The legacy of The Chameleons dates all the way back to 1981 when the band were discovered by the legendary BBC Radio host John Peel. Following their debut single In Shreds for Epic Records in 1982, the band released three seminal albums: the widely acclaimed Script of the Bridge (1983), cited by many sources to be a masterpiece way ahead of its time, its follow up What Does Anything Mean?
Basically! (1984) and for the US based Geffen Records Strange Times (1986). Their unique sound quickly captivated the public through their very own mix of melancholic, yet energetic and powerful tunes, hypnotic ethereal riffs and the potent, timeless lyrical style. The Chameleons are considered to be one of the most influential guitar bands of the 80s and 90s, contributing substantially to the post-punk, shoegaze and indie scenes and are often regarded as one of the most underrated bands ever to emerge from the city of Manchester England.
The Chameleons disbanded in 1987 only to re-emerge in 2000 with the independently release, Why Call It Anything and toured widely across Europe and the United States. However following the tragic death of their drummer, John Lever, and the departure of another founding member guitarist, Dave Fielding, the group disbanded once more. The Chameleons reformed in 2021 with surviving founders and principle writers: guitarist Reg Smithies and bassist, vocalist & lyricist Mark Burgess, joined by guitarist Stephen Rice, Danny Ashberry on keyboards and on drums Todd Demma.
Over the decades the popularity and reputation of the band continued to grow leading them to share the stage with the likes of U2, Killing Joke, Bauhaus, Simple Minds, Talk Talk, The Cure amongst others. The Chameleons regard themselves primarily as a ‘live band’, which has earned the fan’s loyalty and respect for decades with their effortlessly intense and emotionally-charged performances. They have been touring extensively in the EU, UK, US and as far abroad as Australia, South America and China.
The Chameleons are excited to announce the release of their first new single in over a decade: Where Are You coming out on May 24th on Metropolis Records in conjunction with ‘Strange Times Entertainment.
“We are thrilled to be working on our brand new album titled Arctic Moon coming out later this year. We’ve been working extremely hard and we’re really proud of the results so far. We all feel it’s the best work we’ve done so far. Fans might have the chance to hear some of the new songs on the upcoming tour in the United States, Europe, Australia and South America.”