Matthew Jenkin has a rabbit and pork with rockney duo Chas ‘n’ Dave.

IF YOU asked me to draw up a list of famous cockneys, Michael Caine, the Kray twins and, er, Danny Dyer would place somewhere in the top ten. But if you asked me to choose one band which epitomises London’s famous East End, without a doubt, it would have to be pop rock duo Chas ‘n’ Dave.

Blending boogie-woogie piano with music hall humour, Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock stormed the charts in the 70s and 80s with hits including Gertcha and Snooker Loopy.

But it’s not just their catchy melodies and quirky lyrics which have earned the rockney duo a devoted following since they first formed in the mid-70s.

What really sets them apart from the rest is their unashamedly proud heritage as born and bred cockneys.

The pair are currently saying their farewells on a supposedly final tour, visiting The Orchard in Dartford next week and Greenwich’s IndigO2 in April.

And with the news last summer the famous cockney dialect will be all but a memory within a generation, preserved in vintage episodes of EastEnders and shonky Dick Van Dyke films, should we shed a tear for the end of an era?

“It doesn’t worry me,” Chas calmly brushed off the decline of his mother tongue.

The 67-year-old added: “I think things should naturally progress. You can’t hold back time.

“I’m not a fan of those people who moan about how it was better back in their day. That’s a load of old cobblers.”

The multi-talented musician takes life in his stride, nonchalantly reminiscing with me about his pre-Chas ‘n’ Dave career, which included touring with rock icons Jerry Lee Lewis and The Beatles.

However, with songs featuring lyrics such as “Rabbit rabbit rab rab rabbit,” it’s no surprise they have never quite escaped the tag of being a novelty band.

Chas shrugged off the suggestion and said: “People who I admire like Albert Lee, Eric Clapton and Jerry Lee Lewis loved our music and that’s all that matters to me.

“If anybody doesn’t see what we’re all about then I look down on them from a great height.”

Afterall, if Chas ‘n’ Dave can make troubled star Pete Doherty blub like a baby at one of their gigs and cite them as the inspiration for his music, then surely that’s proof enough of the cockney geezers’ legendary status.

Besides, who cares about the words anyway?

He said: “The lyrics and the music are both important but the melody shines a little bit above the lyrics.”

After pushing him to compose a special song especially for our humble newspaper, I can see his point.

“Shopper, it’s a whopper,” he tries. Catchy, but maybe not.

Chas ‘n’ Dave: The Farewell Tour at The Orchard, Dartford, on March 24 and IndigO2, Greenwich, on April 18. For tickets, visit orchardtheatre.co.uk or theo2.co.uk/indigo2