09 December 2024 (gig)
07 December 2024
When there is a chance to see two of the most legendary bands, there's no choice but to take it.
Barely a minute after the doors swung open, the show kicked off with Vision Video, an American "modern post-punk" goth band from Athens, Georgia. These folks have a knack for giving a nod to iconic bands from the '70s and '80s, and they didn’t disappoint that evening, treating everyone to a cracking cover of Joy Division's Transmission. A classic move, I think.
With the second band, The Membranes, led by the legendary John Robb — yes, the very same John Robb, music journalist and author, who absolutely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as John Peel — a real He-Man of the music world, the throng thickened up noticeably. Clearly the masses knew they were in for something special!
You got a taste of what was to come the moment the band, led by their boundlessly energetic frontman, stormed the stage. But by the time they unleashed Dark Energy even the most clueless in the crowd had surely realised they’d got lucky.
John’s gut-thumping, hammering bass and his powerful vocals had the audience moving and the atmosphere buzzing, right up until they finally left the stage after Myths And Legends. A proper mic-drop moment.
After a quick stage change, things got a bit snug as the main act, The Chameleons, took the spotlight, with a visibly cheerful Mark Burgess kicking off the show with Mad Jack.
The bulk of the setlist came from their album Strange Times and was met with roaring approval from the audience. But it was the older gems like The Fan And The Bellows and Every Day I’m Crucified that truly set the place alight.
It was hit after hit, pulling the audience deep into the band's signature guitar-driven soundscape, with everyone belting along during the sing-along moments. The energy held strong until the band pretended to call it a night after Ever After.
Of course, an encore was inevitable—and what an encore it was! First up, was the surprisingly lone new track, Where Are You? Breaking away from their usual sound, it brought something fresh and captivating that had everyone hooked.
Then, they turned back the clock diving into material from their first official LP, Script Of The Bridge. From that point on, there was no holding back—singing, jumping, the works. The night finally came to a bittersweet close with Don’t Fall leaving the crowd equal parts ecstatic and gutted that it was truly over.
Setlist:
Vision Video
Dead Gods
Balaclava Kiss
Kandahar
Stay
Inked In Red
Transmission (Joy Division Cover)
In My Side
The Membranes
Intro / The Ghosts Of Winter Stalk The Land
The Universe Explodes Into A Billion Photons Of Pure White Light
Dark Energy
Dracula's Daughter
Spooky Dancing In The UK
What Nature Gives ... Nature Takes Away
Snow Monkey
Church Bells
Deep In The Forest Where The Memories Linger
Myths And Legends
The Chameleons
Mad Jack
Caution
The Fan And The Bellows
Every Day I'm Crucified
Looking Inwardly
Tears
In Answer
Soul In Isolation
Swamp Thing
Indiana
Ever After
Encore:
Where Are You?
In Shreds
Monkeyland
Second Skin
Don't Fall
