Jimmy Eat World, 15/09/13, Leeds O2 Academy

It's that time of year again. All the festivals are done and dusted, the weather's getting horrible, and all the bands take to the tour buses and head out for another run. For me, it's Jimmy Eat World up first for the latter half of 2013. After seeing them at Download, I had to see them again on this small tour.

Support tonight comes in the form of Essex four piece, We Are The Ocean. A very fitting support act, We Are The Ocean's more mature sound on 2012's 'Maybe Today Maybe Tomorrow' is a good warm up for what came afterwards. Opening with 'Trouble is Temporary, Time is Tonic' touches upon where they once were. Liam Cromby manages to get through the song, originally recorded as dual vocals with ex-singer, Dan Brown. It's a good thing, not to leave behind 'Go Now and Live' as it's a brilliant album, but it's obvious Cromby struggles at times. He sounds much more comfortable singing newer material. 'Bleed' gets everyone clapping along, 'Runaway' is a hands in the air power ballad and 'Young Heart' is even more emotional live. It's closer 'The Waiting Room' that gets everyone going 'oh, yeah, I know who they are now'.

Jimmy Eat World are a band of little banter, less showy off, no extravagant pyrotechnics, just the four men and their instruments. Throughout their albums is the tinge of loss, falling in love, angst, falling out of love, bad, bitter break ups and gut-wrenching heartbreak. So tonight shouldn't feel as upbeat as it does, right?

Instead of a dramatic, massive opening, the band, lead by Jim Adkins walk onto the stage, introduce themselves and launch into 'I Will Steal You Back'. They've set the tone in that one song. What follows is a set full of emotive songs. 'Big Casino' gets the crowd moving as does sing along ballad, 'Always Be'.

Halfway through, the music comes to a halt with Jim Adkins shouting for the band to stop. Two guys are having a fight in the middle of the crowd and Adkins decides to call them out. Watch the video, it's actually brilliant. Adkins has a way of commanding a crowd without swearing, without calling everyone 'motherfuckers' every verse end, he comes across as truly caring about the fans and their well being. The two villains of the evening are promptly boo-ed by the crowd, Adkins gets a big cheer and the show goes on.

A huge sandwich of ballads slows things down quite a lot. This section of the show is strictly reserved for the more hardcore Jimmy Eat World fans. 'Hear You Me' manages to get phones in the air and a huge sing along. But it's 'Bleed American' that really brings things back up a notch. Disappear for the encore only to return with a perfectly predictable closer in the form of 'The Middle'. It's no surprise, but it get the loudest screams and singing of the night.

Credit for the video goes to LS Photography on YouTube.