Chas & Dave
Chas & Dave remain one of London’s most influential pop rock duos. The duo created the “rockney” style of music, which is known for mixing piano with humor and rock ‘n’ roll. The duo started their career in 1975 and remained active until 2009.
The pair took a short two-year break, entering back on the music scene in 2011.
Chas & Dave consists of Charles Hodges and Dave Peacock. Hodges plays the banjo, guitar and piano while lending his vocals. Peacock plays an array of instruments, which include all of the instruments his partner plays, along with the bass guitar and ukulele.
Mick Burt was a sideman and drummer for the group, but he left the group and entered into retirement.
Burt was the reason for the group’s short hiatus. He decided to leave his life as a musician after his wife’s death in 2009.
The group’s humble beginnings didn’t last long. They become a recognizable name and went on to open for Led Zeppelin in 1979 at the Knebworth Festival. The opening helped propel the duo’s career to new heights. They would continue to play at the same festival over the next three decades.
Hodges’ son, who also goes by the same name, took over on the drums. The group’s musical influence can be felt across a wide array of musical genres, with the group’s hook featured by rapper Eminem.
Chas & Dave are known for their comic songs, but one of the group’s biggest hits, “Ain’t No Pleasing You,” was a romantic song.
The group’s return was cut short in February 2017 when the duo announced that Chas had esophagus cancer. The announcement postponed all of the duo’s remaining shows for the year, with Chas immediately entering a treatment program.
Continued updates were provided throughout the treatment progress, with Chas responding well to treatment.
Doctors urged Chas to take his time getting back on stage, which caused the group to cancel their remaining shows. The duo remained quiet for several months while Chas continued to recover. The duo eventually released a statement in July 2017 that they will return to the Royal Albert Hall in 2018.
The show will mark the first time that the group has returned to the hall since they sold out the venue in 2014.
Chas returned to the stage in the summer of 2017, showing that he was back in top form, at the British Summer Time.
The group has released 15 albums, with their most recent being That’s What Happens, released in 2013.