Simon Rushworth
Thousands of rock fans from across the UK and beyond will be descending on Berkshire and Yorkshire this weekend for the traditional finale of the British rock festival season.
And if Download, Sonisphere, High Voltage et al weren’t enough to satisfy that appetite for loud music then Leeds and Reading 2011 will deliver plenty of rifftastic acts.
Today we throw the focus on headliners My Chemical Romance – the all-grown-up emo giants have always polarised opinion and this weekend will be no different….
Band Name: My Chemical Romance
Date: Friday August 26 (Reading)/Saturday August 27 (Leeds)
Stage: Main Stage
Hit or miss: MISS – Gone are the days when MCR were the ultimate emo hit, guaranteeing die-hard fans and interested onlookers an instant shot of axe-fuelled adrenaline. These days the band/brand lacks focus, direction and the wow factor as the various members all too often deliver a bloated parody of their glorious former selves. If you fancy an early night – or want to remember MCR for what they once were – then you’ll lose nothing by avoiding this set.
Craziest song title: Na, Na, Na (Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na). Enough said.
Most bizarre band member name: Gerard Way. Forename makes him sound like an old bloke with a moustache. Surname is just plain strange.
Current album: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (2010)
Future prospects: Last year’s latest album charted 12 places lower than 2006’s career-defining The Black Parade in the UK and just scraped into the Top 10 of the Billboard chart back home. And while commercial clout has never offered the full picture where a record’s true quality is concerned, in the case of MCR an ordinary release coincided with some distinctly average live shows. And this band was never, ever ordinary or average. A triumphant Leeds/Reading set could mark a comeback of sorts but it won’t be enough to dissuade fans and critics alike that MCR are a band on the wane.