CHAMELEONS: ‘Edge Sessions (Live From The Edge)’ and UK Tour dates

Metropolis Records is thrilled to welcome the legendary post-punk act The Chameleons (UK) to the roster.

Chameleons (UK) has long been cited as a hugely influential act, having inspired the likes of Moby, The Verve, The Flaming Lips, Interpol, The Killers, Editors and Oasis.

The Chameleons (UK) was formed in Manchester, England, in 1981, with vocalist/bassist Mark Burgess, guitarists Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever (who quickly replaced founding member Brian Schofield). The band released three classic albums: “Script of the Bridge” (1983), “What Does Anything Mean? Basically?” (1985) and “Strange Times” (1986) before breaking up.

The years passed; the members of The Chameleons (UK) continued to work on their own musical projects, then as the ’90s came and went, the idea of a reunion seemed practically inevitable. The Chameleons (UK) reconnected in January of 2000 to prepare for three dates in May of that year in England. The acoustic-based “Strip” was self-released by the band as a limited edition release to coincide with these shows. European dates followed throughout the summer, by fall The Chameleons (UK) played their first American shows in nearly 15 years. The fruit of this reunion, “Why Call It Anything?” (2001) marked The Chameleons (UK) first studio album since 1986’s “Strange Times.” The Encyclopedia of Popular Music wrote, “Why Call It Anything proved to be a stunning reaffirmation of the brilliance of this unsung band.”

“This Never Ending Now,” a release that featured acoustic arrangements of songs from their early albums and singles as well as featuring a cover of David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” appeared two years later. The band once again disbanded in 2003. In 2009, Burgess reunited with Lever as ChameleonsVox, performing and touring Chameleons material. ChameleonsVox toured the United States and Europe from 2009 to 2014, and issued an EP, M+D=1(8), in November 2013, prior to Lever’s departure. Sadly, Lever died in 2017.

A ChameleonsVox line-up featuring Burgess with Yves Altana, Neil Dwerryhouse and Chris Oliver on guitars embarked on tour of the US in 2015. Prior to the Covid pandemic placing everything on hold, Burgess had been touring more vastly than at any point in his career, with shows across the United States, China, Australia and practically every country across Europe.

As things begin to open up and the world finds some sense of a new normal, Chameleons (UK) have joined with Metropolis Records to release “Edge Sessions (Live From The Edge)” a collection of seven classic Chameleons songs performed live in May of 2021 by founding members Mark Burgess and Reg Smithies, joined by more recent members Chris Oliver on guitar, and Stephen Rice on drums. Three additional bonus tracks of ChameleonsVox era live recordings round out this stunning release. Chameleons (UK) will be touring the United States and Canada in 2022 with The Mission UK and Theatre of Hate.

Chameleons have now joined forces with Metropolis Records to release ‘Edge Sessions (Live From The Edge)’, a collection of seven classic Chameleons songs performed live in May 2021 by founding group members Burgess and Smithies, plus Chris Oliver (guitar) and Stephen Rice (drums). Three additional bonus tracks of ChameleonsVox era live recordings round out this stunning release.

2022 has already seen the group play a well-received UK tour, albeit with three shows forcibly postponed due to Covid issues within the band. These have now been rescheduled together with a number of additional dates and are as follows:

12.08.22  CASTLETON Devil’s Arse
13.08.22  HOLMFIRTH Picturedrome
07.12.22  COVENTRY Empire
08.12.22  LIVERPOOL Cavern Club
09.12.22  LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
10.12.22  STOKE Sugarmill
11.12.22  GLOUCESTER Guildhall
12.12.22  OXFORD Academy 2
13.12.22  BIRMINGHAM Institute
14.12.22  COTTINGHAM Civic Hall
15.12.22  BEDFORD Esquires
16.12.22  HUDDERSFIELD Parish
17.12.22  MANCHESTER Academy 1
18.12.22  BLACKPOOL Waterloo Music Bar

chameleonsmark.com
facebook.com/chameleonsvox