This past Friday saw me take a very welcome trip back to my late teens. Jimmy Eat World, a band I hold as synonymous with discovering all about my teenage emotions, returned to the UK on their Integrity Blues tour. I’ll admit, as much as I love this new record, one I feel takes us back to the classic Jimmy messages, I was also desperate to hear the tracks that got me through my more awkward phases.

The band did not disappoint. From the moment I saw the simple, yet brilliantly effective, streetlight stage props, I knew I was in for a brilliant night.

Opening the set with the wonderfully catchy ‘Get Right’ ensured a buzzing atmosphere. The fact that it was swiftly followed by the intense guitars and punchy lyrics of ‘Bleed American’ transported me right back to my youth, and from the faces of those around me, I could tell I wasn’t there alone.

The band, tight as ever, expertly stormed their way through almost two hours of what their exceptional back catalogue has to offer.

‘A Praise Chorus’ had the whole guildhall singing along and even stirred up enough to get a pit started…something I haven’t seen in a long while. This was beautifully juxtaposed with the stunning ‘Polaris.’

They perfectly blended the old with the new, ‘Sure and Certain’ sitting happily alongside ‘Work’ and ‘Blister.’

By the time they closed their set with ‘Sweetness’ the only response to Jim Adkins ‘Are you listening?’ was to ‘Sing it Back.’

For further listings on upcoming events at the O2 Guildhall Southampton check out their website o2guildhallsouthampton.co.uk.

📷 by Sara Blankemeyer