Chas & Dave

Chas & Dave

Chas & Dave are a London duo made up of Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock. Active from 1974 to 2018, they work in folk, folk rock, pop rock and rock and roll, and are closely associated with Cockney style and London pub culture. Their music is often identified with the term “Rockney”, a blend of rock and Cockney.

Members and sound

Chas Hodges performs on piano, vocals, banjo and guitars, while Dave Peacock plays bass guitar, vocals, banjo and guitars. Mick Burt plays drums with the group. The pair sing in an intentionally Cockney manner, which they use from the start as a deliberate alternative to British bands adopting American accents.

Hits and recordings

Their first hit is “Gertcha”, followed by songs including “Rabbit” and “The Sideboard Song”. “Ain’t No Pleasing You” reaches number 2 in 1982 and uses strings alongside their usual piano, bass and drum arrangement. “Snooker Loopy” is a comic snooker song recorded with Tony Meo, Dennis Taylor, Terry Griffiths, Willy Thorne and Steve Davis, under the name the Matchroom Mob.

Television, adverts and live work

They appear regularly on British television from 1975 onwards, and their music features in a Courage Bitter beer advertising campaign, which helps establish them in the United Kingdom. They also do extensive live work and perform widely across the UK.

Spurs songs and influence

Chas & Dave remain known for songs written and recorded for Tottenham Hotspur F.C., a club they support. These include “Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur”, “Ossie’s Dream”, “Hot Shot Tottenham”, “When the Year Ends in One”, “Tottenham Tottenham” and the “Spurs Medley”. Their playing of a hook written by Labi Siffre for “I Got The” is later lifted by Eminem for “My Name Is”. Carl Barat and Pete Doherty of the Libertines cite them as a major influence, and they support the Libertines at several gigs in 2002.

Later years

They appear at Glastonbury in 2004 and 2007. Chas Hodges publishes the autobiography Chas & Dave – All About Us in 2008. The duo announce a break in 2009, then reunite for a final tour in 2011. They also play Christmas shows at the IndigO2 in 2011 and 2012, and the “Back By Demand” tour runs from February to May 2013. In 2012 they are the sixth act announced for Rebellion Festival, and the BBC Four documentary Chas & Dave: Last Orders is made in the same year.

Final releases and performances

Their album That’s What Happens appears in 2013, their first studio album in 18 years. In 2014 Hodges appears in Graham Fellows’ BBC Radio 4 comedy series John Shuttleworth’s Lounge Music. Mick Burt dies in 2014. In 2015 they perform at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in Horse Guards Parade, London, and at the Sunshine Festival in Upton-Upon-Severn, as well as their traditional Christmas show at the Hammersmith Apollo. Chas Hodges dies in 2018.