MCR aren’t the ‘Killjoys’ they used to be

— Steven Lawrence contributed with this article

My Chemical Romance brought their World Contamination Tour to Nottingham last Saturday, as they arrived with their popularity on an all time high.

Prior to the show beginning, slogans from the bands latest album “Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys” were projected on either side of the stage, often filled with ambiguity, the penultimate message “Everything is Perfect” summed the night up wonderfully.

The audience were subjected to a very much technicolour affair in comparison to the morbidity of “The Black Parade”.

Simplicity was definitely key for their live performances as the stage consisted only of an assortment of lights, video screens, and the screams echoed from Ray Toro and Frank Iero’s guitars.

Opening with a hardened performance of recent single, “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)”, it’s clear that this show was about the music and less about “The Black Parade” style dramatics. Gerard Way’s utter exuberance was reflected by the audience’s euphoria, in a gig that felt a kind of intimacy between the two.

As My Chemical Romance performed as a six piece their patent energy meant for a classic rock ‘n’ roll show. With zestful rendition’s of “Party Poison”, “DESTROYA”, as well as merging songs from past albums including “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” and “Teenagers” as tracks blissfully bled into one another.

This meant for more intimate versions of “Cancer” and a re-imagined “The Ghost of You”. Evidently, MCR are a changed band in every sense of the word, and it definitely works.

The performance flowed seamlessly with a blend of electronica and samples dispersed between tracks, as the set became a complete combination of the old and the new. Songs “SING”, “Planetary (GO!)”, and the Ramones-esque “Vampire Money” are a mere depiction of the reformation of MCR.

Way commanded the audience effectively acting as the glue between the band and the audience. The focal point was seized by Way throughout their riotous set as he addressed the audience in between tracks, as he was the component of the shows elation.

As the end of the set approached, the infamous “Welcome To The Black Parade” caused rampant mayhem as Way dedicated the track to the ‘MCRmy’. However, it must be said that even the band’s more macabre tracks of “Helena” and “Mama” were altered to align with their new persona of “The Killjoys”, which makes for a more dynamic set.

Despite My Chemical Romance ending their encore abruptly, perhaps this was a statement to show that they are simply not a phase and are bestowing a refreshing rock ‘n’ roll ethic back into the mainstream. Although, it is hard not to think that with a swarm of young fans at the forefront of the fierceness of performance, will ‘The Killjoys’ burn out?