![]() ![]() ![]() Unfortunately it too 4 hours to get to London due to road closures caused by two big accidents whereas it should have taken 2. I was also looking forward to see Theatre of Hate who supported them as although I've seen Kirk Brandon on tour as Spear of Destiny twice this year I was hoping to hear a ToH set. I hadn't seen them since the 80s so I was really looking forward to it. The bathrooms inexcusable and the competing dance club's noise was insufferable even if by the time it was thumping the walls, The Chameleons Vox sounds obliterated it like it wasn't even there! If Drunken Unicorn sound effed up? It didn't really roll out the hospitality bus for anyone. Although not original band members, the accompanying supportive artists were big that night and that drummer could hold light with any legend. Turns out TOH were just the show's crescendo as The Chameleons didn't just blow up the night, singer Mark Burgess looked us in the eyes as he lit the fuse and said,"Hope this hurts ya bastards! I'm embarrassed to say that for all of my Brit-esh 80s knowledge I'd largely missed out on this epic band that clearly could take the piss out of Oasis, The Kinks, The Who, I mean line'm up these guys hold their own with Burgess obviously being the mad genius leader. We spoke at length on personal & musical topics so I've already died as you're reading this! He killed Westworld and Americans & all the other classics too and operated like a maestro for the band and audience. For this former goth kid, I can finally die happy. His energy at 63 was flawless & THAT VOICE! Hit me straight in the heart hearing Brandon's war cry! He truly was a Viking or Apache in a former incarnation. ![]() No offense to the showstopping Chameleons but my mission was to glimpse the legend Kirk Brandon and the ironic first tour ever for Theater of Hate in the colonies. It was a treat to see such a talented musician & childhood hero do his thing and to speak with him after. ![]() A triumphant, sold out, 5 day residency at their old stomping ground 'The Witchwood' in Ashton confirmed their old reputation for being one of the tightest live outfits ever.Slow big train that once it took off was quite a ride! The Chameleons Vox blew wheels off by the end! Wow! It was a soft start as Jay Aston had some notable vocal strain but was frank with crowd that he was on his own this tour and lacked some proper help but wasnt complaining as he made any flaws in himself or others entertaining. The dawning of a new millenium saw an ending to the 'hostilities' as the band buried hatchets, kissed and made friends once more, culminating in a reforming of the group, and a new 'unplugged' album entitled 'Strip'. While signed to Geffen, the band released what was to be their last album together for fifteen years, "Strange Times" as the band literally fell apart, acrimoniously, with grief after Tony's death. After their second album, "What Does Anything Mean? Basically", they signed with Geffen. They then became unhappy with Statik and tried to get away from them, but were bound by contractual obligations. The band was really pissed when they found out about the reduced version which was released by MCA in the US. The debut album, "Script of the Bridge", was recorded in Rochdale during a six-week period. However, Statik was distributed by Virgin, so they couldn't qualify for the independent charts and were thus overlooked by the music press. CBS dropped them after the one single, despite encouraging sales. They originally signed with CBS, but they disagreed with how they should sound. Their first single, "In Shreds" on CBS, made number 42 on John Peel's Festive Fifty in 1982. The three started without a drummer and got the attention of the legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel. Before this, Mark had been in the Clichés while Reg and Dave were in Years. The band formed in 1981 in Middleton, six miles north of Manchester. ![]()
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