| The Chameleons is een Britse voormalige band die actief was van 1981 tot 2003. De band speelde new wave en postpunk. De groep bestond uit zanger-gitarist Mark Burgess, gitarist Dave Fielding, gitarist Reg Smithies en drummer John Lever. The Chameleons werden opgericht in Middleton in Manchester in 1981. Ze speelden donkere melancholieke gitaarmuziek. In tegenstelling tot verwante bands als U2, Echo and the Bunnymen en Joy Division kwam er voor The Chameleons geen belangrijke commerciële doorbraak. Niettemin wordt hun debuutalbum Script of the Bridge nu beschouwd als een van de belangrijkste postpunkalbums. Dit album verscheen in augustus 1983. Twee jaar later verscheen What Does Anything Mean ? Basically. Met het derde album Strange Times begon de band steeds meer succes te krijgen. Maar in 1987, na de dood van hun manager Tony Fletcher, ging de band uit elkaar. Mark Burgess en John Lever vormden de nieuwe band The Sun and the Moon. Een studioalbum van deze band kwam uit in 1988. In 1993 bracht Mark Burgess zijn eerste soloalbum uit, Zima Junction. De band heette Mark Burgess and the Sons of God. In 1995 werkte hij samen met Yves Altana en bracht hij het album Paradyning uit. In 2000 werd The Chameleons opnieuw opgericht en verschenen er drie nieuwe albums. In 2002 ging de band definitief uit elkaar. Mark Burgess en John Lever kwamen in 2009 weer bij elkaar om onder de naam ChameleonsVox weer op te gaan treden. Met een aantal andere muzikanten speelden ze oude nummers van The Chameleons. John Lever overleed in 2017. Meer... |
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Reformations (2000–present) The Chameleons reconvened in January 2000 to prepare for a series of concerts in The Witchwood, Ashton-under-Lyne, one of the band's favourite venues, in May. May 2000 also saw the release of the album Strip, which featured old material in an acoustic format. The concerts were a success, and they expanded the reunion tour to include European dates in the summer and two California dates that fall. They released a new studio album, Why Call It Anything, in 2001, followed by another unplugged album, This Never Ending Now, in 2002 and a full American tour. Renewed tensions led to the band dissolving once again in early 2003. In 2009, Burgess and Lever reformed to play Chameleons back catalogue material under the name ChameleonsVox. They issued an EP, M+D=1(8), in November 2013. In addition to Burgess and Lever, ChameleonsVox line-ups have included guitarists Roger Lavallee, Justin Lomery, Andrew Abernathy, Neil Dwerryhouse and Chris Oliver; bassists Frank Deserto and Jessica Espeleta; and drummers Glenn Maryansky, Yves Altana and Stephen Rice. Lever later went on to leave the band. In 2014, Lever and Fielding reunited to record an album, Endless Sea, as Red-Sided Garter Snakes. The album, featuring contributions from vocalist James Mudriczki of Puressence and Clegg, was released in July 2015. Lever died on 13 March 2017, following a short illness, at the age of 55. The Chameleons reformed under the official name in May 2021 when Burgess and Smithies recorded a live album, Edge Sessions (Live from the Edge), with guitarist Chris Oliver and drummer Stephen Rice, who had been members of Burgess' ChameleonsVox group. The live album was released on April 25, 2022 on Metropolis Records. With Oliver and Rice, the Chameleons announced their first tour in 20 years, playing the United States in fall 2022 with the Mission and Theatre of Hate. The tour was ultimately postponed to 2023. Instead, the band opened for She Wants Revenge in fall 2022. Musical style During the Chameleons' early career, the British music press often used terms such as "sonic architects" and "sonic cathedrals" when describing the band, due to their atmospheric sound. Smithies and Fielding provided shimmering guitar riffs, while Lever and Burgess on drums and bass, respectively, gave the band a solid, rhythmic foundation. The Chameleons emerged as Thatcherism was beginning to have its effect on England's former industrial towns, and their music was imbued with a sense of anxiety and a longing for the security of innocence. Burgess's impassioned vocal delivery complemented his lyrics, which touched on the alienation created in many British communities by the decline of manufacturing and industry, and the consequent disruption of social order. Despite the bleak landscapes they were surrounded by, the band were not weighed down by their environment, but attempted to triumph over it. Burgess said in 2013 that, though growing up in a post-industrial, northern town must have some influence on one's music, he felt the Chameleons would have sounded similar regardless of where they originated from. Legacy The Chameleons have inspired the likes of Oasis, the Verve, Editors, White Lies, Shadow Sides, the Slow Readers Club, the Flaming Lips and Interpol. Oasis's songwriter Noel Gallagher has expressed his liking for the album Strange Times (1986) saying, "It must have influenced my early years as a song writer because I can hear me in it everywhere!". Guitarist Nick McCabe of the Verve named Script of the Bridge (1983) as one of his ten favorite albums. The Flaming Lips included "Up the Down Escalator" in the track listing of a CD compilation they did for Late Night Tales. The band have also been cited by the Charlatans's lead vocalist Tim Burgess. Moby has been quoted expressing admiration for their work. Interpol's frontman Paul Banks has said that their bassist Carlos [Dengler] was "a fan" of the band. Sweet Trip vocalist Valerie Cooper listed Script of the Bridge as a musical influence. The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan named the Chameleons as one of the formative British bands he listened to in the 1980s. Neige, the founder of French black metal band Alcest, said his playing was influenced by the Chameleons' dual guitar leads and often names them as one of history's most underrated bands. Members Main line-up Mark Burgess – bass, vocals (1981–1987, 2000–2003, 2021–present) Reg Smithies – guitars (1981–1987, 2000–2003, 2021–present) Todd Demma – drums (2021–present) Stephen Rice – drums/guitars (2021–present) Classic line-up members Dave Fielding – guitars (1981–1987, 2000–2003) John Lever – drums (1981, 1983–1987, 2000–2003; died 2017) Other former members Neil Dwerryhouse – guitars (2011–2022) Chris Oliver – guitars(2009–2019) Brian Schofield – drums (1981) Martin Jackson – drums (1982) Kwasi Asante – percussion (2001–2003) The core quartet were augmented by keyboardists Alistair Lewthwaite and Andy Clegg for live shows in the 1980s, and by percussionist-vocalist Kwasi Asante during their reunion period. |