"If you want to believe we're a boyband, there's nothing I can say or do to make you change your mind." In early 2001, Linkin Park went stratospheric. Here's a snapshot of a band during blastoff

Linkin Park in 2001.

In 2001, it was easy to be suspicious about Linkin Park's authenticity. The band came out of nowhere as a complete package – memorable songs, great videos, spiky hair and parachute-sized jeans that were horribly in fashion. Their Hybrid Theory debut was so accessible, it shifted a over a million copies in a matter of months. ‘They must be a boy band,’ said many as the six-piece were rapidly becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet.

So less than five months after their album was released, this writer traveled to an unseasonably chilly Spain where the band were main support to Deftones on their 2001 European tour…