THE CHAMELEONS ‘Tomorrow Remember Yesterday’ EP : new recordings of early songs by influential UK post-punk act out 11.10.24 on Metropolis Records
THE CHAMELEONS
TOMORROW REMEMBER YESTERDAY
EP
out 11.10.24
(Metropolis Records)
Post-punk icons The Chameleons spent a significant part of the summer on tour in North America, while any gaps in the schedule saw them in the studio as they continue to record their long-awaited brand new album, ‘Arctic Moon’, which will be released in 2025.
Currently on tour in mainland Europe, they return to the US in the autumn before playing and seven UK and Irish shows in December (the remaining European itinerary can be read below).
The band have today announced that a five song EP entitled ‘Tomorrow Remember Yesterday’ will be released on 11th October via Metropolis Records (digital) and Aufnahme+Wiedergarbe (vinyl), with a limited number of the latter to be made available from Metropolis on mail order. “These were among the very earliest songs we got together prior to our first John Peel session in 1981, but were discarded at the time due to them feeling unfinished,” states vocalist/bassist Mark Burgess.
Posited between the ‘Where Are You?’ EP (the first new Chameleons in over two decades issued in May 2024) and the upcoming new album – plus a major career retrospective recently published in Mojo magazine – this set of refreshed and re-recorded archival tracks creates a nostalgic bridge between the two releases. It was conceived at the band’s annual gathering in Manchester at Xmas 2023, where they performed two shows at The Ritz. “I had the idea of revisiting some of these very early songs but recording them in a way that reflects who the band is now, rather than who we were in 1981,” continues Burgess. “We are so happy with the results.”
THE CHAMELEONS | Mark Burgess 2024 photo by Mick Peek
The EP opener is ‘The Fan and the Bellows’, a song that highlights the band’s penchant for creating epic soundscapes with searing guitar textures. “Most of the songs have been released over time in their original form on various retrospectives and suchlike, but were never really intended to be,” he explains. “‘The Fan and the Bellows’ was the original choice of CBS/Epic to be our debut single, but we weren’t happy with that and rejected it in favour of ‘In Shreds’, our newest song at the time.”
Another song, ‘Nostalgia’, the chorus of which provides the origin of the EP title, was also resurrected. Recorded during the same sessions as ‘The Fan and the Bellows’ with producer Steve Lillywhite (whose CV at that point already included the likes of Ultravox!, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Penetration, Psychedelic Furs and U2), both songs originally appeared on a retrospective collection via Statik Records.
TOMORROW REMEMBER YESTERDAY
TRACKLISTING
1 The Fan and the Bellows
2 Nostalgia
3 Nathan’s Phase
4 Every Day I’m Crucified
5 Things I Wish I’d Said
2025 will be marked with the release of ‘Arctic Moon’, the first new album by The Chameleons since ‘Why Call it Anything’ in 2001. “It’s quite different from anything we have done before, and I know it will probably polarise the legacy audience, but we’re excited about how it’s developing,” says Burgess. “I think the songwriting is much more mature in a lot of ways, which I suppose is to be expected given our age, but I really believe we’re taking the band forward.”
UPCOMING EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
SEPTEMBER
13.09.24 OBERHAUSEN (DE) Turbinenhalle Oberhausen
14.09.24 HAMBURG (DE) Gruenspan
15.09.24 BERLIN (DE) Columbia Theater
17.09.24 FRANKFURT (DE) The Bed
18.09.24 MUNICH (DE) Backstage Kulturzentrum
19.09.24 LYON (FR) L’Epicerie Moderne
20.09.24 PARIS (FR) Cabaret Sauvage
21.09.24 TOURCOING (FR) Le Grand Mix
DECEMBER
06.12.24 BRISTOL Marble Factory
07.12.24 LONDON O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
09.12.24 DUBLIN (IE) Opium
10.12.24 BELFAST Limelight 2
12.12.24 GLASGOW The Garage
13.12.24 NEWCASTLE Riverside
14.12.24 MANCHESTER Albert Hall
UK tickets
The Chameleons have long been cited as a hugely influential act, having inspired the likes of (The) Verve, Oasis, Interpol, The Killers, Editors, White Lies and The Slow Readers Club. They are renowned for their transformative recorded catalogue and intense and emotionally charged live performances, creating a legacy that extends well beyond their four studio albums to date. Their widely acclaimed debut, ‘Script of the Bridge’ (1983) has been described 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).
The band’s unique sound has been captivating listeners for over four decades with a unique mix of melancholic yet energetic and powerful tunes, hypnotic ethereal riffs and a timeless lyrical style. One of the most important yet underrated rock bands of the ’80s and ’90s, they have contributed substantially to the post-punk, shoegaze and indie scenes of those decades and beyond.
THE CHAMELEONS | 2024 photo by Mick Peek
THE CHAMELEONS
Mark Burgess – vocals, bass
Reg Smithies – guitar
Stephen Rice – guitar
Danny Ashberry – keyboards
Todd Demma – drums
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