Chas n Dave and their English appeal.

I’ve been thinking recently about music that is particular to a certain country or region.  I know that some artists are more successful in some countries than others and that’s not quite what I mean here.  For example, Johnny Halliday is massive in France and the French speaking world, but his music doesn’t sound typically French and is enjoyed by many people outside of France.

The kind of thing I am think of here and which sparked this train of thought are artists like Chas n Dave.  These are a pair of typically English musicians and whilst their music can be enjoyed by anyone, it will resonate so much more with English people and especially Londoners.  Their music is in a good old fashioned pub singalong style and they sing of areas unique to London and England.  They also use a lot of local slang that may not be explained or understood elsewhere.  For example a crowd favourite is ‘Rabbit’, but not everyone knows this can mean someone chattering on incessantly.  So when they sing ‘she has more rabbit than Sainsbury’s’ (a UK supermarket) not everyone would quite get what they mean.

Chas n Dave

Also the style itself is very strongly from London and people in Northern England may not even like Chas n Dave as much as those down south.  Whilst they aren’t strictly cockney, the style of music they play is.

This thinking can apply to other styles and countries and I’m sure Shamisen players from Japan and Aboriginal chants from Australia have more appeal and market in their respective countries than worldwide.

Music is a global language and everyone can enjoy it regardless of your history, upbringing or outlook and this is what I love about it.  But maybe some music will resonate more in some countries than others due to the shared national history, the slang and musical styles they use that don’t translate quite as well elsewhere.

I am sure there are other examples of this and feel free to add your own thoughts here.