Many of us remember our lives being made hell by the cool kids at school. Spending the school days cooped in a corner on your own, and daily visits to the nurse’s room just because the cool kids decided your cheap shoes warranted a beating. Coughing our lungs up behind the bike sheds. Standing in the pissing rain desperate not to be the last boy picked at football during PE…This is where Chas comes in to set the record straight with his latest single, “THE LAST BOY TO BE PICKED AT FOOTBALL “.
The song is a nostalgic, yet timeless guitar-driven indie disco classic. Set in his own 90s school days in working-class London, it tells a story of friendship through adversity and the power of sticking together.With a guitar hook that takes you right back to the glory days of late 90s indie, and playful vocals with a tinge of Jarvis Cocker, this is the perfect tune for the recent mini-indie revival that’s been bubbling away in cities across the UK. The song is a tale of two best friends who go through torment at school by the hands of the cool kids, but they get through simply by being there for each other.
Its strong anti-bullying message is told with quintessential British imagery and humor. The cheeky accompanying video, set in a local school in South London and filmed on a 90’s camcorder, shows Chas’ typically tongue-in-cheek approach, but there is something poignant there too.This is a real gem of a song which would not be out of place on any Indie playlist! After landing on the London live scene at the start of 2024, Chas has built a steady following of fans who appreciate his unique storytelling.
His songs range from searing ballads about soulmates and seclusion—reminiscent of the crooners of years gone by—to short sharp punky numbers that would fit into the songbooks of Bragg and early Costello, via expansive trippy pieces that transport you to the world of Syd Barrett and Brian Wilson.He markets himself as part Punk, part Crooner, part Psychedelian , yet all his songs are connected by wordplay and the stories he tells. His working-class musical lineage can be traced back to the Victorian era where his great-great-grandfather played the music halls of London, right up to his club singer father who was synonymous with the working men’s clubs and pubs across the capital. This was a musical upbringing not based on theory or privileged leisure, but as a means of escaping the tough grind of everyday life.
At the heart of everything Chas does is a commitment to portray and give a voice to the working people of Britain, and he aims to do this with songs that make you laugh, cry, and think.
