Tight Squeeze satisfies

Review: His crucial other half is sadly missing, but Glenn Tilbrook refused to let that hamper the band in a solid Galaxy show.

By Ben Wener
The Orange County Register, February 12, 1999

Um, Tilbrook… where’s Difford?
That had to be the question on everyone’s mind as Glenn Tilbrook, the honey-voiced half of the long-running pop outfit Squeeze, stepped onstage Wednesday night at the Galaxy Concert Theatre without his permanent songwriting and performing mate, Chris Difford. 

“If I were to put myself in your position right now,” he said after a solid run through of “Another Nail for My Heart” that was unavoidably lacking Difford’s frog-throated bottom, “I know what I’d be wondering… Where’s the other one?” 

Well? 

“Well, when it came time to go to the airport, Chris checked himself into a clinic.” He left it at that, and at press time, there are only rumors as to why and for what. (An Internet source, at www.squeezefan.com, tells me it’s merely illness.) All that was clear was that Difford had opted off the tour at the last second. 

“And we wondered,” Tilbrook continued, “ ‘Should we call it all off or carry on?’”

Thus began what essentially became The Glenn Tilbrook Show, complete with spot-on blue-eyed soul vocals, often-amazing guitar work and a typically self-deprecating sense of humor. Was it Squeeze?  Die-hards would hesitate to call it that, though an interesting argument can be made that you can have a live Squeeze without Difford but you can’t have one without Tilbrook, despite Difford having written most of the band’s lyrics.  In fact, one wonders just how many times in the English band’s 25-year history this sort of thing has ever happened. 

In the end, though Difford was sorely missed at several points, Tilbrook was right not to call it off.  (And it would appear that Difford won’t be at tonight’s Coach House gig.)  At first it seemed a shaky proposition: The duo’s songwriting remains some of the sharpest and wryest in the traditional pop canon, but the octaves-apart counterpoint that Difford and Tilbrook employ helps distinguish Squeeze from its contemporaries.  On songs where that element is crucial, such as “If I Didn’t Love You” and “Take Me I’m Yours,” the absence was terribly noticeable. 

More than that, Tilbrook’s would-be backing singers – bassist Hilaire Penda, Del Amitri’s drummer Ash Soan and keysman Chris Holland (original member Jools’ brother) – offered meager, if any, support.  (Not one of these guys can hit the low part on “Tempted”?)  As musicians, they are consummate professionals, and this version of Squeeze is perhaps tighter than any since its heyday. But as this is pop, not prog-rock, great chops aren’t always principal. 

Still, just as often Tilbrook was able to compensate for his missing other half, particularly in songs that were slightly tweaked and updated, such as a New Orleans-flavored “Goodbye Girl” or a propulsive “Pulling Mussels (From a Shell).”  (Another compensation was more silly: For an encore that included “Annie Get Your Gun” and the wonderful “Black Coffee in Bed,” Tilbrook invited the audience to join him onstage. About three dozen complied.)

What’s more, the band’s new material – especially the lightly funky “Sleeping With a Friend,” the mature “To Be a Dad” and the title track from its latest, unreleased (over here) album, “Domino” – proves it is far from dead.  Perhaps it isn’t the influential force it once was, but it’s certainly not creatively spent. 

Only Squeeze doesn’t have a stateside record deal. Tilbrook noted that, though the album has been out in England for months, it isn’t due until May or June here at the earliest.  And fans will recall that the last Squeeze album, “Ridiculous,” hit stores a week before its label, IRS, went under, all but placing copies of the fine effort directly in remainder bins.

Seeing a Difford-less Squeeze, then – and watching the crowd give him a round of applause in absentia – merely seemed like one more setback for one the most overburdened and wrongly forsaken bands around.  That’s a shame, because this is the first time in ages it has appeared in electric form. Top-notch album after album has been released – does no one own “Play”?  “Some Fantastic Place”? “Frank”? - and yet Squeeze slips further into oblivion.

And people wonder why pop has turned to dreck.


Squeeze Flexes Muscles, Gives Solid Concert

The band overcomes Difford’s absence at it Galaxy show, delivering an intense reworking of fan favorites and new songs.

Pop Music Review
By Jon Roos, Special to the Times
Los Angeles Times Orange County Edition, February 12, 1999

Uncertainty continues to dog Squeeze. 
The veteran Brit-pop band has gone through numerous label and personnel shake-ups since forming in 1975.  It has three new members, and the band boasts multiple album releases in England (its most recent titled “Domino”), but the quintet has yet to secure a U.S. distributor. 

More bad news: Only four band members began their new stateside tour.  Founding member Chris Difford, Squeeze’s froggy-voiced rhythm guitarist is reportedly at home recuperating from an undisclosed illness.

At Wednesday’s performance at the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana, lead singer-guitarist Glenn Tilbrook told the audience: “You’re probably wondering where that guy is who’s normally right here beside me. Well, Chris has checked himself into a clinic, and when he checks out, we’re hoping he’ll join us.” 

Despite it all, Squeeze put on an impressive performance for an enthusiastic packed house. Familiar favorites – “Up the Junction,” “Another Nail in My Heart,” “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)” and “Tempted” were delivered with panache.

More important, by sprinkling in an assortment of rarely played selections and worthy new numbers, the band refuses to become a predictable oldies act. The current plugged-in format – featuring ex-Youssou N’Dour bassist Hilaire Penda, ex-Del Amitri drummer Ash Soan and keyboardist Christopher Holland (the younger brother of ex-Squeeze-man Jools Holland) – constitutes a more muscular, harder rockin’ outfit. 

At times, the foursome sounded downright garage-y, especially when the propulsive rhythms got funky and Tilbrook unleashed torrents of noise on his electric guitar. Fans preferring the pop music side of the band may have been overwhelmed by such aggressive sonic textures. 

For the most part, though, the increased volume meant more intensity.  The new “Sleeping With a Friend” and “Little King” were played with a welcome ferocious bite.  And Tilbrook bared a part of his soul during “It’s Over,” a bitter kiss-off song from 1993’s “Some Fantastic Place.” Not everything was turbo-charged.  In fact, what puts Squeeze in the highly regarded company of the Kinks, Crowded House and Elvis Costello is Difford and Tilbrook’s remarkable song-crafting abilities. Catchy melodies, spot-on harmonies and mature perspectives on romantic entanglements are trademarks of the Squeeze canon.

The band eased back numerous times to allow the audience to absorb its more complex virtues.

Dedicated to Tilbrook’s sons, Ted and Louis, the new “To Be a Dad” offered a heartwarming tale of reconciliation and hope.  A dark, disturbing portrait of sex and foul play surfaced in the rarely played “Melody Motel,” and “The Prisoner” was a sobering look at marriage on the rocks. 

Still, as satisfying as the concert was, it suffered without Difford.  Musically, Tilbrook’s sweet tenor and Difford’s hoarse voice blend exceptionally well during the harmonies. What this particular show needed even more was their playful banter, which has radiated warmth during past concerts. 

Without his longtime sidekick, Tilbrook called on the audience to generate some spark. Fans streamed onto the stage to dance and sing to rollicking, set-ending versions of “Footprints,” “Hourglass,” “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Black Coffee in Bed.”

Remarkably, Squeeze carries on.