Joy, sweat and tears at Fall Out Boy's intimate UK shows

It’s not often that, in 2023, you get to see a legacy band in a venue the size they would have played 20 years ago. The mainstream emo resurgence that has brought reunions, revivals and general ramped-up activity from My Chemical Romance to Paramore has, so far, mostly unfolded in vast £10-a-pint arenas, football stadiums and festival grounds – fun, yes, but a far cry from the low ceilings and cheap thrills of their formative years. So it wasn’t surprising that, when Fall Out Boy announced two intimate shows in Manchester and London this week, tickets sold out faster than a 90s punk band (allegedly!!!). 

The London show saw the band grace Heaven, one of the city’s most historic and influential LGBTQ+ venues, where fans of all ages gathered to sing, scream and occasionally weep along to songs pulled largely from their early catalogue – Infinity on High, Take This to Your Grave and From Under the Cork Tree. This comes ahead of the arena tour Fall Out Boy will be doing in October in support of their upcoming eighth album So Much (for) Stardust. With everyone tightly packed into Heaven’s stone archways and dark corners, the band played a set that felt as nostalgic as did vital; a gift to fans who have been along for the ride longer than Patrick Stump’s hat collection. 

Thankfully, Huck was there to capture it all.

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