The Chameleons are putting in the work to promote the Manchester band’s latest album, Arctic Moon. With the band The Veldt in tow, The Chameleons played the classic Black Cat in Washington, D.C., and I was lucky enough to attend the show and take some pics. Here’s how it went.
I made good time taking the Metro and then walking to the club and got there about 30 minutes early; there was already a line to get in going down the street. I saw an old bandmate of mine about fifth in line and was catching up with him when the doors opened—I cut in line without meaning to. The ticket scanner stopped working soon after, so the staff had to think on their feet at the counter.
The Black Cat was well attended and there were good vibes. The Chameleons had a good amount of merch in the back.
The band opening for The Chameleons on this leg of the tour is The Veldt. This group had four guitarists, one singer/guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. My old bandmate referred to what they were going for as “a wall of sound.” They were great; a passionate American shoegaze-y group with some Cure and My Bloody Valentine sprinkled in, among other things. The band went over well with the crowd.
The audience was getting pumped as the roadies did their gear setups for The Chameleons. The band came on stage and started into the set with no fuss.
The singer did a thing where he threw in recognizable lyrics from other bands into the songs: snippets from Bowie, Smiths, Beatles, and others. He played an acoustic guitar on one song and the keyboard player played it on one number too. The keyboardist also came out to the front and put on the bass for the last two songs of the night.
For the most part, The Chameleons moved through their set quickly and only spoke between songs sparingly, at one point dedicating a song to John Peel. The group had one extended pause later in the performance for the singer to talk some politics to the receptive crowd. He referred to Trump as an “orange pumpkin,” not mentioning him by name. A line from one of the songs, “All of our leaders are insane,” resonated with the audience. The band gave the crowd its money’s worth, playing 14 songs and a 4-song encore, and left the stage for the last time that night, triumphant.
Live, The Chameleons is a well-oiled machine, professional and rehearsed. The band played an awesome set. A few people up at the front were superfans, singing along to every song.
The Chameleons started in the early ’80s and became popular and influential in the post punk and alternative scenes throughout the decade. After disbanding for many years, the group got back together and currently has two OGs in the band, rounded out with guys that have been playing with The Chameleons for a few years now. Arctic Moon is the first full-length album since 2001.
The band put out a promotional video in advance of the album last year for the track “Saviours are a Dangerous Thing”; watch below.
Tour Info
The remaining North American dates for the tour in support of Arctic Moon are pictured below.
The remaining dates as of this post are:
Apr 21, Durham, NC, Motorco Music Hall
Apr 23, Tampa, FL, New World Music Hall
Apr 24, Orlando, FL, The Social
Apr 25, West Palm Beach, FL, Respectable Street
Apr 26, Jacksonville, FL, Jack Rabbits
Apr 27, Atlanta, GA, Center Stage – The Loft
Apr 28, Nashville, TN, The Basement East
Apr 30, Fort Worth, TX, Tulips
May 1, Austin, TX, Mohawk (outside)
May 2, Houston, TX, Numbers
Album Ordering Info
Arctic Moon came out in September of last year, but it’s still available from Metropolis Records on CD, LP, and digital.
