Chameleons Vox UK Tour

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eelnekwah
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Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by eelnekwah »

Thought I would mention this here as I know a few of you are fans.
Just noticed that Mark Burgess is touring the UK with Chameleons Vox in April.
Him and John Lever have got together with a group of like minded musicians ( Bushhart etc)to tour the music of The Chameleons who have been a long time disbanded (not forgetting the reunions and new material on Why Call It Anything and acoustic material of course)
To say I'm stoked is a bit of an understatement - The Chameleons have meant as much to me over the years as the music of Spiritualized/Spacemen 3 has.I never got the chance to see them live - being in the forces somehow made it difficult to catch up with bands - so this for me is gonna be a close second.
Bring on Bristol

5 May 2012 Leeds Left Bank United Kingdom
22 Apr 2012 Bristol Tunnels United Kingdom
21 Apr 2012 London o2 Academy United Kingdom
15 Apr 2012 Manchester Club Academy United Kingdom
14 Apr 2012 Birmingham HMV United Kingdom
6 Apr 2012 Ghent Vooruit Concerthall Belgium

If everyone else is doing it Mondays, Stone Roses ,Inspirals ...... why the hell not , basically?
angelsighs
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by angelsighs »

yes I am one of those fans! thanks for the info, I'll be going along to the Brum date
I've got Script of The Bridge and Strange Times both are both brilliant albums. I love the whole post-punk sound and they are a fine example. interlocking and delayed guitars, and with a real sense of urgency to them too.
the one I listen to most is the Live at the Academy album though, it's one of my favourite live albums, it dates from a few years back when they reformed. so intense, and superb sound quality (one thing the original albums suffer from is a slightly too 80s sounding production). for me it shows that bands can reform and still be as good as their heyday.

not sure how this lineup will measure up to the real thing but it's worth a punt i reckon
eelnekwah
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by eelnekwah »

I've read a few reviews on the net from - I believe - skeptical die hards and for the whole it sounds like they are pulling it off.
Worth a punt - like you say
Whilst in Bristol last Weds/Thurs for the SPZ gig I managed to pick up Here Today...Gone Tomorrow/Live In Toronto double vinyl in pretty good nick and the Statik 12" of In Shreds.
I have Live At The Academy but I have never listened to it much - always opted for the the earlier live recordings
I'm gonna dig it out and have it in the van on way to work this morning
You never picked up What Does Anything Mean?Basically then? A halfway house between harder stuff on debut and mellower Strange Times - Nostalgia has always been a highlight on this album. Saying that - a lot of these tracks were played live a lot anyway.
Right what you say - the sound that Reg and Dave bring up on the guitars was so different to most of the 80's sound.
Did you ever get into any of the post Chameleons projects they went all went on to?
The only stuff that really appealed to me were The Reegs ( Dave and Reg ) of which I have the 2 albums on cd.Finding on vinyl has become a become a bit of a Holy Grail for me
spaceistheplace
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by spaceistheplace »

Great thread!
Love the Chameleons/Reegs/Burgess solo
Really disappointed that there are no dates here in Ireland, neither the Chams or Mark solo have ever played across here sadly.
Got the Reegs on cd but vinyl is hard to find nowadays and pricey when it appears.
spzretent
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by spzretent »

Great band. Sold loads of their records in my shop. They did the first ever instore record signing at my shop.
Mark Burgess deserved a better fate. re: record sales. The Chameleons were a far better band than a lot of the others who sold a lot more records over here. Being on Geffen didn't help. Old promo guys with pony tails trying to push that stuff didn't 'cuz you know what? They had Aerosmith at the same time.
I have heard stories about some of the inter band issues. One of which was that Dave Fielding guy was a monster asshole. He treated me like shit and we put out a spread for them and treated them like royalty. I disinctly remember Mark Burgess and Reg coming over to me before they left the shop and apologizing as they could see I was pretty upset.
Good guys.
I hope those shows are great.
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Detroit, Music, Sports and Other Stuff(including Spiritualized, Spacemen 3)
angelsighs
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by angelsighs »

eelnekwah wrote: You never picked up What Does Anything Mean?Basically then? A halfway house between harder stuff on debut and mellower Strange Times - Nostalgia has always been a highlight on this album. Saying that - a lot of these tracks were played live a lot anyway.

Did you ever get into any of the post Chameleons projects they went all went on to?
The only stuff that really appealed to me were The Reegs ( Dave and Reg ) of which I have the 2 albums on cd.Finding on vinyl has become a become a bit of a Holy Grail for me
No i'm only familiar with the albums I mentioned. Script of the Bridge is more consistent and really defines their sound, but Strange Times has more variety. that album has really grown on me. Mad Jack is a superb opener, nice muscular riff. Swamp Thing is also one of my favourites.
I love how the guitars have that angular, urgent post-punk sound but could also go off into more dreamy and floaty areas when needed. the way Time floats away into The End of Time is a perfect example.
eelnekwah
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by eelnekwah »

spzretent wrote: Dave Fielding guy was a monster asshole
Guessing thats why they never managed to hold it together long during the reformation then
angelsighs
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by angelsighs »

guitar notes spitting out like sparks, and the tight rhythm section pinning it all down... great stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV933OlROQE
eelnekwah
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by eelnekwah »

angelsighs wrote:guitar notes spitting out like sparks, and the tight rhythm section pinning it all down... great stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV933OlROQE
Great choice. What it must have been like to have been at the front for this.
I have this on the Singing Rule Britannia dvd but never got round to really watching it.With 3 children - and a soap/reality/talent/ obsessed other half - all vying for *big* tv time then the bedroom portable or pc is all I can get to . And a proper viewing demands more
Although I don't think these heights can be scaled again- hearing it all live for the first time is gonna be like a dream come true :D
In regards to the 2 Reegs long players " Rock The Magic Rock " and " Return Of The Sea Monkeys " can anyone confirm ( or deny ) these actually exist on vinyl??? Not even the official website can confirm that the former had a vinyl release.
Did you ever sell any Spzretent?
Mad Jack has been mentioned around these parts before by myself on ( i think ) a best album opener thread - another classic
angelsighs
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by angelsighs »

Chameleons Vox were superb last night in Brum. I went not really knowing what to expect (worst case scenario would be some sort of pubrock karaoke version of the Chams) but they blew me away. i was a bit worried about atmosphere as the gig was moved to the smaller room at the top of the Institute, and even that was far from full. but they had a full light show, the sound was full and muscular, and what crowd were there were loving it. there were obviously some hardcore fans from the time who were just loving it.

if i was nitpicking, maybe the bass was a bit too prominent but generally the sound was brilliant. those magical, dreamy but also powerful guitars were just brilliant. no fault with the setlist either- great song after great song (well, apart from maybe Tears which i'm not that fond of)
other songs played I can remember... opened with A Person Isn't Safe... then there was Second Skin, Don't Fall, Caution, Soul in Isolation, Swamp Thing.. can't argue with any of that. they also played I'll Remember, the ambient sounding bit at the beginning was just spot on, with smoke and lights filling the stage

I implore anyone who is a fan to catch them if you can!
eelnekwah
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by eelnekwah »

Cheers for the short review Angelsighs.
I'm pleased that ( as a Chameleons fan ) you really enjoyed this and give it the thumbs up.
I only have to wait til Sunday til I can catch them.
Small venue for me also - railway arches I believe - so should be loud and intimate.
Good selection of songs you mentioned - although I've always loved Tears - so looking forward to hearing it
Great
angelsighs
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by angelsighs »

I can't see you being disappointed. 'loud and intimate' definitely sums it up!
thinking back, they also played In Answer, as well as a few songs I didn't know (presumably from the 2nd album which I ordered last night :) )

oh, and take a pen, Mark was hanging out by the bar before the gig mingling and signing stuff :)
eelnekwah
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by eelnekwah »

Not long been back from our jolly to Bristol .
I'll also add that the Chameleons Vox live experience is well worth it - fans of the band will not be dissapointed.
The new tunnels venue in Bristol was a perfect place for a gig of this size - any bigger and I don't think the atmosphere would have been the same.By the looks of it most of the crowd have been long time Chameleons fans and i think the average age must have been in the mid 40's.The crowd down the front with me sharing much love for the music and not afraid to move either!!
As already pointed out - set list was pretty much a greatest hits from the first 3 albums.None from the 4th " why call it anything ? " if I remember right
A new song was played in the encore although I can't recall what its title was
The 2 new guitarists done a wonderful job recreating those beautiful otherwordly , haunting and sometimes brutal melodies - all underpinned by some great bass.
Mark came out to the bar after and done some meet and greeting - he comes across as a really genuine and pleasant guy.
I got the impression he is very happy touring Chameleons Vox and will be doing so for a while yet.
He also said he likes to get invited to play at venues around the country - any fans in Cornwall with a live music venue???
From the merch stall I couldn't resist buying the limited double repress/remastered Script Of The Bridge record.Also got Mark to resign it ( already been signed by Mark,John,Reg and Tony Skinkiss. No Dave though )
Thouroughly enjoyable
angelsighs
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by angelsighs »

glad you enjoyed it :)
obviously it would be much preferable to see the real band, but this is the next best thing and they really did the songs justice and it's good to keep the song alive. I enjoyed it so much, and I've been caning the Chameleons albums over the past few days

crowd was same in Birmingham- lots of guys in their mid 40s having the time of their life. there was even a bit of moshing which I didn't expect from this sort of music!

according to the setlist the new song is called Heaven

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-chame ... e5f30.html

I'm not sure how I feel about them doing a new song actually. breathing life into the old songs is one thing, but writing new tunes with this lineup doesn't feel quite kosher
eelnekwah
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by eelnekwah »

Funny you should say that about the new song " Heaven "
Immediately to the left of me was a fairly large 40 something who had been giving it what for in the pit since the opening chords of A Person Isn't Safe.
As soon as Mark mentioned a new song being played he lent on a small crowd barrier and hardly moved a muscle throughout the whole song.
When the band then fired into In Shreds he was back up reliving his teens with the arms windmilling all over the place
I did chuckle to myself - thought it rather funny.
He must have felt the same way as you about any new material.
In saying that though - when they released the forth album " Why Call It Anything? " after they got back together pretty soon into the new millennium - I did ( and still do ) think it was no match for anything on the first 3 albums.
One new song - yeah ok. A whole album - not sure
angelsighs
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by angelsighs »

new tour later in the year... they are getting around a bit! The Leamington date is being promoted as 'Script of The Bridge played in full' which I assume applies to the others too...

15-05-2014 - The Garage - London
16-05-2014 - Concorde 2 - Brighton
17-05-2014 - Forum - Tunbridge Wells
18-05-2014 - Leicester Academy - Leicester
19-05-2014 - Sub 89 - Reading
20-05-2014 - The Globe - Cardiff
21-05-2014 - The Assembly - Leamington Spa
22-05-2014 - Newcastle Academy - Newcastle
23-05-2014 - The Duchess - York
24-05-2014 - Academy - Manchester
25-05-2014 - The Brudenell - Leeds
27-05-2014 - Broadcast - Glasgow
angelsighs
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by angelsighs »

after touring 'Script of The Bridge' in it's entirety earlier in the year, the band are now playing the next two albums in full- but at seems to be one night only for each, in Manchester!

19th Dec. Manchester Academy 2. What Does Anything Mean Basically?
20th Dec. Manchester Academy 2. Strange Times

not great timing- I expect like me, most fans of delayed, trippy guitars will be in London on those dates watching Slowdive :)

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2014/0 ... anchester/


I also remember reading that a new album is still in the works, but they have already scrapped a whole albums worth of material that wasn't up to scratch, or something. so who knows when it might emerge.
James T
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by James T »

My mrs loves Chameleons, but I'm afraid I'm dragging her to Slowdive those dates....

Either way, it isn't really them anyway.
angelsighs
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by angelsighs »

that's true enough. hence the Vox. it's the next best thing to the real deal though... if Hooky can take Joy Division songs on the road, then Mark can do this!

I do have severe reservations about a new album though. touring the tunes is one thing, writing new material is another...
olan
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Re: Chameleons Vox UK Tour

Post by olan »

angelsighs wrote:that's true enough. hence the Vox. it's the next best thing to the real deal though... if Hooky can take Joy Division songs on the road, then Mark can do this!

I do have severe reservations about a new album though. touring the tunes is one thing, writing new material is another...
Hooky can, but he really shouldn't, and as for him doing Low Life and Brotherhood next......
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