John Lever, drummer for the Manchester post-punk band The Chameleons, has died. The band’s co-founder, singer and bassist Mark Burgess, made the announcement on his Facebook page on Monday, saying Lever’s passing came “following a short period of illness.” “We want to offer our sincere and deepest sympathy to John’s mother, his sister and his two children at this terrible time,” Burgess’ note continued. “Obviously I’m shocked at the news and consequently I’ll be offline for a while.” Lever joined The Chameleons after the group formed in 1981 and played on the band’s three albums before its breakup in 1987. Following, Burgess and Lever formed the Sun and the Moon and released an eponymous* album in 1988. In 2000, The Chameleons reunited and released three more albums before disbanding again in 2003. In 2009, Burgess and Lever reformed as ChameleonsVox to play The Chameleons back catalog material and issued an EP called “M+D=1(8)” in November 2013. Most recently, Lever performed in the Red-Sided Garter Snakes with Chameleons guitarist Dave Fielding. (SD-Agencies) |