Early in their career, the band were discovered by the legendary BBC Radio host John Peel. Their sound is a mix of "melancholic yet energetic and powerful tunes, hypnotic ethereal riffs and a potent, timeless lyrical style". The Chameleons disbanded in 1987 before reforming in 2000 with the independently released ‘"Why Call It Anything?" and they subsequently toured widely across Europe and the United States. Following the tragic death of their drummer, John Lever, and the departure of another founding member, guitarist Dave Fielding, the group disbanded once more. They reformed again in 2021 with founders and principal writers: guitarist Reg Smithies and bassist, vocalist & lyricist Mark Burgess, joined by guitarist Stephen Rice, Danny Ashberry on keyboards and Todd Demma on drums.