My Chemical Romance @ Barrowland

A prelude is performed while the band is concealed - this increases to greater volume as the drapes drop. The hidden beginnings segue into grandiose majesty. 'Dead!' and 'This Is How I Disappear' commence the evening, sharing attributes with the kind of shadowy magic acts presented at fairgrounds on the edge of towns. Gerard Way, clothed in dark red velvet, clutches a microphone that seems to morph into a wand. Though peppered with earlier releases such as 'I'm Not Okay', the show belongs to The Black Parade, the title track of which is wedged in between the jarring 'Mama' and 'Famous Last Words'. 'Teenagers', a response to vicious tabloids, is directed against a more general cultural trend that rips "aspirations to shreds" and produces automatons for the "murder machine." Despite having lost some of its lustre, the splendid Barrowland is the ideal venue for an event entangled with sinister, enticing peripheries. [Fabienne Apollo]