Biography
Biog Intro
Before Chords
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982 - Today
Tour 2010
1980 :

JANUARY: (14th–18th) LP backing tracks recorded, Redan Studio, Arthurs producing. (16th) ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ is ‘single of the week’ in Sounds. (21st–25th, 27th–29th, 31st) LP tracks completed. (28th) Kid Jensen, BBC, single of the week. (29th) ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, new entry No 70 in BRMB chart. (31st) Single of the week in NME.

FEBRUARY: (1st) Cambridge Corn Exchange, supporting 999; first date of ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ Tour. (2nd) Middlesbrough Rock Garden supported by Long Tall Shorty. (3rd) Huddersfield Coachhouse club. (4th) Preston Poly. (5th) Single at No.44, BRMB chart; Manchester Poly. (6th) Recorded ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ for BBC1 Top of the Pops. (7th) Top Of The Pops screened; Shoulder of Mutton Inn, Hardstoft nr.Chesterfield; drugs raid on hotel and group thrown out at 3am. (8th) Marquee. (9th) Marquee. (11th) Wales Poly, Pontypridd. (12th) Sheffield Limit Club; single No.40 in BRMB chart. (13th) 77 Club, Nuneaton; Buddy and road manager arrested at hotel for attempted burglary, but charges later dropped; articles in Sounds and Record Mirror. (14th) Island Hotel, Isle of Sheppey. (15th) Lonsdale College, Derby. (16th) Hitchin College. (18th) Recorded radio session for Kid Jensen/Mike Read. (19th) Maybe Tomorrow down to No 41 (20th) Photo session for the LP cover. (23 / 24) Final mix of LP. (28th) NME article. (29th) Overdubs put on radio session.

MARCH: (1st) Recorded ‘This Is What They Want’ at Redan Studio and vocal rantings inspired by that morning's edition of Saturday children’s TV show Tiswas. (11th) Second John Peel session recorded. (24th) Session broadcast.

APRIL: (1st) LFI photo session. (3rd) Billy Hassett married at Lewisham Registry Office – he arrives by bus; Buddy attends disguised as Donald Duck; Paul Halpin as a jester in preparation for Buddy's 21st birthday boat party that evening. (15th/16th) Demos, SAV Studios. (18th) Release of ‘Something's Missing’. (22nd) Single new entry at No.73 BRMB chart. (24th) ‘Something's Missing’ single of the week in Record Mirror, re-recorded single for Cheggers Plays Pop at Redan Studios. (29th) Tour starts; Cleethorpes Winter Gardens; single No.57. Radio Humberside live interview(30th) Capital Radio interview; recorded ‘Something's Missing’ for Top of The Pops; Birmingham Exit Club.

MAY: (1st) Top Of The Pops aired. (2nd) Corn Exchange, Cambridge. (4th) Lafayette Club. Wolverhampton. (7th) Manchester University, supported by Fast Cars; single No.55, BRMB chart. (8th) Civic Hall, Guildford. (9th) C.F. Mott College, Prescot, Liverpool. (10th) Newcastle University. (11th) Four fire engines and three police cars summoned Doncaster Hotel when Buddy sets off fire alarm whilst unscrewing radio from wall. (12th) Rotters, Doncaster. (13th) Reading University. (14th) Stowaway Club, Newport. (15th) Troubador, Port Talbot; Swansea Radio interview; album ‘So Far Away’ released. (17th) Paddock's Club, Northampton. (19th) Bowes Lyon Club, Stevenage. (20th) Album enters BRMB LP chart at No.30. (21st) Top Rank, Plymouth. (22nd) The Fleet, Peterborough, supported by The Name. (24th) Electric Ballroom, London, supported by The Photos and The Name; end of tour. (28th) LP down to No.44 in BRMB chart.

JUNE: (4–7th) Recorded ‘The British Way of Life’ and ‘The Way It's Got To Be’ at Park Gates Studio, Catsfield near Battle; also recorded unreleased version of ‘This Is What They Want’ featuring cello, organ and tambourine. (16th) Le Palais, Paris, supported by The V. l.P.'s (first foreign gig). (21st) Loch Lomond Festival, Scotland, Bad Manners, Stiff Little Fingers, The Tourists and The Jam; (100th gig; first Scottish date). (28th) The Rainbow, London, as special guests of The Vapors.

JULY: (4th) Release of ‘The British Way of Life’. (8th) Single new entry No.58, BRMB chart. (15th) No.54 in chart. (16th) Chris and Buddy fly to Scotland for interview with Clyde Radio (Glasgow) and Forth Radio (Edinburgh). (19th) Unplicised low key slot at Red Lion, Leytonstone, East London with the Purple Hearts, the reformed Back To Zero.(28–30th) Recorded demos at Polydor Studios.

AUGUST: (24th) Oosterport Centre, Gronigen HOLLAND, with Echo and The Bunnymen.
SEPTEMBER: (1–5th) Recorded ‘In My Street’, ‘I'll Keep On Holding On’ and the never released ‘Empty Dreams’ at Townhouse, West London with producer Mick Glossop.
OCTOBER:(1st) Chords Fan Club officially opens. (10th) Release of ‘In My Street’; start of tour at Basingstoke Technical College, supported by The Gas. (11th) Slough College. (14th) In My Street new entry at 62 BRMB chart. (16th) Fusion, Aberdeen. (17th) Technical College, Dundee. (18th) Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh. (19th) Olympia Civic Centre, East Kilbride. (20th) Bungalow Bar, Paisley (21st) Single No.50 in BMRB chart; Manchester Polytechnic. (23rd) Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa. (24th) Queensway Hall, Dunstable. (25th) Leicester University. (28th) Single at No.56. (29th) Roundabout Club, Gloucester. (30th) Kent University, Canterbury. (31st) Painted Lady, Melton Mowbray.

NOVEMBER: (1st) Bradys, Liverpool. (6th) Kombi, Maastricht, Holland. (7th) De Koog, Noord Scharwoude, Holland. (8th) Gigant, Appledorn, Holland. (9th) Milky Way, Amsterdam, Holland. (14th) Music Machine, London; Billy Hassett's last gig. (17th) Billy Hassett told by band that The Chords no longer want him in the group. (22nd) News of Billy’s departure gives the Chords their biggest-ever coverage in all four weekly "music" papers!
NOVEMBER thru JANUARY 1981: Over 120 interviews and 20 separate auditions looking for Bill's replacement.

DECEMBER: (22nd) Demos at Polydor; Kip, singer with the Vibrators, sings "So Far Away" as part of his first recording audition. Kips real name Malcolm John Herring.

Biog Intro | Before Chords | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 - Today