CHAMELEONS - Saviours Are A Dangerous Thing
“I see too many echoes of the 1930s in what’s going on in the world, which I see as being extremely dangerous both for the country I’ve chosen to live in and the Western world in general,” says vocalist/bassist Vox (Mark Burgess) of Chameleons when talking about his band’s brand new single, ‘Saviours Are A Dangerous Thing’.
Out today (29th May) via Metropolis Records, the song is taken from their recently announced and long-awaited album ‘Arctic Moon’, which is available for pre-order HERE. “It was the last song to be completed for the album,” he continues. “I’m particularly pleased with the way it turned out, because it was our guitarist Stephen Rice who initially brought the rough idea to the table and we all then collaborated on it to produce the final song.”
Capturing Chameleons’ innate flair for crafting exquisite guitar textures and merging them with Vox’s tight grasp of melody and wordplay, ‘Saviours Are A Dangerous Thing’ harbours a dark message about the current political climate amid its thoroughly engaging sound. Further enforcing this theme, an accompanying video splices live performance footage with kaleidoscopic images of war and its effects, as well as the propaganda surrounding it, making for a compelling statement overall.
“The lyrics came to me quite quickly,” Vox explains. “They reflect what has been happening globally and how senior officials line up to kiss the rings of clowns who regard themselves as self-proclaimed kings rather than elected statesmen.”
Scheduled for release on 12th September on Metropolis Records, ‘Arctic Moon’ is the first full-length album by Chameleons since the release of ‘Why Call It Anything?’ in 2001. “There is an obvious maturity to the songwriting on this record, and anyone familiar with our past work will hear that this is a positive step forward. While we’re proud of the band’s legacy, we really wanted to forge something fresh while retaining that profound and imaginative quality we’re known for. We think that we have managed to do that and deliver a very strong record!” Vox concludes.
The band will continue to tour extensively either side of album release, with dates in Spain and Portugal between 6th-19th June followed by a set at the Forever Now festival in Milton Keynes on 22nd before a return to the US for headlining shows plus a dozen with The Psychedelic Furs commencing on 26th.
A further headlining tour of North American cities kicks off a fortnight after the release of ‘Arctic Moon’, plus mainland European dates in Germany and the Benelux scheduled from late October ahead of a previously announced UK tour in November. All concert and ticket info can be found HERE.
Long cited as a hugely influential act, having inspired the likes of (The) Verve, Oasis, Interpol, The Killers, Editors and White Lies, Chameleons are renowned for their transformative catalogue and intense, emotionally charged live performances, creating a legacy that extends far beyond their four studio albums to date. Their widely acclaimed debut, ‘Script of the Bridge’ (1983) has been cited by many as a masterpiece way ahead of its time, and was followed by ‘What Does Anything Mean? Basically!’ (1984), ‘Strange Times’ (1986) and ‘Why Call It Anything?’ (2001).
Their unique sound quickly won them an audience with its mix of melancholic yet energetic and powerful tunes, hypnotic, ethereal riffs and a potent, timeless lyrical style. They are considered one of the most influential guitar bands of the ‘80s and ‘90s, contributing substantially to the post-punk, shoegaze and indie scenes.
2024 saw the release of two EPs that kicked off a new chapter for the band. ‘Where Are You?’ consisted of three new songs, while ‘Tomorrow Remember Yesterday’ featured five re-recorded archive tracks. ‘Arctic Moon’ sees them propelling forward musically while retaining the essence that originally made them iconic.
