With less than two weeks’ notice, Fall Out Boy announced two intimate gigs at the beginning of the month in both London and Manchester. The quartet scheduled the somewhat secretive shows to celebrate their eighth studio album, So Much (For) Stardust, and chose the beloved Manchester venue, Band on the Wall, which has only recently re-opened. The venue has been a cultural hotspot in the city for decades, and was a well-know name in the late 1970s, lending its stage to the likes of Buzzcocks and Joy Division during the popular post-punk scene at the time.
Band on the Wall has reopened its doors after undergoing an extensive (and expensive!) transformation which has allowed the renowned punk-rock hub to resume their evenings dedicated to live music. With minimal tickets available, we were elated to have had the pleasure of being included in the small crowd of Fall Out Boy fans on Wednesday evening. Camping chairs were left lonely by keen gig-goers as we made our way into the venue, with a long line of eager fans still queueing around the building, ready to transport themselves back to the emo-dominated noughties and revel in the nostalgia.
As expected, the venue was bursting with enthusiastic fans. A sea of band tees and skinny jeans cavorted throughout the room, enthused at the prospect of seeing the boys in the flesh whilst dashing for last minute drinks and a space to stand. The venue soon fell quiet, as the quartet took to the stage. The band were met with fanatical screams, as they plunged straight into Love From the Other Side, a successful single from their latest album. As the likes of Sugar, We’re Goin Down, Uma Thurman and Grand Theft Auto were projected into the crowd, it was looking hopeful that the setlist was likely to be a welcomed amalgamation of tracks from throughout the years.
Fall Out Boy took the time to speak to the mob of fans before them, expressing their pleasure to be playing in Manchester. Lead singer, Patrick Stump, had even done his Mancunian homework, as he finished off his speech with, ‘anyway, here’s Wonderwall’, which was met with much amusement. Our hopeful expectations were met, as the band continued to execute a wide range of hits from each of their albums. Even after two decades of performing, the boys were just as enthralling and enthusiastic as they always have been. There is an evident connection between the bandmates, as their stage presence comes across as genuine and effortless. The electric environment Fall Out Boy manage to generate is an atmosphere that many bands fail to achieve.
Much to our surprise, after performing their popular hit, Centuries, Fall Out Boy finished their set with Saturday, a tune from their debut album. This unexpected finale was met with approval, highlighting the dedicated, day-one fans that filled the venue. The guys exited the stage, leaving a rush of adrenaline and nostalgia behind them as the crowd danced and chanted their way to the exit. As always, a night back in the noughties, with a few fresh tunes thrown in, did not disappoint.
Huddled under the arm of his mother, a twelve-year-old fan managed to meet the band outside, which we later found out through Instagram. For us, this verifies the commitment the band have to their fans which made the evening even more wholesome than it already was. So Much (For) Stardust is due to be released in just a weeks’ time, and we cannot wait to binge it ahead of their return to Manchester in October. You can guarantee we will be there, ready to – (sorry, we just had to do it) – sing until our lungs give out in the AO Arena, fulfilling all of our inner-emo needs.
