★★★★
INFLUENTIAL post-punk band the Chameleons split after releasing three albums of bona fide cult classic status in the mid 1980s.
Subsequent early-2000s reunions were well received but essentially little more than nostalgia trips.
Chameleons Vox is frontman Mark Burgess’s latest incarnation of the band, this time with newcomers replacing all three of his original bandmates.
The Haunt audience was a curious mixture of Adidas-clad Ian Brown looka-likes and girls with Siouxsie Sioux hair, showing just how far-reaching the Chameleons’ legacy is.Beginning with the shimmering synths of Silence, Sea and Sky, the band tore through a set of crowd pleasers which highlighted the strength of their back catalogue.
Burgess, in skinny jeans despite confessing to a “geezer’s tummy”, led with energy and purpose, having lost none of his familiar vocal ability.
Guitarists Neil Dwerryhouse and Chris Oliver ably replicated the Chameleons’ distinctive flange-laden guitar sound, complementing each other effortlessly.
Swamp Thing, Soul in Isolation and Paradiso retained the depth and impact of the original recordings, while Second Skin prompted an impassioned sing-along from much of the crowd.
With the promise of new material, it seems that Burgess has found a second wind – and long may it continue.
Tom Furnival-Adams
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