The Chameleons
Few post-punk bands have been so overlooked, and so loved by those who found them, as the Chameleons. From Middleton, near Manchester, Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding layered chiming, effects-soaked guitars into vast, shimmering spaces, while Mark Burgess sang of longing and paranoia over his own bass.
Script of the Bridge, What Does Anything Mean? Basically and the major-label Strange Times are the core of their legend, with songs such as 'Second Skin' and 'Swamp Thing'.
Tensions and the sudden death of manager Tony Fletcher in 1987 broke them up, and Burgess and Smithies have since revived the group, releasing Arctic Moon in 2025.
If you like The Chameleons you should check out: The Sound, Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, The Cure, Interpol, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Church, Killing Joke, U2, The Sisters Of Mercy
