Singer Mark “Vox” Burgess discusses his band’s new album, the curative quality of music and his ayahuasca rebirth.
If you are unaware of the legendary dark wave band The Chameleons, stream their 1986 banger “Swamp Thing.” The hypnotic guitar and aching, urgent vocals are sure to hook you in immediately. Formed in Manchester, England in 1981 by singer/bassist Mark “Vox” Burgess and guitarist/visual artist Reg Smithies, the band plays guitar-based, goth-tinged rock ’n’ roll that influenced every band that came after, including Oasis, The Verve and Interpol. Four-plus decades into their career, they have just released their most brilliant and urgent album to date, Arctic Moon.
We caught up with Burgess at a soundcheck to discuss the curative quality of music, being in a “cult band” and his ayahuasca rebirth.
HUSTLERMagazine.com: How is the tour going? What has the reaction to the new songs been?
Mark Burgess: With this tour, I find myself experiencing something I haven’t had in a while. That is, butterflies. We have about four or five new songs on the set list, and the reaction to them has been great. They fit seamlessly alongside the older songs. To a certain degree, that is conscious.
I see you’ve recently been emphasizing your stage name “Vox.” Why?
By the end of 2024 I became more aware of the baggage and trauma I had carried my whole life. I was fucked up. I did ayahuasca for six days on a retreat. I came out of the other side of it completely changed. It was a very profound experience. I wanted to demarcate myself from who I was then to who I am now. Mark Burgess was a name given for legal purposes, and it means absolutely nothing. It is a family name, but it means nothing to me. I wanted to redefine myself. It’s a rebirth.
