The Chords

The Chords

The Chords are a London mod revival group active from 1978 to 1981, with a later reunion by the four original members for a UK tour in 2010. The line-up consists of Billy Hassett, Martin Mason, Chris Pope and Brett “Buddy” Ascott.

Formation and early activity

The group begins with Hassett and Mason, who are cousins and had been rehearsing Beatles and Who songs together at school. They place an advert in the New Musical Express and bring in guitarist and songwriter Chris Pope. They spend 1978 writing, rehearsing and playing a few gigs, and they also fail to become the band for Quadrophenia, reportedly because they are considered too loud.

Original drummer Paul Halpin does not remain in the role for long and later becomes the band’s tour manager. Brett “Buddy” Ascott joins on drums at the start of 1979, completing the classic line-up. By March that year the group is already playing to packed crowds at the Wellington in Waterloo.

Support, press and live work

Early support comes from Paul Weller, who sees one of the group’s first concerts, and from Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey. Pursey signs the band to his JP Productions company and the group records a set of demos for him. The relationship later breaks down after Pursey instigates a stage invasion during The Undertones’ set at a concert where The Chords are the opening act.

The band play continuously through spring and summer, headline two mod festivals at London’s Marquee Club, and record their first BBC Radio 1 session for John Peel in early July 1979. They also appear on the cover of Time Out with some of their fans. Their profile grows further through support slots, including one with The Jam.

Recordings and chart success

Polydor signs the band to a recording contract. Their debut single, Now It’s Gone, appears in September 1979 and reaches number 63 in the UK Singles Chart. Maybe Tomorrow follows in January 1980 and reaches the UK Top 40. A second Peel session is recorded in March 1980, and the next month Something’s Missing is released as a preview of their debut album.

The album So Far Away reaches number 30 in the UK Albums Chart in May 1980. It includes cover versions of Sam & Dave’s Hold On, I’m Comin’ and The Beatles’ She Said She Said. AllMusic gives the album 4.5 stars, its second-highest rating.

Style and later history

The Chords are generally associated with the mod revival and are described as a British pop group from that scene. Their music is also tagged as mod, new wave and power pop. After the decline of the revival, the group breaks up, before reuniting in 2010 with the original four members for a UK tour.