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The Chameleons are a post-punk band formed in 1981 in Middleton, six miles north of Manchester. The founding members had previously been involved in other bands, and Dave was part of a school band called Sen. Initially starting without a drummer, they caught the attention of the legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel. After recruiting drummer John Lever from another band, they released their first single, "In Shreds," on CBS, which reached number 42 on John Peel's Festive Fifty in 1982. Despite encouraging sales, CBS dropped them after this single due to disagreements over their sound. They subsequently signed with Statik, but since Statik was distributed by Virgin, they did not qualify for the independent charts and were overlooked by the music press. Their debut album, "Script of the Bridge," was recorded in Rochdale over six weeks. The band was frustrated by a reduced version released by MCA in the US. After becoming unhappy with Statik and trying to leave due to contractual obligations, they released their second album, "What Does Anything Mean? Basically," and later signed with Geffen. Under Geffen, they released their last album for fifteen years, "Strange Times," as the band fell apart after the sudden death of manager Tony Fletcher in 1987. In 2000, the band reformed, ending years of hostilities, and released a new unplugged album entitled "Strip" along with other live releases. John Lever passed away in

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