A QUIRK of timing allowed fans of My Chemical Romance to contrast and compare two of its former elements, lead singer Gerard Way and guitarist Frank Iero, as they set out on their solo careers.

And it is very much a case of contrast.

This may be a review of Iero and his new band – frnkiero andthe cellabration – but his gig so soon after Way does demand some reference between the two.

They were, for a while, in one of the biggest bands in the world, closing out festivals like Reading and Leeds and selling out Wembley Arena.

To go from audiences of tens of thousands to, in Iero's case, a few hundred when opening for Mallory Knox in Oxford is a big change.

And what frnkiero and the cellabration are is a million miles from the final (Danger) days of My Chem.

It's raw shouty rock with a touch of grunge about it. That they've supported Taking Back Sunday (themselves due to appear at Oxford next month) in the States is no surprise.

Way's album Hesitant Alien could easily trace its lineage to Danger Days and the show as all about him, much to the delight of an audience there who were obvious My Chem fans following their iconic frontman.

Iero may now have the main vocal duties but he was much more part of his band. He'd be kidding himself to think the audience there to see him had no My Chem connection but he was offering them something far different.

It was tight, it was pretty angry and it was very loud. The cellabration were a good unit, as Iero span around, hoiking the odd gob into the air (not at the crowd it must be stressed).

Their two singles were the most well received, naturally, with Weighted a brilliant tour de force closer for the 35-minute set.

The hidden gem though was she's the prettiest girl at the party, and she can prove it with a solid right hook. Far slower and more tender than the rest, it proved real depth to Iero's song writing and that he is certainly not a second fiddle to his former bandmate.

And this is only audio, but it's worth the listen