JIMMY EAT WORLD: Norwich UEA 12/3/05

The place went dark, the faithful Norfolk kids wildly slapped together their webbed seven-fingered hands as a sign of complete hero worship and the Prince of Emo, Jim Adkins, appeared, bathed in blue light and clutching an acoustic guitar.


And so began one of the most gobsmackingly amazing sets by any band I have ever ever seen. Albeit a touching, if a little slow, start to the proceedings, this just meant that when the rocking went off, it went off with a bang. It's not often that I am absolutely in awe of the honest-to-God power of four guys and a few musical instruments who, with the ability to create so much sound (not noise, sound), energetically kick the world up the jacksy, never mind eating it, but, my oh my, do these four work for and deserve that admiration.


I think their success is in their songs. Yes; I dare say that is a bloody obvious thing to say about a band but you know what it's like when you see live music. You want to sing along, you want to hear something that you know-oh (you want to feel like part of this is your-or-ors, damn right). Which is what is so refreshing about Jimmy Eat World; the tracks are so catchy that even those you have never heard before are familiar in a matter of seconds and will have you humming incessantly for the rest of the night (thank heavens- I've had Peter Kay and that sodding Amarillo song in my head since Friday). A huge soundtrack which speaks for itself, they have no real messages and they don't need them; simply a group of rock and rollers with their hearts on their sleeves and a fistful of belting harmonies up them, they played old, they played new and they played "The middle", "Sweetness" and "The Pain" to pantwetting proportions. If you've got a ticket for one of their upcoming sell out shows, lucky you. If you haven't, you've just missed one of the best live bands to slip through your fingers in many a blue moon. Shame on you.

Anna C.