British post-punk band The Chameleons were arguably the most widely influential guitar band ever to come out of Manchester.
It's not only colours that chameleons change - it's names too!
They were later called The Chameleons UK after an American band laid claim to the name, and The Chameleons (vox) is the continuation of The Chameleons UK.
The band features The Chameleons vocalist, bassist and principle composer Mark Burgess, long time collaborators Yves Altana on drums and guitarists Neil Dwerryhouse and Chris Oliver and over the last five years the band has performed sold out shows across Europe and the United States.
The Chameleons emerged as Thatcherism was beginning to have its effect on England's former industrial towns, and their music was imbued with a sense of anxiety and a longing for the security of innocence.
Burgess's impassioned vocal delivery complemented his lyrics, which touched on the alienation created in many British communities by the decline of manufacturing and industry, and the consequent disruption of social order.
Despite the bleak landscapes they were surrounded by, the band were not weighed down by their environment, but attempted to triumph over it. Burgess said in 2013 that, though growing up in a post-industrial northern town must have some influence on one's music, he felt the Chameleons would have sounded similar regardless of where they originated from.
In 2018 The Chameleons is celebrating the 35th anniversary of their classic album Script of the Bridge and they are out on the road playing the album in full, together with tracks from their stunning back catalogue.
They call in at Bedford Esquires on Thursday (June 7).
Tickets are £17 and you get them here
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