The Chords

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Chords were a British band from south-east London, formed in 1978 when the singer and guitarist Billy Hassett and his cousin, the bassist Martin Mason, placed an advertisement in the NME. In this way they found the guitarist and songwriter Chris Pope. With the drummer Brett Ascott the group played on stage from March 1979. They soon recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1, and Paul Weller was among their early fans at one of their first concerts.

Music and breakthrough

The band belonged to the mod revival of the late 1970s. Their sound linked the energy of punk with the mod of the 1960s, especially as played by The Jam and The Who. Songs such as Now It's Gone (1979) and Maybe Tomorrow (1980) reached the British charts, Maybe Tomorrow even the top 40. In 1980 the debut album So Far Away appeared, with two covers: Hold On, I'm Comin' by Sam & Dave and She Said She Said by The Beatles.

Influence

Success remained limited. At the end of 1980 Hassett was dismissed and Kip Herring, formerly singer of The Vibrators, took his place. In 1981 the group stopped. Even so The Chords remained a cult band within the mod revival. In 2010 the four original members got back together for a tour, and in 2012 performances in Australia and Japan followed. In 2019 the box set ReChordings appeared, with, among other things, unreleased material. For anyone who wants to know how the mod revival sounded outside the biggest names, this is a good way in.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1980So Far Away
• 2012It Was Twenty Years Ago Today