Episode 175 : Chris Pope from The Chords

On this episode of The Paul Weller Fan Podcast, I am joined by Chris Pope - Songwriter, Musician and one of the founding members of The Chords.

We take a journey through the bands formation at the tail end of 1978, after original singer/guitarist Billy Hassett and his bass playing cousin, Martin Mason, advertised for musicians in NME.

Chris got the job and the band were soon into live gigs and studio recordings.

Their style was a combination of punk and the 1960s influenced sound of the time.

At the end of March 1979, the band played the Wellington in Waterloo to packed crowds with Paul Weller in the audience. This helps the band secure more gigs and an important support slot to The Jam.

With the Mod Revival in full swing, what follows are two John Peel sessions, a few singles, Top of the Pops, and an album (So Far Away)....

The band also played Loch Lomond Festival in June 1980 with Bad Manners, Stiff Little Fingers, The Tourists and The Jam…

Paul Weller was a big supporter of the band and Chris in the press - once calling him “the best songwriter of his generation”...

The Chords UK

Chris Pope formed The Chords UK in 2013 to continue playing ‘classic’ Chords tunes such as Maybe Tomorrow, The British Way Of Life and So Far Away - whilst also pushing forward with new music too...

The band is made up of Chris, Kenny Cooper, Sandy Michie, and Dave Murrell, with a live setlist featuring all of the original hits along with tracks from the three LP’s that they have released so far.

They have been cited live as “an incendiary rock n roll outfit” by Louder Than War.

You can buy the music on Bandcamp, watch videos on YouTube , listen on Spotify and follow for news and live show info on Facebook

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