Musical Chairs

#38 We are all Chameleons

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Manchester city centre is a beautiful church that enjoys a special place in the hearts of locals and discerning visitors alike. It's called The Hidden Gem and whilst it might not be the city's most famous or iconic building, it's arguably its most loved.

As the name suggests, part of its charm is that although it's just yards from one of the city's main streets Deansgate, you have to make an effort to get there. It's not a place you walk past, it's a place you walk to and finding it brings its own reward.

This is exactly how I feel about Manchester's musical hidden gem, The Chameleons. Once found, forever cherished. In a city celebrated the world over for its choruses, its clubs and its culture, The Chameleons are an unspoken bond between friends old and new, a passing smile for a stranger's T-shirt, a nod and a wink by a pub jukebox, an exultant singalong on a club dancefloor and an ocean of smiles at one of their legendary live concerts. Because whilst Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths and The Stone Roses belong to everyone, The Chameleons belong to Manchester.

Formed in nearby Middleton in 1981, the band's first punch - debut single In Shreds - was a knockout blow. Bristling with punk rock energy, new wave songcraft and Mancunian claustrophobia, it jumps on you like a vicious attack in a shadowy back alley. Intentions duly stated, the four piece, led by the charismatic Mark Burgess, then really went to work.

The Chameleons' debut album Script of the Bridge blended post-industrial fury with new age dreaming in an hour of reverb-drenched alchemy with more layers than Mount Vesuvius. From the apocalyptic blast of opener Don't Fall to closing ballad View from a Hill, here are twelve anthems for our times. It's almost insulting to pick out highlights as the entire record is virtually flawless, but as centrepieces go, the 24-carat double header of Monkeyland and Second Skin is as powerful as anything committed to vinyl that decade.

Second album What Does Anything Mean? Basically was close to its pioneering predecessor and took the band in a more prog direction before the band's 'breakthrough' third record Strange Times threatened to deliver the success their talent truly deserved. Single Swamp Thing is probably their most recognisable song and Caution and Soul In Isolation are masterclasses in epic song construction, but inter-band tensions and the untimely death of their manager saw the band go their separate ways before reforming in 2000.

Today, for fans at least, this elusive relationship with mainstream success is as much a source of pride as regret and central to the band's enduring cult status: Why didn't they? How couldn't they? Regular name-checks from the likes of Noel Gallagher, Billy Corgan and Interpol (compare their respective debut albums) keep The Chameleons' mythical flame burning bright and this weekend thousands will assemble in Manchester for their tenth annual Christmas show. Towards the end of the set, the gathered hordes will belt out the chorus of their greatest anthem Second Skin: "If this is the stuff dreams are made of, no wonder I feel like I'm floating on air". There is no better way to describe the sensation of listening to Manchester's finest in all their glory.