(Photo by Manolo Chrétien on Unsplash) English act The Chameleons, which formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester in 1981, are often considered one of the most underrated Manchester bands of the 1980s. Though they did not achieve the commercial success of other bands from the Manchester scene, they have cultivated a loyal cult following.

In May 2021, The Chameleons officially reformed as Burgess and Smithies joined forces with guitarist Chris Oliver and drummer Stephen Rice, both previously part of Burgess’ ChameleonsVox group. Together, they recorded a live album, “Edge Sessions (Live from the Edge)”, which was released on 25th April 2022 through Metropolis Records.

Featuring Oliver and Rice, The Chameleons announced their first tour in two decades, initially set to perform in the United States during autumn 2022 alongside The Mission and Theatre of Hate. However, the tour was later postponed to 2023.

But now there is this short UK tour. During their live performances, the band’s new line-up will showcase a mix of classic hits such as “Up The Down Escalator”, “Swamp Thing”, “Second Skin”, “Don’t Fall”, “P.S. Goodbye”, “Perfume Garden”, “In Shreds”, “Soul in Isolation”, and “Less Than Human”.

Joining The Chameleons on this tour is special guest support Lesley Woods, guitarist, singer, and songwriter of post-punk band Au Pairs. Lesley Woods and Au Pairs were active between 1978 and 1983, releasing two albums, “Playing with a Different Sex” and “Sense and Sensuality”, as well as memorable singles like “You”, “It’s Obvious”, and “Inconvenience”.

Tourdates

• Wednesday 21 June 2023 – Liverpool, Hangar 34
• Thursday 22 June 2023 – Newcastle, Riverside
• Friday 23 June 2023 – Edinburgh, Liquid Room
• Saturday 24 June 2023 – Glasgow, The Garage
• Monday 26 June 2023 – Aberdeen, Lemon Tree
• Wednesday 28 June 2023 – Norwich, Epic Studios
• Thursday 29 June 2023 – Cambridge, Junction
• Friday 30 June 2023 – Leamington Spa, The Assembly
• Saturday 01 July 2023 – London, Islington Assembly Hall
• Monday 03 July 2023 – Bristol, The Fleece
• Tuesday 04 July 2023 – Brighton, Chalk

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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