After a resurgent 2024 that saw Manchester’s post-punk luminaries roar back into the fray fiercer than ever, the Chameleons (Reg Smithies, Vox, Stephen Rice, Danny Ashberry, and Todd Demma are showing no signs of slowing down. Fanning the flames of their renewed momentum, the band have announced the arrival of Arctic Moon, a full-length release set to land on September 12 via Metropolis Records.
“Our new album Arctic Moon is finally finished, and everything is being prepared for its release in mid-September,” says vocalist/bassist Vox. “There’s an obvious maturity to the songwriting on this record. Those that are familiar with our past work will hear that this is a positive step forward in that respect.”
Accompanying the release of Arctic Moon is the announcement of a tour this autumn to promote the album.
“We’re all really pleased with how the album has turned out and we’re really looking forward to the challenge of performing songs from the new album live later this year when we begin the Arctic Moon Tour,” he says. “For the first time, we’ve been able to use real orchestral strings on a couple the songs, which were arranged and performed by Pete Whitfield at Real Strings in Manchester. They’ve given these songs a truly epic quality, and we can’t wait to perform them live. Danny [Ashberry], our keyboard player, is going to need all his skill to help bring this epic quality to the stage and we have every confidence that he can!”
Once the tour supporting Psychedelic Furs in the Summer concludes in mid-July, the band will return to North America a month later to support Arctic Moon. Starting in Seattle on September 26th, the tour hugs the West Coast featuring dates in Vancouver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, before winding down in Phoenix.
Tour dates:
# signifies dates with Psychedelic Furs
- June 28 – Northfield, OH – MGM Northfield #
- June 29 – Grand Rapids, MI – Frederik Meijer Gardens #
- July 1 – Columbus, OH – Temple Live #
- July 2 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
- July 3 – Windsor, ON – The Colosseum #
- July 4 – Rama, ON – Casino Rama Resort #
- July 5 – Buffalo, NY – Outer Harbor Live #
- July 8 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom #
- July 9 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl #
- July 10 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
- July 11 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues #
- July 12 – Houston, TX – House of Blues #
- July 14 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues #
- July 15 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at Moody #
- September 26 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
- September 27 – Vancouver, BC – The Pearl
- September 28 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
- September 30 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
- October 1 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
- October 2 – Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco
- October 3 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
- October 4 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s
- October 5 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up
- October 7 – Phoenix, AZ – Walter Studios
- October 9 – Denver, CO – Marquis
Vox and the band are excited for this next chapter in the story of Chameleons. “Everyone involved brought their ‘A’ game to this project and personally I can’t wait for people to hear it,” says Vox. “I’m sure we can generate a lot of momentum that’ll propel us forward and galvanize the band for the next album we do!…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 along with a few long-time listeners that are close to us that have heard the new album all agree that we’ve managed to do that and deliver a very strong record!”
Long revered as a catalyst for countless bands, from The Verve and Oasis to Interpol, Editors, and White Lies, Chameleons have etched their name into the granite of post-punk’s enduring mythology. Their legacy is forged through emotionally combustible live sets and a catalogue that shapeshifts between beauty and bleakness. With Arctic Moon poised to join that lineage, the band move forward without shedding their skin yet pulsing with the same haunted electricity that made them a lifeline for so many. The album follows swiftly on the heels of a pair of recent EPs Where Are You? and Tomorrow Remember Yesterday – each a signal flare in the night, hinting at the frostbitten brilliance yet to come.
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