.09.14

“Don’t want you/don’t need you” might be the words escaping Connor Schofield’s – frontman of dream-pop quartet Jaws– lips; however, it’s the bundle of soon-to-be fresher’s pogoing around Think Tank who Jaws owe their solid success too. Armed with an arsenal of dreamy gems from their newly released debut album, Be Slowly, Jaws’ night at Think Tank in Newcastle was most prominently a foreshadowing for the immediate future of music.

As part of the B-Town Massacre of 2013/2014 – the take-over which brought Indie darlings Peace and Swim Deep, the band with arguably the most audacious haircuts, to our ears – Jaws have rapidly levitated in the ranks by constantly finding themselves being tipped as ‘the ones to watch’. Recruiting the snarling, in-your-face Brawlers and the shimmering indie-rock Fickle Friends to accompany them as support at Think Tank, the night in Newcastle Upon-Tyne was bubbling with surprises and raw energy.

Opening with title-track of their debut album Be Slowly and sporting a vintage Newcastle United strip; Schofield launched into his spectacular vocal attack on the crowd as they swarmed, swirled and bounced as a unity beneath him. Rallying through brand-new adrenaline-filled songs (‘Time’ and ‘Sunset’) while occasionally slotting in highly-acclaimed tracks from The Milkshake EP (‘Friend Like You’, ‘BreeZe’ and ‘Toucan Surf’); Jaws managed to create the perfect harmony of appealing new tracks mixed with the pleasurable older.

Jaws were met with a scintillating round of applause as they ducked from the tiny stage of Think Tank, preparing them for the slaughtering encore which erupted shortly after. Preforming ‘NYE’ followed by the sheer radiating brilliance of ‘Gold’ – arguably Jaws’ paramount track to date – Jaws brought the house down with an extravagant cheer and while permanently cementing the fact that the only place this band can go, is up.

Ella Scott
@ell44h