The Chameleons are one of those bands that hold a special place in my heart. I know exactly where I was the 1st time I heard them – I bought their Peel Sessions CD randomly based on the cover art. After playing one song in my car, I turned around and went back to the record store (well, CDs mostly in 1995) and purchased everything they had in the store. They’ve been a top 5 band for me ever since.
I finally had the opportunity to see the original band during the brief reformation in 2002 while living in the Seattle region. Since then, the original band has split, and singer / bassist Mark Burgess has toured fairly regularly in the US over the last 15 years or so. I’ve never missed a chance to hear some of my favorite songs performed live and I estimate I’ve seen them about a half dozen times. The other night in Philly was a little different – instead of Mark as the sole original member, Reg Smithies is now back in the band on guitar. I was eager to see them as it had been a while (to negate something I said above, I couldn’t make their show in Philly not so long ago with She Wants Revenge).
The opening bands Thieves Among Us (mod rock) and A Cloud of Ravens (goth ish) entertained the almost full Underground Arts but I was eager to get to the main act. Just before 11 PM I got my wish – The Chameleons sauntered onto stage looking like they had something to prove. The band was playing their 1986 album Strange Times in full – my 2nd favorite album by the band. I quite like when a band plays an album in full – it mixes the setlist up from what they may have been playing and gives fans an opportunity to hear deep album cuts.
Mad Jack opened the Strange Times record and also opened the show. Not my favorite song by The Chameleons on record, but live it worked really well. I immediately knew we were in for a special evening. It’s a song lighter in vibes than most of their songs but it worked as an opener. From there we were treated to song after song imbued with emotion and impassioned performances from the entire band. Mark Burgess was the consummate frontman – acting out portions of songs, indecipherable chatter between songs, and generally he seemed in better spirits than I’ve seen from him in concert. The slow build of post punk gem Caution was incredible – Mark wasn’t acting when he screamed “NOOOOO!” at the song’s finale. Soul in Isolation was performed impeccably and gave me chills. When Mark sang “I give you my time to kill / but you’ll never never break my will” it felt like he was reaching out to all of us dreading going to work the next day. Toward the song’s end there’s a part where he sings “Struck by lightning someone said / Diamond bullet through the head / Right through the brain” – and he acted out this part with gusto. The lighter toned songs worked really well too, my favorite being Time / The End of Time – an uplifting anthem about, well, not wasting time. Mark spoke about that after the song and from what I could piece together it was inspiring. Throughout the set I noticed that the vibes among the band members seemed great, and it was amazing to see Reg Smithies in person again – 22 years after I first saw him in Seattle.
The encore opened with their new song Where Are You which sounded great in a live setting. A slightly different sound for the band, but it worked well. They followed this with their first single, In Shreds – a true punk rock anthem. One of my favorite songs by the band and I was singing at the top of my lungs. They closed the set out with a 1-2 punch of Second Skin and Don’t Fall – songs that I love so much, they are a part of my soul. Post punk anthems that are forever. Closing with Don’t Fall I shouted / sang along with a few hundred other hipsters in the know “Don’t Fall / I know your back’s against the wall”.
Verdict: A perfect evening
Setlist:
- Mad Jack
- Caution
- Tears
- Soul In Isolation
- Swamp Thing
- Time / The End of Time
- Seriocity
- In Answer
- Childhood
- I’ll Remember
Encore:
- Where Are You?
- In Shreds
- Nostalgia
- Up the Down Escalator
- Second Skin
- Don’t Fall
