First things first. There are a lot of cunts who attend gigs in Leeds. Without wanting to tar everyone with the same brush, the number of people who barged past without so much of an apology and the number of people wearing backpacks larger than a small person, made for a venue which was hot, sweaty and probably 100 people over-sold. Not that I’m surprised, given JEW’s only headline show on this tour sold out in minutes. And while I’m glad it was kept to just the 900-odd that make up the Met Uni hall, I’m guessing there were far more actually in attendance as the room left everyone cramped like sardines.
Anyway, this was the first time since 2001 that I’d seen Jimmy Eat World and they don’t disappoint. After a few years away the band seem fresh and genuinely pleased to be here, and Jim’s generic ‘we love the UK, we hate the US’ rhetoric aside they lack the schamltzy side Yanks favour this side of the pond. The setlist is pretty much bang on. Playing for close to 90 minutes the band start with a greatest hits, run through a smattering of golden oldies and come back for a four-song encore which raises the roof. ‘Bleed American’ kicks things off with some passionate singing back from the crowd, ‘A Praise Chorus’ and ‘Work’ whip the crowd into a frenzy. ‘Futures‘ sounds bloomin’ marvellous while ‘Lucky Denver Mint’ was the first glimpse at the old JEW.
‘The Middle’ predictably kick-starts some kind of mosh pit, while the highlights for many were beautiful versions of ‘No Sensitivity’, ‘Blister’ and a shortened ‘Goodbye Sky Harbor’. My personal highlight was ‘Authority Song’. New track ‘Big Casino’ is one of two played and it sounds massive; huge guitar riff, soaring vocals and a potential JEW future smash hit. Jim and Tom trade vocal blows effortlessly and they look and sound every bit as good as you’d hope. The closing salvo of ‘Hear You Me’, ‘Kill’, ‘Sweetness’ and ‘Pain’ left this almost perfect. If you’re going to GIAN, you’re in for a treat. But then that was always going to happen anyway. Bring on the new album.
Setlist:
Bleed American
A Praise Chorus
Work
Lucky Denver Mint
Futures
Big Casino
Get It Faster
The Authority Song
Seventeen
Crush
Goodbye Sky Harbour
New Song
Blister
No Sensitivity
The Middle
ENCORE:
Hear You Me
Kill
Sweetness
Pain