Chameleons - Manchester Ritz, 18th Dec 2000

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 13 / 1 / 2002

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Article

The Chameleons are to me the greatest band ever to come out of the borders of Manchester. Much that I love the complete Smiths catalogue, and have spent nights in their company, The Chameleons always had a better edge to their music. During their original time, I was so busy going to Icicle Works gigs that I only saw them once, and that was towards the end in '87 and then shortly after that they were gone. Now they are back and I have been trying to make the most of them. The 18th December is the band's 40th gig since their reunion and this gig at Christmas in their near hometown (They come originally from Middleton) is like old friends greeting one another. The Ritz is a nice spacey ballroom which is full to the brim with fans here to watch vocalist and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarists Reg Smithie and Dave Fielding and drummer John Lever plus a rasta friend on keyboards plough their way through one of rock's best kept catalogues. Mark has grown his hair even longer than it was when I last saw them at the start of the year and looks like a Gothic Jim Morrison wearing a snakeskin hat and a leather coat as he storms around the stage. Over the course of the next two hours the band cut through seventeen songs from their first three albums and play as well 'Indian' from their new acoustic record 'Strip' plus also another new number. Stand out tracks include 'Tears', 'Singing Rule Britannia', 'Swamp Thing', 'Don't Fall', 'A Person Isn't Safe' and 'Souls in Isolation'. Only a band as great as The Chameleons could put out just three albums first time around between '81 and '87 and since then because of demand have another 16+ albums released, most of them eaten up by us who can't get enough of the group. And to think after thie first night's gig, Mark Burgess asked me " Did You Enjoy the Gig ?" We have waited thirteen years for this. What do you think ?

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