CHAS AND DAVE @Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 13/9/13

If we didn’t like them so much then we would be tempted to sue Chas and Dave under the Trade Descriptions Act. See, when we saw them in Wolverhampton a couple of years back we were told it was their farewell gig. Now we are told that “Dave is out of retirement and Chas and Dave are back on tour…..”

RTM should point out at this point we don’t do guilty to pleasures, we turn up tonight wearing an Anthrax t-shirt and that is exactly how music should be viewed. As the world’s greatest ever critics Beavis and Butthead pointed out, music is either good or it’s not. People that like things in an ironic way frankly, well, cheese us off. We like Chas and Dave because they are fantastic, simple as that.

The set this evening follows the same lines as that Wulfrun show did. The band plays two sets. The first is largely the same one they used to play in the 1970s in the pubs of London, this includes some old bluesy tracks, some Lonnie Donegan skiffle and some good ol’ cockney knees-ups like “End of My  Ol’ Cigar.” Crucially it ends with “Gertcha” the song that began their fame of the 1980s, because when they return its almost wall-to-wall hits.

And if you can’t enjoy “London Girls,” “Down To Margate” and “Snooker Loopy” then, to be honest, you are reading the wrong blog. That the band follow this up with a new track they have just released for charity called “Got My Ticket For The Darts,” which is downright glorious as it sounds and “Diddly Umma Day,” which is feat of singing like you wouldn’t believe, says much for the consummate skill. The evening ends with “Rabbit” and “Ain’t No Pleasing You” before they encore with “The Sideboard Song” and people are literally dancing in the seats.

And therein lies the nub of this evening. It’s fun. It’s not trying to change the world, it is giving people entertainment. However the fact that Chas and Dave (and Chas’s son on drums) are damn fine musicians and even finer songwriters, often gets neglected, but it is absolutely true. They have a new album out in October, so there seems to be plenty of life in these old dogs yet.

Scoff all you like, as we don’t care (in fact as the boys themselves might say, we don't give a monkeys). Chas and Dave were quite marvellous this evening, this is one of the most fun gigs of the year.