Andy Shauf @ Gullivers, Manchester, 9 Feb

Like his music, Andy Shauf’s entrance is endearingly understated. As the band politely shuffle their way through the crowd and onto the stage, pre-show chatter cools to an excited murmur ("I think Andy Shauf just knocked my beer!") before the opening notes of Drink My Rivers charm the room into silence.

Shauf comes across as reserved but his stage presence is immense. The stage show is minimal – spotlights against a red curtain – but the lack of distraction makes it all the more captivating. Backed by drums, bass and two clarinets, he draws you into a world of colourful characters and broken hearts with a quiet brilliance that recalls the best of Randy Newman or Elliott Smith. Although packed out, Gullivers is practically hermetic, the crowd letting the first few songs ring out untarnished – save the occasional crack of a plastic pint glass.

The room loosens up as Shauf launches into a string of tracks from last year’s breakthrough album The Party, including The Worst in You, Quite Like You and the melancholic sway of To You. Choosing tone over volume, each instrument fits perfectly into the mix, and Shauf’s unique choice of instrumentation and ear for melody marry perfectly on Twist Your Ankle, when the clarinets double the vocal line during the enchanting ‘doo doo doo’ refrain.

Songs like Wendall Walker embody Shauf’s songwriting style; deeply personal character studies coloured with moral ambiguity and maybe a plot twist or two. On The Magican, Shauf describes a person lost in insecurity, putting on a show for the world – ‘Do you find it gets a little easier each time you make it disappear?’ But unlike his characters Shauf seems relaxed, and with a knowing smile says, "I must be the worst person to have at a party." Judging by the response tonight, we’d have to politely disagree.