When frontman Mark Burgess returned to Seattle’s intimate El Corazon stage for the second act of The Chameleons thundering set on June 5th, he shared some big news. The Manchester post punk legends achieved a new milestone this week by landing their first-ever Top 5 single in the UK, as ‘Where Are You?’ arrived at #5 on the vinyl singles chart and #49 on the overall singles chart. As the Chameleons are often referenced with phrases like “the stadium act that has never played stadiums” and “the most influential band nobody’s ever heard of”, it was a long-overdue moment of celebration.
UK Official Vinyl Singles Chart (May 30, 2024 – June 5, 2024)
I’ve spent much of the past 40 years as a die-hard fan of the band, a passion shared mainly by my brother (who turned me onto their debut cassette in 1982), some college radio alumni, a few of my current Popdose colleagues, and some cherished British expat friends. For everyone else in my life, blank stares. Imagine Homer Simpson backing up into the bushes anytime I referenced classics like ‘Nostalgia’ and ‘Singing Rule Britannia’. This is why I wound up going to the show by myself, which turned out to be a transcendent experience because the club was packed to the gills with kindred spirits.
While the band’s imperial era was roughly 1983 to 1986, where they dropped three perfect studio albums and a goldmine of “rare recordings” (demos, BBC sessions, non-album tracks), their legacy is a light that never goes out (we’ll revisit this Smiths reference later). Strange Times, their 1986 major label debut on Geffen Records, STILL isn’t on streaming services, and yet the double album is so iconic, the opportunity to hear it in full is inspiring large crowds to turn out along a lengthy North American Tour that now continues through November.
I’ll admit, I had some lingering fears as I drove down to the venue. Would seeing a band that’s possibly “past its prime” in concert tarnish my longstanding reverence of their studio masterpieces? I had just seen the Bon Jovi documentary on Hulu that spotlighted the physical challenges aging singers face to keep their vocal muscles in peak form (Burgess is 64 to Bon Jovi’s 62). Would Burgess have to rearrange the songs or sing in a different range? And finally, this band SHOULD be playing large arenas just like fellow Manchester icons James (another legacy act still operating in peak condition), so would they just phone it in at a club show? The moment the Chameleons hit the stage and absolutely blazed through ‘Mad Jack’, all those fears were instantly dissipated.
Mark Burgess excels at “expectation management”, that’s why most of his touring since the original lineup reunited in the early 2000’s before disbanding once more has been under the moniker “Chameleons Vox” – as in, I’m the voice of the Chameleons, this is a different show. Touring under the main brand name is a big deal, and by all means, they’re delivering a 100% Chameleons concert experience, one that celebrates one chapter in the band’s legend while kicking off a new era which just might be their biggest yet – a long overdue breakthrough into the mainstream.
Chameleons guitarist Stephen Rice, El Corazon Seattle (June 5, 2024)
This new lineup of the Chameleons is absolute fire. It’s not just Burgess and original guitarist Reg Smithies front and center with some nameless touring musicians in the shadows. Stephen Rice absolutely crushes the complex and quintessential guitar parts of founder Dave Fielding who declined to participate in this incarnation of the band. I was as much mesmerized by what appeared to be Rice’s effortless plucking of his cherry red guitar to produce gigantic melodies and intricate hooks that resonate with my soul as much as the words Burgess passionately brings to life. As these shows likely snowball to bigger venues, keyboardist Danny Ashberry and drummer Todd Demma deserve risers so they can be more visibly seen, but their audio contributions here were massive. Demma honors the late John Lever throughout the set while blazing a unique style (both drumming and fashion) to deliver a wave of fresh energy and light to the band. United, the 2024 quintet crackles with the energy and enthusiasm of scrappy young punks out to take on the world.
By the time the show reached the end of Strange Times Side A, this concert was already lodged among my Top 5 of all time (joining club shows by Prince and pre-fame Foo Fighters and NIN, plus Tim Finn on my list). I own countless Chameleons live recordings, and never truly appreciated Mark’s gifts as a storyteller. In vocal delivery, facial expression, eye contact, and gestures whenever his hands lifted from the bass, he fully embodied the lyrics of each song, moving well beyond hitting the big notes to take you fully into the consciousness of the protagonists and anti-heroes telling each story.
The band honored the pristine studio versions of each album track to fully satiate the purists, before letting each song organically expand into something new. Sometimes, Burgess would “blink and you missed it” insert other song lyrics into the verse or chorus. The first easter egg I caught was a dash of the Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’, I forget if it landed in ‘Caution’ or ‘Tears’, if I even heard it at all. On the back end of “Soul Isolation”, he truly had fun, going full body and verse to bring The Doors, The Beatles, and The Smiths into the mix.
As the shimmering guitars of ‘I’ll Remember’ faded to black, the band said their goodbyes, and if that was it, I would have been beyond happy. But they returned for an encore, led by the news about the success of ‘Where Are You?’ and by playing it in full. As the first act was about honoring the legacy of the original lineup, the second act celebrated the five musicians (plus their essential guitar tech) who owned the stage today. The best-ever rendition of ‘In Shreds’ I’ve ever heard followed, along with ‘Looking Inwardly’, ‘Up the Down Escalator’ and a few more gems that served as a victory lap from where they’ve been to where they’re going.
SETLIST:
The Chameleons at El Corazon in Seattle
June 5, 2024
9:30 PM til roughly 11:10 PM.
Act I: Strange Times
Mad Jack • Caution • Tears • Soul in Isolation • Swamp Thing • Time • Seriocity • In Answer • Childhood • I’ll Remember
Act II: Encore
Where Are You? • In Shreds • Perfumed Garden • Looking Inwardly • Up The Down Escalator • Second Skin
With a new album scheduled for later this year, it seems that The Chameleons greatest era is still before us. Reborn. Refreshed. Renewed. Until that chapter begins, if they’re coming to a city near you, I highly recommend seeing them in such intimate surroundings while you can.
At the merch table, be sure to grab a 12-inch for the Where Are You? EP – far as I know, the tour is the only place to get it. Buy it on lossless digital for $3.50 (USD) via their official Bandcamp store.
Chameleons Merch Table Gold: “Where Are You?” EP and the new Strange Times reissue.
Read the complete Popdose review of the Chameleons’ Where Are You? EP.
In this new interview, conducted right before the Chameleons took the stage in Sacramento, Mark Burgess discusses how rare the vinyl copies of ‘Where Are You?’ are — so snap em up while you can!
Nox Novacula (from Instagram)
Opening act Nox Novacula, a Seattle death rock band, delivered a dazzling set that at times channeled elements of The Cult (Dreamtime, Love, and Southern Death Cult eras), Nina Hagen, She Wants Revenge, and Jane’s Addiction. They pulled from their first two CDs (which I snapped up at their merch table) while setting the stage for their new album, Feed the Fire, out in August. My colleague Tim Mudd from Decibel magazine urged me to get to the venue on time to see Nox Novacula, saying they were among his favorite acts at the recent Northwest Terror Fest. Vocalist Charlotte Blythe is a superstar in the making, leading a truly gorgeous and terrifying (in all the right ways) band that’s blasting open cemetery gates across the country on a 2024 tour.
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