CHAMELEONS

In the organizer's words:

The Chameleons' legacy dates back to 1981, when the band was discovered by legendary BBC radio presenter John Peel. Following their debut single "In Shreds" in 1982, the band released three groundbreaking albums: the widely acclaimed "Script Of The Bridge" (1983), the follow-up album "What Does Anything Mean? Basically!" (1984) and "Strange Times" (1986). Their unique sound of melancholic yet energetic and powerful melodies, hypnotic, ethereal riffs and strong, timeless lyrical style captivated audiences. The Chameleons are considered one of the most influential guitar bands of the 80s and 90s, having contributed significantly to the post-punk, shoegaze and indie scene, and are often regarded as one of the most underrated bands to ever emerge from the English city of Manchester.

The Chameleons disbanded in 1987, only to re-emerge in 2001 with the album "Why Call It Anything" and extensive touring. However, after the tragic death of their drummer John Lever and the departure of guitarist Dave Fielding, the group disbanded again. In 2021, Chameleons reformed with guitarist Reg Smithies and bassist, singer and lyricist Mark Burgess, joined by guitarist Stephen Rice, Danny Ashberry on keyboards and Todd Demma on drums.

The first new music in over 20 years appeared in 2024 with "Where Are You?", "Endlessly Falling" and "Forever" on an EP. The band also released five songs on the EP "Tomorrow Remember Yesterday", which had already been written in their early days but were discarded at the time and have now been dusted off, polished up and re-recorded.

In 2025, Chameleons will release a new album, "Arctic Moon" - their first full-length studio album since 2001.