CHAMELEONS
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS 2023
A TWO DAY RESIDENCY @ MANCHESTER O2 RITZ

PART ONE: FROM 1981 TO 1983
(FRIDAY 15TH DECEMBER 2023)
Plus Special Guests… Membranes
+ The Battery Farm

PART TWO: FROM 1984 TO 2001
(SATURDAY 16TH DECEMBER 2023)
Plus Special Guests…. Ruts DC
+ Evil Blizzard

TICKETS ON GENERAL SALE

‘Home Is Where the Heart Is’ – the annual homecoming of CHAMELEONS – is returning for its eighth edition in 2023.

And while the two-day extravaganza will be headlined by the legendary Manchester band, the special guests and supporting acts who will be joining them both nights can be exclusively revealed today.

On Friday 15th December, chief support will come from special guests… Membranes. The post/punk project fronted by John Robb (Goldblade / Louder Than War) have been pushing the boundaries since their formation in Blackpool back in 1977. Releasing six studio albums over the years, the Membranes most recently released their acclaimed ‘What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away’ record in 2019 which featured a 20 piece choir and contributions from guests including Chris Packham, Shirley Collins, and Kirk Brandon. With a reputation for an intense and often innovative live show, catch the band performing material from throughout their career in this choice supporting slot.

Opening-up proceedings on Friday, there will also be a set from Manchester gutter punk four-piece The Battery Farm. Playing visceral, punishing rock music infused with pain and passion, the band describe their powerful sets as “Part nihilism, part hope. Part rage, part joy”. Four reasons to get down to the O2 Ritz early.

Then on Saturday night (16th December), fans attending the second night of Home Is Where The Heart Is will be rewarded by a set from its special guests… Ruts DC. Formed in 1979 as The Ruts, and later Ruts DC (following the tragic passing of singer Malcolm Owen), the London band became instant John Peel favourites and would forge a legacy of punk-rock infamy in their short time together. Smashing out hits including “Babylon’s Burning”, “In A Rut”, “Staring At The Rude Boys”, “Something That I Said”, “West One (Shine On Me)” and many more, the band burnt bright before disbanding in 1983. Reforming in 2007, Ruts DC have since released 4 studio albums and continued their hot-streak with 2022’s acclaimed ‘Counter Culture?’. Performing hits and deep cuts from across their exceptional canon, catch them supporting Chameleons this December.

Plus, earlier in the evening brace yourselves for a set from Lancashire lunatics Evil Blizzard. Famed for their fearsome stage apparel and outrageous performances, don’t miss these masked menaces getting things off to the most gloriously grizzly start imaginable…
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Becoming something of a seasonal rite of passage for Chameleons fans all over the world, Home Is Where The Heart Is 2023 will see the legendary Manchester band return to the O2 Ritz to commemorate their illustrious legacy in a two-part spectacle.

On Friday 15th December, ‘PART ONE: FROM 1981 TO 1983’ will look back to the very origins of the band. Witnessing the formation and earliest incarnations of the band from their base in Middleton, it was also a period that would see Chameleons introduce themselves on the national stage with a series of now legendary sessions for John Peel on BBC Radio 1. Signing to Epic Records for their first official single “In Shreds” in 1982, the band would subsequently sign to Statik Records during this period and deliver their landmark debut album ‘Script Of The Bridge’. A tantalising opportunity to revisit some of the band’s most precious and primordial highlights, expect a set adorned with deep cuts, old favourites, and rarities on the first night of Chameleons’ O2 Ritz residency.

Returning to the venue the following night, ‘PART TWO: FROM 1984 TO 2001’ promises to reflect the band’s latter and more established period, resurfacing some of the innumerable riches Chameleons would produce after their debut. Expect a set that draws on material from the albums ‘What Does Anything Mean? Basically’ (1985), ‘Strange Times’ (1986) and ‘Why Call It Anything’ (2001), classic singles like “Singing Rule Britannia (While the Walls Close In)”, “Swamp Thing”, and “Tears”; plus other rarities from this equally revered era.

Formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester in 1981, Chameleons are the post-punk band fronted by singer and bassist Mark Burgess. In a career spanning over four decades, the band released four iconic studio albums and an EP, along with many Peel sessions, live records and compilations. With a cult following hooked on their atmospheric and eternally influential sound, the band have inspired all manner of artists across the generations from Noel Gallgher to Interpol, The Charlatans to Moby.

Every year, ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ celebrates the Chameleon’s titanic legacy with a special homecoming show. After an incredible re-enactment of the band’s Manchester Academy show from 2000 last year, the 8th annual edition will see the band return to the city’s O2 Ritz for a double-day special in 2023.

With demand for these shows burgeoning year on year, tickets for Home Is Where The Heart Is 2023 are on sale now.

THE CHAMELEONS: HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS 2023
TWO DAY RESIDENCY @ MANCHESTER O2 RITZ

FRIDAY 15TH DECEMBER – PART ONE: FROM 1981 TO 1983
Plus Special Guests Membranes
The Battery Farm

SATURDAY 16TH DECEMBER – PART TWO: FROM 1984 TO 2001
Special Guests Ruts DC
Evil Blizzard

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TICKETS

Tickets are on General Sale now – priced as follows:

One Night Tickets – £28.00 Advance STBF
Weekend Tickets – £56.00 Advance STBF

TICKETS ON GENERAL SALE

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ADDITIONAL INFO

Doors 6.00pm / Show starts 7.00pm / Curfew 11.00pm

8+ Under 14s to be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18 at all times