BAND MEMBERS

GERARD WAY - Singer
RAY TORO - Lead guitar, Backup vocals
MIKEY WAY - Bass
FRANK IERO - Rhythm guitar, Backup vocals

Jarrod Alexander - Drummer
Jamie Muhoberac - Keyboard, Percussions

PAST MEMBERS

Matt Pelissier - Drummer [2001-2004]
Bob Bryar - Drummer [2004-2010] | deceased 2024
James Dewees - Keyboard [2007-2013]
Michael Pedicone - Drummer [late 2010-2011] | fired for stealing from the band

TIMELINE

Gerard Way formed the band in 2001 after the 911 attacks. Matt, Ray and Mikey joined, Frank joined later in 2002. They recorded the first song "Skylines And Turnstiles" in early October of 2001. Mikey [Gerards younger brother] came up with the band name after seeing the book 'Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance by Irvine Welsh' while working at a Barnes & Noble bookstore. The first album, "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love" [or just 'Bullets'] was released on the 23rd of July 2002, signed with Eyeball Records.

The next year in 2003, the band signed with Reprise Records, releasing the second album "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge" in 2004. Shortly after, Matt was replaced by Bob. This album attained platinum over a year later.

Then, in 2006, "The Black Parade" was released, with "Welcome To The Black Parade" topping the UK singles chart. Making it the bands most sucessful album.

Bob left just before in 2010, the 4th and final album [for now]; "Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys" is released. For the time Bob was gone, Michael Pedicone joined, then was fired not even a year later for allegedly stealing from the band, he was replaced with Jarrod.

in 2012 and 2013 the band released "Conventional Weapons", a bunch of singles recorded in 2009 [5 2 song EPs]

On March 22nd 2013, the band announced their breakup. They released a greatest hits album "May Death Never Stop You" and went quiet.

Until October 2019 when they announced a reunion tour in December. They did 1 show the covid hit, postponing the rest of the shows until 2022-2023.

In May 2022, the band released their first song since the breakup, "The Foundations Of Decay"

In 2025-2026, the Long Live The Black Parade tour takes place.

Why is this band special?

Since the very beginning, the band has been about saving lives, and has done just that. In 2008, over 100 MCR fans gathered to object the Daily Mail reports calling the band a "suicide cult band".The Daily Mail claimed MCR is "one of the foremost of the "suicide cult" groups forming part of the "emo" phenomenon"

"I love MCR, it saves lives. The Daily Mail are liars and all they want to do is put the youth against the adults; they just hate us and it's really unnecessary, it's just wrong, I've read a couple of the articles and they've actually misquoted lyrics and the research was so badly done, it was unbelievable. I actually thought the story was a hoax when I found it on the internet." - Tabitha Reed
Emos are being portrayed as suicidal and miserable and they're not, Since my daughter met the friends she's got, she's happy, she's got a social life, she's not suicidal, she's got confidence. It's about the music and being friends and having fun. I wanted to come here to say that, as a parent, I support what she does; they are not cult, they're safe and I'm happy." - Vikki Bourne
"I know people who've done it in the past but they've always come through it. Some have listened to MCR and it's built their confidence up so they could come back like they were before." - Craig Goodwin

The fame was so traumatic for the band that they split up, but always standing by the message to never give up. Since the comeback in 2019, the band has grown, have gotten sober, raised children and are the healthiest and happiest theyve ever been. Watching this transformation unfold infront of you, by a band that has saved so many people so many times, watching that band save themselves and get through is magical.

MY chemical AUTISM

I'm autistic and MCR has been my special interest for over 4 years now pretty much non stop. Alot has happened in 4 years, and i truly believe im still here thanks to this band. It started as a joke honestly, "EMO Gerard Way MOANING video", fuck yeah! but oh no it didnt end there... something about this band, really looking through Gerard putting their hand down their pants and whimpering, i knew this was the band.. YES THAT IS REALLY HOW I GOT INTO THEM... couldnt be better timing honestly, getting over sexual trauma and having this weirdo as the front person of a sick ass band, call that exposure therapy.

Really though, watching more and more of this band, listening to every single song, finding side projects and how somehow this band connects to like EVERYTHING. While listening to their songs i realised ive listened to them my whole life through my parents, i was [still am] absolutely FERAL about this band and when it was announced theyd be coming to Melbourne i LOST IT.
i didnt get tickets first time round, so i literally forced myself to forget about them because i couldnt deal with it, thankfully i was only at the very start of the obsession. Christmas of 2022, i got resale tickets from my mum and then the autism hit full force and hasnt stopped since.