Jaws @ East Village Arts Club, Liverpool, 22 September

Duuun dun, duuun dun, dun dun dun dun… It’s clear that the hype gathering around tonight’s headliners, Jaws, in their native Birmingham has spread, as the East Village Arts Club gathers a substantial crowd this Sunday evening. As they grace the stage with an amalgamation of greasy, floppy haircuts and grunge-inspired attire straight outta the 90s, it’s easy to assume we’re going to be treated to a nostalgic, slacker pop revival. Yet Jaws are more than meets the eye, with their blend of dreamy nu-gaze sounds and droning riffs.

Run Tiger Run, supporting alongside hotly-tipped Liverpool locals Vynce, warm up the eager crowd with their spirited instrumentals and penultimate track Hummingbird, the lyrics of which burn the band’s name deeply into our heads.

With little fuss Jaws launch into Toucan Surf, their new single from EP Milkshake, which sounds somewhere in between upbeat summer pop and bleary-eyed, washed-out rock. The highlight of the set arrives at the midway point with Gold, which explodes in a release of built up tension and teases out spurts of movement from the crowd.

Jaws' retro 90s stylings of haze-inducing rock echoes around the high ceilings and expansive surroundings of this former theatre, but it becomes obvious between tracks that the band is not on top form tonight. Facing away from the crowd to cover his head in a towel, frontman Connor Schofield, sombre and enigmatic throughout, is clearly struggling with illness, which explains the short six-song set.

Despite leaving us yearning for more, Jaws put on a tight, solid performance and certainly show us that the music scene in B-Town has a lot to offer. [Natasha Linford]