Photo: Justine Trickett
On the cusp of releasing their sixth studio album, American Beauty/American Psycho you'd never expect the arena-sized Fall Out Boy to be playing to 800 people in an old London assembly hall.
With a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, parents sat on seats around the room and awkward spaces appearing on the dancefloor, tonight feels like we could have been transported back to a school disco somewhere circa 2005. Yet, it’s 2015 and during a sodden month of January blues, we’re just happy for Fall Out Boy to serenade us into happier times.
Opening with ‘The Phoenix’ there’s a stampede of bodies racing to the front of the stage to greet Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz and Andy Hurley. The pounding beat of Stump’s guitar fills the room and excitable fans can’t contain themselves, creating a mini earthquake on the ground floor.
The band clearly relish the rare opportunity to play a venue smaller than a thousand fans: “We performed here for our last album launch, so we wanted to do the same for you tonight,” said Wentz.
Mostly filling the set with new songs from their upcoming album, it’s uplifting to hear the crowd singing along to every word from tracks including ‘Centuries’ and ‘American Beauty/American Pscycho’, which prove that Fall Out Boy still have what it takes to pen a radio-friendly sing-along anthem.
But it’s well loved hits such as ‘Sugar, We’re Goin Down’ and ‘Dance Dance’ that arguably ignite the most excitement from fans. Wentz sticks to his trademark bass spins, whilst Stump entertains us with his high-pitched vocal runs that accentuate every soulful tune in his body.
There’s no denying, even in an intimate venue, FOB can deliver a powerful tune. Our only concern is that at some points it felt like they’re missing a certain something - perhaps it’s down to the lack of pyro or costumes that we usually see at their heightened arena shows.
Most likely, however, is the absence of Joe Trohnman (attending his mother's funeral). Although stand-in guitar/bass player Josh Newton does a stellar job at keeping up with the band, after learning all the songs from scratch - it just feels a tiny bit less polished than normal.
However, this is a minor concern: the opportunity to see FOB in a space where you can still make eye contact is still cause for celebration. Fall Out Boy never fail to put a smile on your face - and if tonight's is any indication, their arena shows are going to be spectacular.
Fall Out Boy's UK tour begins on 3 October. Tickets go on sale 16 January at 9am. For more information and to buy tickets click here.
Saturday 3rd October – Leeds, First Direct Arena
Sunday 4th October – Aberdeen, AECC GE Oil & Gas Arena
Tuesday 6th October – Birmingham, Barclaycard Arena
Wednesday 7th October – Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
Friday 9th October – Manchester, Arena
Saturday 10th October – Bournemouth, International Centre
Sunday 11th October – London, The SSE Arena Wembley
