THE CHAMELEONS + EVI VINE – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 12.11.25
Somehow, I had never crossed paths with the music of Chameleons back in the day, so it was nice to cross them off my list in my post-punk trainspotter’s notebook after all these years. They are currently touring the UK and abroad, with a brand new album called ‘Arctic Moon’ in their musical arsenal. This album has been receiving rave reviews in the press, so I was up for hearing the new songs along with some old ones.
Formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, way back in 1981, the band have accrued a large loyal following over the decades that have passed since. They are a band that have had their fair share of up and downs and line-up changes, but the Chameleons personnel nowadays is Mark Burgess (vocals, bass and acoustic guitar), Reg Smithies (guitars), Todd Demma (drums and percussion), Stephen Rice (guitars) and Danny Ashberry (keyboards, bass and backing vocals).
Originally signed to Epic Records, who released their breakthrough single, ‘In Shreds’, the band soon garnered media interest and recorded a few radio sessions for John Peel. After recording three well received albums (‘Script Of The Bridge’, ‘ What Does Anything Mean? Basically’ and ‘Strange Times’) for Statik Records, they decided to call it a day by the time 1987 rolled along. The Chameleons first reformed in 2000 but the band, composed of Burgess and John Lever continued playing the band’s songs under the name of ‘ChameleonsVox’. Fast forward to 2021, and the band decided to go back to the original ‘Chameleons’ moniker which features founding members, Burgess and Smithies. This is the band we are seeing today.
It was a slightly cool evening for November on Brighton seafront, and that certainly didn’t stop a packed house of Chameleons followers turning up to the Concorde 2, to cheer their heroes on.
Once I had paid for my parking space by the book (once bitten, twice shy), I wandered into the venue, which was already on the cosy side. The excellent ‘Evi Vine‘ was on first tonight, but more on her and the band later.
By the time 9:00pm came along, the room was busy and the band’s crew were swiftly setting up the stage for our headliners. One of them was even wearing a ‘Crass’ T-shirt, so that was a thumbs up from me. The Chameleons took to the stage and launched straight into ‘Where Are You?’ from the new album (‘Arctic Moon’), proving instantly that they can still write a good tune. If you had told me that this song was from their heyday, I would have wholeheartedly believed you. ‘The Fan & The Bellows’ had a driving bassline and come the chorus, I realised the band must’ve been pipped at the post by Psychedelic Furs in the race to get a song on a John Hughes movie soundtrack. I really enjoyed this song. Mark Burgess told us how much he loved Brighton and how it liked to “embrace the strange”. This seemed like a reasonable segue into ‘Lady Strange’ which was another song from the new album.
‘Perfume Garden’ made me realise that some of these songs are epic enough to be played in stadiums. Mark dedicated a song to John Peel too, who gave the band (and many like them) their first break. This 5-piece band were a tight unit tonight and I was pleased to see original guitarist Reg Smithies onstage, complete with googly eye stickers stuck to his musical weapon of choice. The room was a full one tonight, with a varying selection of age groups, singing and bouncing along. Mark Burgess also told a certain far-right political party (rhymes with ‘deform’) to go away in less polite terms, and implied that its leader likes to pleasure himself in a solo capacity. This got a cheer from the audience.
‘Looking Inwardly’ from the band’s second album got an airing, which boasted an infectious, chiming guitar line. A keyboard-led ‘Paradiso’ followed, leading into an acoustic song that Mark said had “saved my life”. He was literally dripping with sweat at this point, and I wasn’t surprised as this was a mammoth set. The Chameleons backdrop had an eye at its centre. I’m not sure what my friend was drinking, but he could have sworn it winked at him at various points in the night. ‘Saviours Are A Dangerous Thing’ was another new song, where Mark told us he was an anarchist, and rightfully warned us not to be grifted by the liars campaigning to get into power. The room was literally bouncing at this point, but not before the band played the dramatic ‘Feels Like The End Of The World’, which is almost the best song by The Cure that they never wrote or recorded.
The crowd were fully warmed up and Mark and the gang rewarded them with a goth-heavy three song encore. ‘In Shreds’ was a big highlight for me and the audience were lapping it up. In fact, it was a great atmosphere tonight, where people were enjoying a two hour set, delivered by some serious tunesmiths. Danny Ashberry even swapped out his keyboards for a bass guitar during the encore, and the band genuinely looked like they were enjoying themselves. Mark Burgess beamed his Cheshire cat grin over the audience, and proved that there are maybe saviours after all. That is, in musical form….Even if it was just for one night.
Chameleons:
Mark Burgess – vocals, bass and acoustic guitar
Reg Smithies – guitars
Todd Demma – drums and percussion
Stephen Rice – guitars
Danny Ashberry – keyboards, bass and backing vocals
Chameleons setlist:
‘Where Are You?’ (from ‘Arctic Moon’ album)
‘The Fan & The Bellows’ (from ‘The Fan & The Bellows’ album)
‘Here Today’ (from ‘Script Of The Bridge’ album)
‘Lady Strange’ (from ‘Arctic Moon’ album)
‘Perfume Garden’ (from ‘What Does Anything Mean? Basically’ album)
‘Intrigue In Tangiers’ (from ‘What Does Anything Mean? Basically’ album)
‘Singing Rule Britannia’ (from ‘What Does Anything Mean? Basically’ album)
‘Looking Inwardly’ (from ‘What Does Anything Mean? Basically’ album)
‘Paradiso’ (B-side to ‘Tears’ from ‘Strange Times’ album)
‘In Answer’ (from ‘Strange Times’ album)
‘David Bowie Takes My Hand’ (from ‘Arctic Moon’ album)
‘Saviours Are A Dangerous Thing’ (from ‘Arctic Moon’ album)
‘Soul In Isolation’ (from ‘Strange Times’ album)
‘Swamp Thing’ (from ‘Strange Times’ album)
‘Feels Like The End Of The World’ (from ‘Arctic Moon’ album)
(encore)
‘In Shreds’ (single)
‘Don’t Fall’ (from ‘Script Of The Bridge’ album)
‘Second Skin’ (from ‘Script Of The Bridge’ album)
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Evi Vine was a last minute addition to tonight’s line-up, and I had heard good reports on Evi and her band. They are also booked to play next year’s ‘Tomorrow’s Ghosts’ festival in Whitby, supporting The Mission, so my attention was well and truly piqued. She is also known for her ethereal soundscapes in a genre now dubbed ‘Folktronica’. Evi was raised in Belfast but raised in London, but nowadays the band are based between Hastings and Highgate. Evi’s debut album, ‘….And So The Morning Comes’, was released in 2011 to much praise, and even garnered the attention of a certain Mr. Wayne Hussey. As a result, she managed to sing on a charity single by The Mission during the Covid years, and joined them on backing vocals for their 30th Anniversary shows. Evi in fact, has a post-punk CV as long as your arm, and even appears on the Chameleons ‘Arctic Moon’ album.
The band tonight comprises of Evi Vine (vocals/guitars), Steve Hill (sonics/guitars), Steve Hewitt (drums), Tom Jones (guitars) and Matthew Holt (bass guitar).
Evi had informed me beforehand that tonight’s set was to be a noisier one than the usual ambient drone set. Old songs were to be mixed in with brand new ones. So new in fact, that they only had working titles. The clock struck eight and Evi and her band took to the stage amongst lots of instruments filling the space. It was a little off-putting at first, as the soundman decided to play the greatest hits of Steely Dan over the speakers beforehand, but Evi Vine was about to put things straight.
She proclaimed “……and the crowd go wild” as the band hit their first punishing chord. The opening song was called ‘Sabbath’, which turned into an impressive and suitably heavy wall of sound. It was all about the build up though, and by the end of the song, it had reached a crescendo of glorious controlled noise. Think Dark Wave meets Shoegaze, and you’re almost there. All of this while being bathed in a sea of blue light. It was hard to believe that they had only rehearsed this particular set on two occasions. ‘I Am The Waves’ was up next, and the pace slowed as Evi showed off her vocal skills. I could see comparisons to Julianne Regan at times, which is high praise in my book.
Evi introduced the band, including her new guitarist by the name of Tom Jones (not that one….). The drummer tonight was a certain Steve Hewitt of Placebo fame, so there was a reason why the beats were hitting their mark. The next song featured Steve Hill playing his guitar with a bow, as well as playing the instrument at knee level, which surely is the only way? Evi was sporting a vintage Vivienne Westwood ‘War/Peace’ dress and professed that her favourite colour was black. She also reminded us of what a shit show of a world we live in at the moment, and that it was time for us to use our voices. Amen to that. Before we knew it, this enjoyable set was almost over. It felt like the blink of an eye. They played their final song to a won over crowd, of which I was one of them. I will definitely be tracking down some of Evi Vine’s back catalogue for sure. This band are totally my cup of snakebite and black.
Evi Vine is currently working on her fourth album ‘Return Of The White Raven’, but in the meantime, you can catch the band at the following shows :
14th Nov – Devonshire Arms, Camden (London).
11th Dec – The Chapel, Highgate Cemetery, London (a special one-off performance of the Elisabeth Siddal poetry soundtrack and album launch).
Oct 26th 2026 – Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival, Whitby (with The Mission & Lol Tolhurst).
Evi Vine:
Evi Vine – vocals, guitars
Steve Hill – sonics, guitars
Steve Hewitt – drums
Tom Jones – guitars
Matthew Holt – bass guitar
Evi Vine setlist:
‘Sabbath’
‘I Am The Waves’
‘Sad Song No.9’
‘Untitled’
