Poor RX Bandits. A moderately popular American act in their own right, they’re relegated to a 25-minute opening set on what is one of the biggest bills to fill the Roundhouse in some time. And to add insult to injury, they’re scheduled on an hour before the advertised door time.

That’s about as much as I can tell you. Getting there a little before the printed door time, I raced in to catch Motion City Soundtrack’s set, finding myself amongst a sparse 8pm crowd. Most of them were clearly loving the Roundhouse’s all-ages licensing, but unfortunately I can’t quite say the same – Motion City Soundtrack’s bubblegum pop-punk neither rocked hard enough to excite nor had the hooks of a good pop band.

It was interesting to watch the crowd change during the 20-minute break before Glassjaw. The scattered, mostly underage crowd gave way to an older guard of hardcore fans, who were rewarded for their efforts with a short, but searing set. Focusing more on the group’s brooding, mid-tempo numbers than their outright metal/hardcore material, the set consisted of tracks from both Glassjaw LPs, a scattering of rarities, and new song called All Good Junkies Go To Heaven.

Frontman Daryl Palumbo’s vocals were particularly strong throughout the set, soaring over his bandmates’ intense, focused rhythms. It was all too short though. Not even 25 minutes in, a punter shouts about his ten year wait for a tour. “For what?” replies Palumbo. “We’re offstage in about three minutes. I hope you’ve had a good feel.” And with that, another scorching number, and they’re gone.

It’s not hard to argue that none of tonight’s bands would be there without Sunny Day Real Estate. The veterans among a line-up of long-established punk/emo heavyweights, they played a strikingly good set to an increasingly enthusiastic response. Frontman Jeremy Enigk’s vocals sounded great, matched with a band that were remarkably tight for such a recent reformation.

The group was appreciative and clearly enjoying their time onstage, playing with an intensity that suggests they’re here for love, not money. And with a set-list of tracks from their newly reissued LPs Diary and LP2, they only got better as time progressed, ending with a masterful rendition of Diary closer Sometimes.

Headliners Jimmy Eat World brought the show full-circle, with their lengthy back catalogue bridging a gap between the younger audience of RX Bandits/Motion City Soundtrack and the older Glassjaw/Sunny Day Real Estate fans. The former cheered loudly for more recent material from Futures and Chase This Light, while the latter were looked after with a number of tracks from their 1999 breakthrough record Clarity.

But the biggest reactions were saved for the Bleed American tracks, with the title track, The Middle, Hear You Me and opener A Praise Chorus unanimously bringing the house down. For the first time in the evening the building was packed with enthused fans of all ages, although elements of the crowd did get embarrassingly over-excited at times. Circle pits at a Jimmy Eat World show? During material from Clarity? That kind of fare should’ve died with nu-metal, though I guess teenage boys will always need an outlet.

After a somewhat relentless 80 minutes, they drew the set to a close with a blistering Sweetness and never returned, with stage hands frantically packing up, the venue now creeping past curfew. Fans cheered for an encore to no avail, trudging out enthralled but gagging for more. A good way to be post-gig for sure, but I can’t help but wish that the two openers were sacrificed to give the closing trio of bands more substantial stage time.