Top-drawer German theologian Rudolf Bultmann dedicated an entire chapter of his ground-breaking Theology of the New Testament to an analysis of the post-eschatological implications of Snooker Loopy, so it seems only fitting that Greenbelt should bow to the inevitable and book Chas & Dave. Rockney before Damon Albarn was Mockney, until recently the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, Chas & Dave have been endorsed by Pete Doherty and are riding a new crest of popularity over 30 years after the release of their debut LP One Fing ‘n’ Annuvver. So, get your thumbs in your braces and get ready for a proper Cockney knees-up, Gawd bless yer. Pianist Chas Hodges and guitarist Dave Peacock were already old hands on the British rock scene of the 60s and 70s when they teamed up with drummer Mick Burt (who had swapped his sticks for a monkey wrench and was working as a plumber) and released a self-produced album in 1975. At a time when most other English bands wanted to sound like they came from Memphis rather than Maida Vale, Chas & Dave’s USP was Cockney Rock ‘n’ Roll, with songs such as Ponders End Allotment Club and an unashamed coating of London vernacular. It is this counter-cultural attitude - local songs for local people - which leads many to claim the boys as godfathers of a movement which takes in such fine artists as Ian Dury, Squeeze and Billy Bragg (is there a Greenbelt pattern emerging here?). Chas & Dave’s big break came after the release of their 1978 album Rockney. They were spotted by an advertising exec at a pub gig playing Gertcha, and before long the tune was helping shift gallons of Courage beer and winning the boys their first Top Twenty chart entry. Their two most successful singles, Rabbit and There Ain’t No Pleasing You, followed in the early 80s, both songs utterly and beautifully out of step with the prevailing musical winds of the era. The clever early adoption of beards has kept Chas & Dave looking as young as they (n)ever did, and their career has continued unabated: they’ve recorded with Tottenham Hotspur; written TV theme tunes; been handed the red book on This Is Your Life; been kept off the top spot in the album charts by Take That’s farewell album; and enjoyed an unexpected burst of fame on the other side of the pond in the late 90s. Rockney factoid number 1: Chas used to play in a band with Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore. Rockney factoid number 2: Sainsbury’s doesn’t sell rabbit.