The lead singer of a US rock band has shared his admiration for London, highlighting it as one of his favorite cities to perform in. Jim Adkins, the lead vocalist and guitarist for Arizona-based band Jimmy Eat World, praised the city ahead of their headline performance at Gunnersbury Park in west London in August.
This event marks the band’s largest UK gig to date, with a capacity of 20,000 people expected to attend this summer. The concert is being held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their third album, Bleed American, which played a significant role in shaping the early 2000s emo movement and earned them millions of fans worldwide — including some famous ones.
Taylor Swift has publicly expressed her admiration for Jimmy Eat World, having previously brought Jim on stage during her 2011 tour and using their song The Middle in a 2016 Apple Music advert. Additionally, Prince covered their work at an Oscar’s afterparty in 2009.
When Bleed American was released, it achieved massive success, going Platinum in the US by August 2002, just over a year after its release. This means it sold more than one million copies. For context, albums from that year by Paul McCartney (Driving Rain) and Oasis (There and Then) only sold half a million records.
Tracks from the album have also been featured in various TV shows and films over the years. Hear You Me appeared in One Tree Hill and the 2004 Hilary Duff film A Cinderella Story, while The Middle was played in the TV series Smallville and Roswell.
Jim shared why he loves performing in London, saying: “London is one of my favourite places to play. The shows themselves have an energy that’s hard to find anywhere else. Some people have told me, ‘London’s jaded as they get everything [in terms of bands playing], so every time you play you have to win over the cool police.’ But we’ve never experienced that.”
“For us, it’s people who have decided that they’re going to go off before they left the house. It’s just the connection when you’re performing to a crowd like that, it’s just amazing, and we’ve always felt that.”
Jim also highlighted the band’s most memorable gigs in London over the years, including Brixton Academy in 2022 and Alexandra Palace in 2024 — two key performances following the pandemic. He described the Alexandra Palace show as a “mind-blowing experience” that he never imagined they’d be able to do.
“The Brixton Academy show we put on sale just before the world shut down. A year and a half, almost two years later, we played that gig and people just went off,” he said. “The venue is just perfect — it’s as big as you can possibly get while still retaining the intimacy of being able to see everybody.”
Jimmy Eat World’s 2026 UK tour dates include:
- August 14 – The Piece Hall, Halifax
- August 15 – Cardiff Castle, Cardiff
- August 16 – Gunnersbury Park, London
The Bleed American 25th Anniversary UK tour dates are available for purchase at jimmyeatworld.com.
Jim also urged fans to support local music venues, especially after news that 30 grassroots music venues have closed permanently in the UK over the past year. “A lot of the places we would play when we started out have now shut down, and they were really special,” he said. “The biggest thing you can pitch in as a music fan is patronise them.”
He added: “Suggest what you think would be cool to see there and pitch it to them.”
During their days off, the band enjoys exploring London’s cultural offerings. Jim mentioned The Photographer’s Gallery in Soho as a standout spot and noted that he loves indulging in curry. He specifically highlighted Dishoom, a Bombay-style cafe chain, as his favorite place to visit.
“During the pandemic I was trying to cook my way through the Dishoom cookbook,” he said. “The Chicken Ruby is my go-to.”
While Dishoom is high on his list during their summer visit, the Gunnersbury Park show remains the main focus. “I can’t believe the response to our Bleed American shows so far, it’s absolutely insane,” Jim said. “I want to thank everybody who has already bought a ticket to come see the shows. It’s a huge deal for us, and we really appreciate all of you who are coming.”
