Originating from Chicago, Illinois, USA, emo band Fall Out Boy began to take shape at the turn of the new millennium. Formed by Patrick Stump (b. 27 April 1984, Evanston, Illinois, USA; vocals/guitar), Joseph Trohman (b. 1 September 1984, Chicago, Illinois, USA; guitar), Pete Wentz (b. 5 June 1979, Wilmette, Illinois, USA; bass) and Andrew Hurley (b. 31 May 1980, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; drums), all the members had played with different emo and metal-core units based around Chicago's insular underground hardcore scene. Wentz was most prominent as the leader of cult hardcore favourites Arma Angelus. As Fall Out Boy they embraced a more melodic direction while retaining the ferocious intensity of their hardcore roots. A demo CD emerged in 2001 and was followed by a split album with Project Rocket. The short and snappy Fall Out Boy's Evening Out With Your Girlfriend was released on the Uprising label at the start of 2003. The album served notice of the quartet's fast developing mastery of the pop punk style and their witty, self-referential lyrics.
Released only a few months later, the quartet's debut for Less Than Jake drummer Vinnie Balzano's Fueled By Ramen label, Take This To Your Grave, was completed using money from the band's concurrent contract with major label Island Records. The album's strong critical reception allied to support from the band's powerful Internet-based fanbase, established Fall Out Boy's reputation at the forefront of the alternative rock scene. Confirming their popularity, the band's first album to be distributed through Island, From Under The Cork Tree, shot into the US Top 10 in May 2005. The corking "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" also reached the upper regions of the singles chart. The first single to be drawn from their next major label release, "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race", was a major US hit at the start of 2007. Infinity On High confirmed the band's major league status, debuting at the top of the US charts in February.
