Chameleons @ Rescue Rooms

From October 29 to December 6, 2025, post-punk band Chameleons (previously The Chameleons) embarked on the European leg of their Arctic Moon album tour following the release of the tour’s eponymous album on September 12 the same year, with special guests including shoegaze pioneers The Veldt. The tour saw Chameleons dominating the stage at Rescue Rooms in Nottingham on November 17 after their most recent reformation revitalised the previously disbanded 80s band. The Mic’s Dante Scruton muses on the band's history and subsequent legacy following the show.

The Veldt - Afrodisiac

As a supporter of Chameleons, they were always one of those bands that you could immediately sense who were influenced by their style in the years following their debut. For instance, The Veldt are an amazing shoegaze band from North Carolina, with masterful control over the room that only 36 years of practice can bring. Their heavy atmospheric guitars and echoing vocals combined perfectly to create an incredible and entrancing stage presence seldom seen by other shoegaze bands. I would highly recommend making the effort to see them live – and failing that, Afrodisiac and Entropy is the Mainline to God are two albums that are well worth a listen.

Chameleons - Arctic Moon

The Chameleons are easily one of the best post punk bands you’ve (maybe) never heard of. Despite following the same pathway towards success that many other bands of their time took – with a 1981 John Peel radio session and signing to Epic Records – they never managed to push over the edge and become the household name that many of their peers are now. However, as a result of this, their fans are now fiercely loyal and devoted. They are not, however, a band driven by nostalgia, as their most recent album Arctic Moon is as good as anything they have ever written, and the main single Saviours Are a Dangerous Thing  is a textbook example of an earworm that is even more potent with its subject matter of political strongmen and populism.

One of the things that strikes you upon seeing Chameleons in 2025 is the energy and skill that they still maintain. Whereas many other bands from the 80s are reformed to pay off a newfound debt, with a singer who has become a public health announcement as to why smoking for 30 years isn’t exactly beneficial, Chameleons’ Mark Burgess has a voice that has aged beautifully. He is still able to sing their old songs with accuracy and soul but also has shown a natural evolution in his technique, showing a more mature direction with songs from their newest album.

To conclude, both The Veldt and Chameleons excel at their craft, and I would highly recommend going to see both of them, independently or together, if it is ever at all possible!

Dante Scruton

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Edited by Isabelle Tu

Photos courtesy of Chameleons and The Veldt