Bobby Caughron 
Following the triumphant and invigorating year that Manchester’s celebrated post-punk legends had in 2024, CHAMELEONS are continuing their revved-up momentum with the announcement of their album ARCTIC MOON. Scheduled for release on September 12, 2025 via Metropolis Records, their new full-length comes on the heels of two EPs “Where Are You?” and “Tomorrow Remember Yesterday” that were released in the last year.
“Our new album Arctic Moon is finally finished and everything is being prepared for its release in mid-September,” beams 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 Fall tour 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#
Sept 26 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
Sept 27 Vancouver, BC The Pearl
Sept 28 Portland, OR Revolution Hall
Sept 30 Roseville, CA Goldfield Trading Post
Oct 1 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Oct 2 Los Angeles, CA The Belasco
Oct 3 Santa Ana, CA Observatory
Oct 4 Pioneertown, CA Pappy & Harriet’s
Oct 5 San Diego, CA Belly Up
Oct 7 Phoenix, AZ Walter Studios
Oct 9 Denver, CO Marquis
Long cited as a hugely influential act having inspired the likes of Verve, Oasis, White Lies, The Slow Readers Club, Interpol, The Killers and Editors, among countless others, Chameleons have created a legacy created through their transformative musical catalog and intense and emotionally charged live performances. The band previously released four seminal albums: the widely acclaimed Script of the Bridge (1983), cited by many sources as a masterpiece way ahead of its time, its follow-up What Does Anything Mean? Basically!‘ (1984), Strange Times (1986), and Why Call It Anything? (2001).
With Arctic Moon adding to their storied catalog, the band propels forward musically while retaining the essence that made them iconic. “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,” says Vox, reflecting on his band’s history. “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!”
With new music from Arctic Moon to be rolled out in the coming weeks, 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!”
Chameleons are Reg Smithies (guitar), Vox (bass, vocals, lyrics), Stephen Rice (guitar), Danny Ashberry (keyboards), and Todd Demma (drums).
Photo credit: Mick Peek
About The Author
