The Chameleons at Rockhal

In 1981, the BBC DJ John Peel picked out a young band from Middleton, just outside Manchester, and gave them a session on Radio 1. The Chameleons never became household names, but their layered, shimmering guitars went on to shape dream pop and shoegaze, and Oasis, The Verve and Smashing Pumpkins have all named them as an influence. On Wednesday 2 December they play the Rockhal Club, with Agonal Gasps in support.

Doors open at 20:00 and the show starts at 20:30.

Standing, in the Club. Tickets are on the Rockhal website.

Who are The Chameleons?

The Chameleons formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in 1981, around singer and bassist Mark Burgess and guitarists Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding. That same year they recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1, and their first single, “In Shreds”, followed in March 1982, produced by Steve Lillywhite.

Their shimmering, layered guitars helped shape dream pop and shoegaze. They never became household names, yet word of mouth carried them across the UK, the US, Europe, Australia and South America. Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Nick McCabe of The Verve and Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins have all named them as an influence, and the band have shared stages with U2, The Cure, Bauhaus and Simple Minds.

The first chapter closed in 1987. They came back from 2000 to 2003, then reformed in 2021 with Burgess and Smithies, now joined by Stephen Rice, Todd Demma and Danny Ashberry.

Their records

• Script of the Bridge (1983): the debut, on Statik.
• What Does Anything Mean? Basically (1985).
• Strange Times (1986): released by Geffen.
• Why Call It Anything (2001): the reunion album.
• Arctic Moon (2025): their first full studio album in 24 years, out on 12 September 2025.

Songs to know before the night: “In Shreds”, “Up the Down Escalator”, “A Person Isn’t Safe Anywhere These Days”, “Swamp Thing”, “Tears” and “Where Are You?”.

This show

The band arrive with Arctic Moon. Its single “Where Are You?”, their first in over a decade, first appeared in 2024 on a three-song short record before being re-recorded for the album. Mark Burgess on the new songs: “There is an obvious maturity to the songwriting on this record.”

Who are you bringing?