Spare a thought for Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump. Between songs last night at Hammersmith Apollo, the singer in one of the world's biggest bands seemed to be searching for a hole to swallow him up. Terminally shy, he may be, or it may have had something to do with the super-ego prancing beside him.

Because as Stump hides beneath his baseball cap, the tiny be-hooded emo pixie and modern rock icon that is Pete Wentz laps up the attention and adulation. And in his defence, there is plenty to enjoy. The unflinching adoration is such even at the very back, there are fans who look contented to be even this close to their idols.

The love directed towards the stage is almost awe inspiring, but until the powerhouse Sugar, We're Going Down, it is still difficult to work out just what was the catalyst for such a loyal fanbase. As a band, FOB are as tight as you could wish. Joe Trohman's guitar work is flawless, despite his constant strutting and spinning, while the equally mobile Wentz on bass forms the backbone to much of their posthardcore/pop-punk sound.

But despite a handful of crackers, including the spellcheck nightmare, new single Thnks Fr Th Mmrs there is actually very little variety on display. When they do break away, as with the funky pop of recent hit This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race, even the less enamoured start dancing, and the hardcore fans, comprising roughly 95 per cent of the venue, go absolutely ballistic.

Fall Out Boy are a great band, technically flawless and with the contradictory attitudes of the frontmen providing a neat balance. However, the air of repetition that haunts this set betrays a lack of consistent quality.

Only a handful of songs warrant the hype, but then, with a few thousand people enraptured, you feel perhaps they've already done enough.