"Not only was this the first ever Cockney rock'n'roll song," says Chas Hodges, with the righteous indignation of a pub quiz regular, "it was the first punk rock song." It's a lofty claim to make in the venue that saw the Sex Pistols start a gob-splattered revolution back in 1976. But though he's wrong about Gercha, released three years later, it was the start of something new, if not so influential: "rockney".

An unlikely hybrid of American rock'n'roll, British skiffle and east London blitz-spirit sing-along, rockney has had Chas and Dave as its only exponents for the past 25 years. And although the pair's hit-making years ended nearly 20 years ago, their cheeky evocation of a very British way of life is still beloved by boys in bands. First it was Britpop and Blur; now it's the renegade London Scene and the Libertines.

At the 100 Club, one lost soul wanders around in a red military jacket - enthused by the sight of Carl Barat in the crowd - but there is little evidence that the kids who sang along to Chas and Dave when they supported the Libertines in December 2003 are keeping faith with the cockney duo. Instead, an army of thirty-somethings revelling in displays of manly emotion turn the gig into an approximation of New Year's Eve down the local.

Hodges and Dave Peacock, meanwhile, wouldn't be out of place in a trendy bar. Dressed in expensive dark suits and sunglasses, playing grand piano and bass respectively and backed by Mick Burt on drums, they've still got the barrow-boy patter, but now look more like a quality lounge act.

Still, the songs remain as down to earth as ever. From the seaside jolliness of Margate to boogie-woogie ballad Ain't No Pleasing You and the dizzying vocal volleyball of Rabbit, lovingly observed ordinariness wins over showbiz. Tender, funny and oddly life-affirming, Hodges and Peacock leave us in little doubt that they are the original likely lads.

· At Wyvern Theatre, Swindon, tomorrow. Box office: 01793 524481. Then touring.