The Chameleon’s to Rock The Radio Room with New and Old Tunes

Often referred to as the “lost post-punk band,” The Chameleons know just where they are and where they are going without forgetting where they’ve been with their new EP Tomorrow Remember Yesterday and a US tour. 

Original members Mark Burgess and Reg Smithies proved that there is still a good bit of new music left in their “lost” post-punk band The Chameleons with the release of the band’s recent EP Where Are You? The followup EP, Tomorrow Remember Yesterday proves that their older music remains every bit as good, and with the band on tour in America for the first time in decades, it’s a great time to re-engage with one of the hidden gems of the post-punk era. 

With a guitar sound that was highly influenced by U2 guitarist The Edge’s playing on their debut album Boy, The Chameleons plotted their own post-punk course with their first full length release, Script for The Bridge. Bordering on being what would later be dubbed dark wave, Script for The Bridge was a much darker album than U2’s debut. Follow up albums What Does Anything Mean, Basically? and Strange Times solidified their niche as a minimalist, yet highly atmospheric guitar rock band. A lengthy hiatus ensued in the 90s with members pursuing other projects, but a 2001 reunion album, Why Call It Anything? heralded the return of the band. WIth two new EPs and the aforementioned American tour, the anticipation surrounding their forthcoming album of new material, Arctic Moon, couldn’t be higher. 

The latest EP, Tomorrow Remember Yesterday, is a recording of several old songs, some of which are live staples, that were written back during and before the band’s original 1981 John Peel sessions. Stand out tracks like “Every Day I’m Crucified” (which lead off 2022’s live album Dali’s Picture) and “Nostalgia” get the full studio recording treatment. The EP also includes, “The Fan & The  Bellows,” “Nathan’s Phase,” and “Things I Wish I’d Said.” 

As for the tour, for those of us lucky fans in the Carolinas, The Chameleons will be playing The Radio Room in Greenville, SC on Oct. 24th with The Veldt.