Fall Out Boy play intimate gig at Band on the Wall -…

Fall Out Boy play intimate gig at Band on the Wall - review and pictures

11-year old me was a Fall Out Boy super-fan. I can still remember 'Sugar We're Goin Down' coming out on a day my mum had chosen to take me to Cheshire Oaks…dress shopping.

Clad in all black with the only accents of colour the skulls on my belt, I wasn't interested in shopping then, and definitely not for dresses. Oh no, I was only interested in using my iPod to listen to the song on repeat for the whole trip, much to my mum's disdain.

I couldn't get enough of how angsty it was whilst making me want to get up and dance - it felt like puberty was the perfect time to be listening to stuff like this. "You just don't understand me, mum" was the vibe I was attempting to go for, and Fall Out Boy were the perfect soundtrack.

Today, the popularity of Fall Out Boy hasn't gone anywhere. Social media in Manchester went crazy when FOB announced they were doing an intimate gig at Band On The Wall, a 500-person capacity venue, and I was internally screaming as I walked in, ready to let my repressed rock chick do her thing.

Fall Out Boy played an intimate gig at Band on the Wall (Kenny Brown)

I heard people outside discussing how tough it was to get tickets, with some people telling their friends who hadn't managed to secure them. Some were saying they had paid up to £200 for the privilege of attending at such an intimate venue like Band on the Wall.

But fans who didn't get into this gig can at least take comfort that the band are returning in October for a UK arena tour. It includes playing Manchester's AO Arena on October 29.

So, admittedly, I do listen to FOB a lot less as a 27-year-old woman, but the second I heard them start their set I was hooked, and left remembering why I adore them so much. The whole venue was bouncing as they kicked off with 'Love From the Other Side', then they transitioned into 'The Phoenix'.

When 'Sugar We're Goin Down' came on, I was left screaming like a giddy pre-teen, flicking my hair back and forth to the music. I was in my element.

The whole place was buzzing and it felt so good to be part of such an intimate gig atmosphere, which is what Pete Wentz alluded to when he launched into a monologue about thinking he'd never be able to gig again when Covid hit, encouraging us all to live in the moment, as we are the moment.

New songs from the latest album So Much (for) Stardust were played, but the focus very much was on the classics. They played banger after banger, the likes of 'Dance, Dance', 'American Beauty', and 'Thnks fr th Mmrs'.

Lead singer Patrick Stump even spoke about how Fall Out Boy wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the Manchester music scene, then joking he was "going to play Wonderwall." To be honest, I would've thoroughly enjoyed a FOB x Oasis mash-up.

Then, Patrick said we had to pretend they were walking off for an encore. In the final moments they played 'Centuries' followed by 'Saturday'. It was a seriously fun night, and a chance to channel 11-year-old me rocking out to one of my old faves.