Words and photography by Georgina Hurdsfield
Any fan of indie or rock should know who JAWS are by now and if you don’t, it really is time to get to know. After recently releasing their latest album, The Ceiling, it is safe to say JAWS are very much sticking around. We caught the Birmingham three-piece at their Manchester show of their four date UK run.
With an early set time of 8:30pm, many gig-goers showed up with little time to spare before the band took to the stage. The venue was packed out on the floor with a small amount of people on the balcony due to most of the fans wanting to get involved with the chaos that was set to ensue. With this being JAWS’ biggest headliner to date, we were excited to see the difference between this gig in the 1500 capacity venue we were standing in then, compared with the last Manchester show which could hold a maximum of 620 people.
Looking / Passing was seemingly the perfect song to open with, a staple track from the new album, it showed off JAWS’ developed sound to the crowd and they seemed to soak it up. As the song came to a climax the crowd some responded with push-pits whilst the rest jumped up and down, singing along to every word, indicating the Manchester crowd were fully behind the new album.
Followed by a fan favourite ‘Right in Front of Me’, a single from their previous album, Simplicity. It was apparent that the crowd had that Friday feeling to its full effect. JAWS’ performance remained tight and consistent and the energy from the crowd never faltered even with slower, more emotional tracks such as ’17’.
The set list featured 9/10 songs from the new album, missing out the slowest number ‘January’, although it may have been needed to give the crowd a break from their own energetic performance. In spite of the set list consisting of mostly new songs, you could tell the crowd were not disappointed, especially during numbers ‘Do You Remember?’ and ‘Driving at Night’ which were clearly favourites from The Ceiling.
However, you couldn’t deny the spirit from the crowd when songs from previous albums were performed such as ‘Just a Boy’, ‘Stay In’ and ‘Be Slowly’, proving how important it is for bands not to put the classics to rest.
The way The Ceiling was performed live felt just right for JAWS. The new album sees their sound as more mature and honest. For anyone who has been following the band since their release Milkshake in 2013, the new songs are hugely relatable. JAWS could have easily recreated the sound of their prior two albums, but we are glad they didn’t as we love this heavier, yet still dreamy, sound. A hot pick from the new album being ‘Please Be Kind’.
A highlight for most would have been the encore of ‘Gold’, a favourite from Be Slowly. It wouldn’t feel right to end the set any other way.
You can purchase The Ceiling here, which we would highly recommend.
Featured image: Aaron Shaw ‘Is This Thing On?’ is a unique debut show, a product of the creative collaboration between Ellie Campbell, Megan Keaveney (MissMatch), and the So La Flair theatre company. Following its debut appearance at Contact Theatre, the show promises to be a memorable experience for those attending the tour across Wigan, Leeds,…
Featured image: aAh! In each print issue, aAh! Magazine explores one word which runs as its theme. Next up is The FRESHERS Issue 24/25. aAh! Magazine invites all Manchester Met students interested in journalism, writing, photography and design to pitch ideas to be considered for print publication for the upcoming issue: The FRESHERS Issue 24/25….
Featured image: Seagoth “This album is dedicated to all of the people who can’t take a day off from themselves, to the people who have to face their greatest fears every single day – and to all the pain we feel, may we heal”. – Seagoth on How to Stay Wide Awake. While studying music…
Featured image: So La Flair Theatre Ellie Campbell and Megan Keaveney graduated last year from Manchester Theatre School. The pair met at a house party in their first year, where Ellie was standing on a table singing her heart out to Florence and the Machine. Megan locked eyes with her and knew they would be…
Leave a reply