Chameleon Circuit (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, United States |
| Products | Music albums, music videos |
| Website | dftba |
Chameleon Circuit was a British rock group known for creating music inspired by the UK television series Doctor Who. Formed by well-known British YouTube personalities and enthusiasts of the show, their first album was released on 1 June 2009.[1]
By early 2011, the band’s lineup featured Alex Day, Charlotte McDonnell, Liam Dryden, Ed Blann, and American YouTube creator Michael Aranda, who initially contributed as a producer. They began producing their sophomore album, Still Got Legs, which was launched on 12 July 2011.[1] The album achieved placement on the UK iTunes Album and Rock Album charts and peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart.[2]
2008–2009: Formation and debut release
Motivated by the emergence of Wizard rock, YouTuber and Doctor Who enthusiast Alex Day coined the term "Time Lord Rock" ("Trock") during summer 2008 to categorize songs centered around the series.[3][4] Fellow fan Charlotte McDonnell posted an acoustic rendition of "Blink" on YouTube.[5] Alongside Scottish vloggers Liam Dryden and Chris Beattie, they established Chameleon Circuit and commenced work on their initial album under the newly formed DFTBA Records, a label created by Alan Lastufka and Hank Green to professionally support musicians emerging from YouTube.
The release of their debut album was postponed due to disagreements with their original producer, who ultimately refused to complete the project. Unable to secure another producer, the band decided to release Chameleon Circuit in an unfinished state.[6] Despite this setback, the album garnered favorable critiques, including praise from Den of Geek[7] and coverage in Doctor Who Magazine.[8] Former Doctor David Tennant commended their work as "proper decent music". In July 2010, their song "Count the Shadows" appeared on DFTBA Records, Volume Two, which was distributed free at VidCon 2010.[9]
2010–2014: Still Got Legs era and hiatus
Towards the end of 2010, Chameleon Circuit started developing their second album with American YouTube personality Michael Aranda serving as producer. Chris Beattie departed from the band in January 2011 and was succeeded by Ed Blann. Around this time, they revealed the album’s title, Still Got Legs, a nod to a line spoken by the Eleventh Doctor.
In April 2011, Aranda encountered difficulties re-entering the UK, prompting fans to initiate an online petition that secured him permission to stay for an additional week. The band received support from Red Bull, which funded a trip to Paris for them to finalize recording. Following these events, Aranda officially joined as a band member.
The completed album was previewed at Red Bull’s London studio in June 2011 before its official release through DFTBA Records on 12 July 2011. It reached number 23 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. On 31 July, Chameleon Circuit performed selections from both Still Got Legs and their debut album at VidCon 2011.
During YouTube’s Geek Week in August 2013, they debuted a music video for "Teenage Rebel," partially filmed on the TARDIS set. A second video for "The Doctor Is Dying" premiered in November 2013 as part of BBC America and Nerdist's "Doctor Who Week," leading up to the show's 50th Anniversary Special. The group also featured prominently in BBC Radio 1’s episode titled "The Story of Trock," which included interviews alongside their tracks.
In January 2014, Alex Day announced Ed Blann’s exit from the band. Subsequently, following public criticism after Day admitted to manipulative behavior towards women, Chameleon Circuit entered an unpublicized hiatus.
By 2017, Michael Aranda revealed during a Reddit AMA that Chameleon Circuit was effectively inactive due to diminishing interest among members and reduced enthusiasm for Doctor Who.
Discography
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Position | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Heatseekers | |||||||||||||
| Chameleon Circuit |
|
— | |||||||||||
| Still Got Legs |
|
23 | |||||||||||
| "—" indicates album did not chart or was not issued | |||||||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2009 | An Awful Lot of Running |
| 2010 | Type 40 |
| 2011 | Doctor What (acoustic) |
| 2013 | Teenage Rebel |
| The Doctor is Dying |
Band members
- Charlotte McDonnell – vocals, guitar, ukulele, keyboards, melodica, stylophone (2008–2014)
- Liam Dryden – vocals, keyboard, bass (2008–2014)
- Michael Aranda – backing vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, percussion, turntables, sampling (2011–2014)
- Chris Beattie – vocals, guitar, ukulele (2008–2009)
- Ed Blann – vocals, guitar (2011–2014)
- Alex Day – vocals, guitar, bass (2008–2014)
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBlink - ↑ McDonnell, Charlie. "Still got Legs". Charlie McDonnell. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
- ↑ "Chameleon Circuit Review and Interview- Den of Geek". Anthony Harvison. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ↑ "Chameleon Circuit – Doctor Who Magazine – Benjamin Cook". Benjamin Cook. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ↑ "Available for FREE, exclusively at VidCon". Retrieved 14 August 2010.