Gig review - Chas Hodges & His Band @ Lemon Tree 10-Jun-2010

Reviewed by Lucky

Hands up if you automatically associate the names Chas & Dave with Tetley’s bitter, Eastenders, and “Knee’s Ahp Mavva Brahn”-style cockney singalongs? Yeah me too, and I’ve been listening to them for years. However during the first half of this show – a tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis – Chas regales us with stories of his younger days, when he toured and recorded with the likes of Jerry Lee, Gene Vincent and Mike Berry & The Outlaws - not to mention jamming with a little band you may have heard of called The Beatles - and you soon realise that you’re very nearly in the presence of rock n’ roll royalty. Chas and his band tear through a few tracks from The Killer’s back catalogue, along with a few more from the rock n’ roll era, each one with a story connected to it, ably told by Chas himself, a born storyteller, looking confident and relaxed behind his electric piano. This is real toe-tapping stuff, boogie-woogie rock n roll piano and 12-bar bass, the kind of music which is wasted on an all-seater venue with no dancefloor. Not much makes me want to dance, but this does. Though much as I am enjoying it, this isn’t the real reason I bought the ticket, and I think the crowd share this sentiment, as they go absolutely wild when Chas and his band finish off the 30-minute first act with a raucous version of Chas & Dave’s 1981 hit “Rabbit”, to give us a taste of what is to come in the second act.

After a 20 minute interval, the second half sees the band come back out to play what is essentially a Chas n’ Dave Greatest Hits set. Of course, there is a rather obvious Dave-shaped hole both in the sound and on the stage where Chas’ musical partner of 35 years is conspicuous in his absence, but the man charged with taking his place - who incidentally, is Dave’s son, did a fine job filling in on the bass guitar, while the drummer – who incidentally, is Chas’ son – is equally adept at taking on Dave’s vocal parts. Straight off the bat, they launch into crowd favourites such as “Margate”, “London Girls”, and “That Old Piano” and soon they have the whole place swaying. The first half of the set is merely an entrée – this is the main course. Chas, as well as being an exceptional pianist, is an extremely likeable and entertaining host. Between songs he works the crowd like an old pro, telling stories of growing up in working class ‘Lahndahn’; him and Dave almost getting kicked off Top Of The Pops for using an old-fashioned Cockney swear-word (“cowson”, if you’re interested); not to mention posing for photos mid-song; shilling his new CD at every opportunity; and handling written requests from pissed Spurs fans who have found their way in; overfriendly women asking him to play their favourite tracks, and even one woman handing him a note asking if she could take his son home with her! The hits just keep on coming, “The Sideboard Song”, “Poor Old Mr Woogie”, “Gertcha”, “My Mechancoly Baby”, all sounding fantastic. Even the bloody awful “Snooker Loopy” gets an airing! To see us out, they play a fantastic version of “Ain’t No Pleasing You” which had folks dancing in the aisles, and then finished off with an encore of “Rabbit” just to send everyone home happy.

I never got to see Chas & Dave live, and sadly Dave announced his retirement from the business last year, so I probably never will. But, all things said and done, this was a still a wonderful gig, a night of really great music, fun times and amusing stories, and although it wasn’t the full Chas & Dave experience, it was a more than acceptable substitute. Chas easily has the musical skill and the charisma to carry this show on his own, and don’t let the lack of Dave put you off going, because you will definitely enjoy this.

“Yay!” of the night – Chas spending a good hour at the end of the show standing in the front talking to every single person who approached him, shaking hands, signing autographs, posing for photos and telling everyone “fanks for cahmin’ dahn!”. What a gent.

“Boo!” of the night – a few of my personal favourites missing from the set list. “In Sickness And In Health”, “Massage Parlour”, and “Mustn’t Grumble” to name but a few. Still, mustn’t grumble.

Verdict - *****

Some homeless looking bloke. With Chas Hodges.

www.chashodges.com