DARTFORD may be known for producing Mick and Keef, but a quite different musical duo is coming to The Orchard Theatre this month.

Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock, better known as Chas and Dave, are back on tour and bringing their unique ‘rockney’ sound to fans more than four decades after they first started playing together.

Where Messrs Jagger and Richards cannibalised American rhythm and blues, conquered the States and filled stadiums with the Rolling Stones, Chas and Dave stayed true to their north London roots – and accents – blending rock and roll with music hall humour and criss-crossing the UK for tour after tour.

When News Shopper catches up with Chas he is in Liverpool before a gig at the Cavern Club which was first made famous by the Beatles who once opened for Mr Hodges when he was in a previous band.

The 69-year-old said: “We’ve played the Orchard many times before and it’s a great sound.

“We always get a great response there.”

While he and Dave, 68, are better known for their allegiance to Tottenham Hotspur, Chas was chuffed to visit Princes Park for a game last year and hear his charity song Got My Ticket For The Darts blaring out as Dartford FC’s unofficial anthem.

He said: “It really sounded great and I hope they continue to play it.”

The piano, banjo and guitar player claims this latest tour – which looked unlikely after the 2011 shows appeared to spell the end of Chas and Dave – has been their “best ever”.

He added: “We are playing better than ever and the crowd reaction is better than ever.

“We get some young kids and older people but it seems to be mostly 20 to 30-year-olds.

“We played in Glasgow the other weekend and we had 1,000 Glaswegians singing along to London Girls.

“I don’t think that’s ever been done before.”

Chas is always writing and playing, even without Dave, and recently released an album Together We Make Music with his Chas Hodges Band.

Would he and his musical partner – who believe it or not actually started out in a band called the Rolling Stones – rather be headlining Glastonbury this summer than playing The Orchard on a Thursday night?

Would they hell.

Chas added: “The Stones are alright but I’ve never been that enamoured with them.

“Dave and I we just do what comes into our heads.”

Chas and Dave play the Orchard Theatre on April 18 at 7.30pm.

Visit orchardtheatre.co.uk or call 01322 220000