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The Chords (British band)

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The Chords
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1978
FounderBilly Hassett, Martin Mason
Headquarters
South East London
,
England
ProductsMusic albums and singles

The Chords emerged as a British pop ensemble in the late 1970s, closely associated with the mod revival movement. They secured multiple chart entries in the UK before the decline of the mod trend resulted in their disbandment. The founding members reunited for a UK tour in 2010.

Career

Originating from South East London in 1978, The Chords were established by vocalist and guitarist Billy Hassett alongside bassist Martin Mason. Guitarist and songwriter Chris Pope joined the group after responding to an advertisement in NME. The initial drummer, Paul Halpin, soon shifted roles to become their tour manager, with Brett "Buddy" Ascott stepping in as his replacement. By March 1979, the band had built a strong live presence, headlining mod festivals at London's Marquee Club and recording a session for BBC Radio 1's John Peel show. Early champions of the band included Paul Weller and Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69, who initially brought them under JP Productions.

Following a short-lived partnership with Pursey, The Chords signed with Polydor Records. Their first single, "Now It's Gone," released in September 1979, reached number 63 on the UK Singles Chart. In January 1980, "Maybe Tomorrow" broke into the Top 40, supported by favorable media coverage and a second Peel session recorded in March. April's "Something's Missing," serving as a lead-up to their debut album So Far Away, peaked at number 55. Released in May, the album climbed to number 30 on the UK Albums Chart and was promoted through a nationwide tour. It featured renditions of Sam & Dave’s "Hold On, I'm Comin'" and The Beatles' "She Said She Said," garnering a 4.5-star rating from AllMusic.

Later singles included "The British Way of Life" (July) and "In My Street" (October), which reached numbers 54 and 50 respectively. After extensive touring, Hassett was replaced by Kip Herring, formerly of The Vibrators, towards the end of 1980. This lineup issued two singles—"One More Minute" (May 1981) and "Turn Away Again" (August)—both of which failed commercially, leading to the band's breakup in September 1981.

Posthumous releases feature the live album No One's Listening Anymore, recorded in 1980 but released in 1986, along with the 1996 double-disc compilation This Is What They Want.

The original members came together again in August 2010 to support the release of "Another Thing Coming," followed by tours across the UK, Australia, and Japan until 2012. A documentary DVD titled What Became of the People We Used To Be - The History of The Chords was issued in May 2012.

In 2019, Universal/Caroline released ReChordings, an extensive five-CD box set comprising So Far Away, collections of singles, live tracks, and two discs containing previously unreleased material. The package included an informative booklet authored by Brett "Buddy" Ascott.

Singles

  • "Now It's Gone" (1979) – UK No. 63
  • "Maybe Tomorrow" (1980) – UK No. 40
  • "Things We Said" (1980) – UK
  • "Something's Missing" (1980) – UK No. 55
  • "The British Way of Life" (1980) – UK No. 54
  • "In My Street" (1980) – UK No. 50
  • "One More Minute" b/w "Who's Killing Who" (1981)
  • "Turn Away Again" (1981)
  • "Another Thing Coming" (2010)

Albums

See also

External links

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