Artist: Chas & Dave
Album: A Cockney Christmas With..
Label: Demon
Released: 26 November 2001
UK Album Chart: nope
US Billboard 200: Like the idea but not a chance!
Produced: Chas Hodges & Dave Peacock
File Under: Proper East End Christmas with added pub piano
🎧 Listening Status
I came to A Cockney Christmas late, via Spotify rather than a battered old CD – but it didn’t take long to feel like something I’d grown up with. I’ve always had a soft spot for Chas ’n’ Dave anyway, and this just leans straight into that warm, pub-corner, end-of-the-year comfort zone.
One of my go to Christmas albums. Always brings a smile to my face.
💾 Background
By 2001, Chas & Dave were long past their chart-dominating days, but firmly embedded in British culture. You don’t really “discover” Chas & Dave — they just sort of… exist around you like wallpaper, pork scratchings, and questionable football chants.
Strictly speaking, it’s more compilation than studio album – traditional carols on one disc, with a long, medley-style run through Chas & Dave favourites on the other – which explains the slightly bonkers 58-track count. But once it’s on, none of that really matters. It just works.
And I’m a big fan of the album of two halves concept. Though in this case it’s a double album.
There’s something instantly reassuring about their voices at Christmas. No big gloss. No forced sentiment. Just familiar melodies, proper sing-along energy, and that unmistakable London warmth that feels made for December evenings, fairy lights, and another cup of tea (or something stronger).
It’s not flashy. It’s not trying to be cool. It’s just genuinely lovely.
For me, it’s become one of those quiet go-to Christmas albums – the sort you put on while the room fills up, the kettle boils, and the year gently winds down. And honestly? That’s exactly what Chas & Dave do best.
Result? A lot less novelty than I expected… and a lot more heart.
It’s Christmas by way of the East End pub — tinsel on the piano, warm bitter in hand, and someone definitely about to start a singalong whether you like it or not.
🔊 The Sound
The production is simple, warm and unfussy. No bombast. No walls of sleigh bells trying to club you into submission. Just:
- Piano
- Bass
- A bit of brass
- And that instantly recognisable Chas & Dave pub-room swing
The traditional half is played straight but with personality — respectful without being stiff.
Then the covers medley kicks in, and suddenly you’re in full-on Cockney festive mode:
- Pubs
- Boozers
- Cold streets
- Late-night buses
- That lovely, slightly wobbly warmth of Christmas after a few jars
- Jellied eels, pie n mash
- Singing round the piano in an East End boozer
It’s far more grounded than most Christmas albums. No snow-globe fantasy here — this is Christmas with frost on the pavements and condensation on the pub windows.
⭐ Standout Moments
🎄 “The Wassail Song”
A tear jerking rendition of a Christmas Classic
🍺 “The Coventry Carol”
Pure Chas & Dave brilliance — Christmas observed from the bar stool, not the fireplace. Same as above.
🥃 “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
A lovely mix of cheer and mild resignation. Festive realism at its finest.
🎹 The Whole Second Album
Played with warmth rather than bombast — no fake snowfall, no syrup overload. Not even Christmassy but just a good old-fashioned singalong.
🧠 Final Thoughts
This album is far better than it has any right to be.
If you come in expecting novelty, you’ll be surprised.
If you come in expecting heart, you’ll find plenty.
A Cockney Christmas isn’t about advertising jingles, snow in LA, or mistletoe movie montages. It’s about real British Christmases:
- Cold hands
- Warm pubs
- Family chaos
- And that strange, emotional wobble that hits somewhere between the Queen’s Speech and last orders
It won’t change your life — but it might make December feel a bit more human.
🎵 Sound Bite Summary
- 🍻 Christmas through a pub-room lens
- 🎹 Warm, honest, and refreshingly unslick
- 🎄 Traditional meets proper East End originality
- 🧣 Zero cheese, plenty of heart
The Listening Log 
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