The Fleece, Bristol
No strangers to Bristol, Jaws returned to the city this past Friday for the opening night of their winter tour.
And the boys brought the light, the sound and the action.
A sold out Fleece waited in eager anticipation for B-Town pioneers to take to the stage silhouetted against the back drop of their full light show, but first were treated to the mellow grooves of support act Sugarthief .
Sugarthief
Despite still looking young enough to have to garner fake ID for a Friday night out, Sugarthief have been around for almost half a decade. Having played their first gig in the Autumn of 2015, the midland based band have amassed well over 100 odd gigs , including appearances on the Main Stage at YNOT festival, Isle of Wight, Truck, Kendall Calling and support slots with The Twang, The Night Cafe, Willie J Healy…
Only last year they picked up ‘Best Alternative / Indie Act 2018’ at the Inaugural Birmingham Music Awards.
And have received multiple plays on National radio by the likes of Steve Lamacq/Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music), and Gordon Smart (Radio X).
So it is of no surprise that the fresh faced fivesome got straight into their groove from the outset.
Despite recently losing their long term drummer the band play with a composure and relaxed tightness that permeate through their tunes.
Chilled grooves that could easily carry you back to a summer spent on road trips to the coast.
Frontman Jordi is a pleasure to watch as he casually swaps guitar for keyboard and performs in a way that shows he is lost in both moment and music.
A good band make performing seem effortless fun and Sugarthief have those attributes locked down.
Regulars at the Fleece will know that the stage is a pretty compact size, so watching the sound engineers bring stacks of equipment and lighting on to the relatively small space left you wondering if someone had over estimated the venue. However Band Manager Paul had explained to me earlier that Jaws were determined to bring the full show to each and every venue regardless of room.
It was to be a gamble that paid off massively.
Their was a palpable sense of excitement building as the neon JAWS sign crackled into life and the dazzling backdrop of blue strobes tried their best to conceal the bands arrival on stage.
But as soon as the crowd got wind of the silhouetted shapes of Conner, Alex, Leon and Eddy weaving their way to their stage positions the excitement reached fever pitch.
From the first chord and vocal the crowd were as one with the band. Dancing and singing along as the black country lads blazed through what is now a substantial back catalogue.
There was a real sense of affection for the band from a crowd that had wide eyes and even wider smiles.
If the band ever needed verification of a connection with their fan base this was it. From older tunes to brand new tunes from new album “The Ceiling” the crowd were as one as they sang the lyrics back at the band.
The lighting and charged atmosphere in the room seemed to have brought about a much more high tempo, energised performance than I was expecting from a band that I had never seen perform live previously. Having listened to all three studio albums I can say these are one of those bands that really translate well from car music during your commute to a big stage feel.
The night had one of those feelings where you could see the crowd feeding off the band. And the band feeding off the crowd. Connor never without a smile on his face, Leon playing with passion and expression. And a band that seemed genuinely happy to be back out on the road again and doing what they loved.
The crowd begged for and were treated to an extended encore before the band departed back into the shadows of their lights with the crowd still whooping and cheering.
Jaws…. Bristol welcomes you back whenever you wish. You have earned the musical freedom of the city.
