Welcome to The Black Parade

Drag, burlesque and DJ sets; if one is good, all three must be better. 

On Oct. 11, Lumen Lux Productions hailed all the ’broken’, ‘beaten’ and the ‘damned’ of Halifax to the Marquee Ballroom for a night dedicated to the band My Chemical Romance. 

The event lineup included a My Chemical Romance cover band, ten drag and burlesque performers and five DJs, with the show running from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Lumen Lux, the event’s producer, began as a circus performer and has been part of the nightlife scene in Halifax for almost eight years. After three years of producing events and an eight-month hiatus, Lux returned to the stage at the Marquee.

“I’m really, really into Halloween, and it’s around my birthday,” she says. “I was like, ‘You know what, this will be my grand show back.”

Despite some obstacles, Lux says she was “really proud of the show [she] put on.”

That was probably one of my best shows yet,” she says. “Things kept going wrong … I feel like someone had my voodoo doll. I got both of my heels snapped onstage, but we still persevered, and everything worked out.”

Princess Moonface, a burlesque performer, describes Lux’s productions as “different” from other shows she’s been a part of. 

“They don’t just bring burlesque and drag performers, they bring punk bands and find stuff that you don’t really get to see from normal burlesque and drag shows,” she says. “This is a whole community getting together.” 

One thing the performers have in common: a love for punk. 

“I like that there’s no rules, and it’s rebellious,” says Julien Boudreau, who performs under the drag persona of Slayosha Nicole Smith.  “I relate to that, and I feel I’m rebellious and edgy — just a little out of the box and unique.” 

“I definitely have a connection to punk music.”

Moonface took the event as an opportunity to express a different side of herself onstage, performing to metal music. 

“I love metal,” she says. “I think that’s one of the things that’s different in the burlesque scene. We always listen to classical jazz, but I think metal is even sexier.” 

The performers took to the stage in displays of cosmetic artistry and intricate costumes. In the crowd, some attendees came dressed in costumes of their own, paying homage to My Chemical Romance in outfits embodying the 2000s pop-punk legends. 

William Dicks, the event’s photographer, says capturing the costumes and the crowd were highlights of the show.

“Everybody’s wearing these incredible costumes, so you really want to try and get a few solid shots that show the whole of the performance, including the costume,” they said. “But aside from the performers, it’s important to capture crowd reactions and people having fun.”