For this former goth kid, I can finally die happy. His energy at 63 was flawless & THAT VOICE! Hit me straight in the heart hearing Brandon's war cry! He truly was a Viking or Apache in a former incarnation. No offense to the showstopping Chameleons but my mission was to glimpse the legend Kirk Brandon and the ironic first tour ever for Theater of Hate in the colonies. It was a treat to see such a talented musician & childhood hero do his thing and to speak with him after. Though Chameleons Vox proves you don’t need an original lineup to put on a great show, being upfront about the name really goes a long way.Slow big train that once it took off was quite a ride! The Chameleons Vox blew wheels off by the end! Wow! It was a soft start as Jay Aston had some notable vocal strain but was frank with crowd that he was on his own this tour and lacked some proper help but wasnt complaining as he made any flaws in himself or others entertaining. By the time the band finished its two-song encore of “In Shreds” and “Don’t Fall,” Burgess was a sweaty, euphoric mess. “Soul in Isolation” was easily the highlight of the evening as Burgess pushed it in new directions live, even incorporating snatches of “The End” by the Doors. His voice sounds just as great today as it did on record. Beginning with “A Person Isn’t Safe Anywhere These Days,” Burgess used the set as an evaluation of his music, playing a few from each of the albums in order before culminating with “Swamp Thing,” the band’s most popular song. Surrounded by a trio of much younger musicians, Burgess fed off the energy of both the crowd and his bandmates to play an invigorating and affirming set of 13 songs. Too bad their LPs are really damned hard to find! Less theatrical and heavier than GLJ, the Chameleons are primed for a reevaluation. Like Gene Loves Jezebel, the Chameleons were a group that never got their due, straddling the line between darker sounds such as the Cure and anthemic singalongs of early U2. And unlike other acts that glom to a brand name despite featuring only one or two original members, Burgess is humble enough to add the ever-important “Vox” to the end of this recent iteration. Featuring original vocalist and bassist Mark Burgess, the guitar-heavy post punk group stuck to songs from its classic trio of records from 1983-1986: Script of the Bridge, What Does Anything Mean? Basically and Strange Times. The Star Theater did fill in with a good amount of Portland’s goth scene to see Chameleons Vox. Aston made a comment or two about the lack of respect, but dutifully completed his set for the fans who came early.
Beyond a handful of dedicated fans upfront, the rest of the venue was abuzz with people just arriving or chatting.
In 30 minutes, Aston played some new material, capping with a version of the GLJ favorite “When We Were One.” Still looking lean and energetic, Aston spent the set interacting with fans, touting his veganism and abstention from alcohol. Though Jay still tours with his own incarnation of Gene Loves Jezebel, a band favorably compared to all the goth greats, he played a short, solo set opening for Chameleons Vox that sounded more like the emotive, introspective work of Robyn Hitchcock. “ One for each brother,” Darnielle sings.
But the band that “Abandoned Flesh” truly focuses on is Gene Loves Jezebel, the group behind the hit single “The Motion of Love.” Formed by identical twin brothers Jay and Michael Aston, the mostly forgotten group is now most famous for its acrimonious split and rebirth as two separate Gene Loves Jezebels. On the last song of his 2017 album, Goths, John Darnielle sings a paean to the goth talents of the past, assuring us that Robert Smith, Siouxsie Sioux and even Richard Blade are doing just fine.
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