If many of you don't know, SQUEEZE is my favorite band of all time. Now, excuse me. I need some black coffee in bed)
SQUEEZE: BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Pop sculptors Squeeze have given in to an eight-year campaign by their fans to reform by announcing a Stateside reunion tour this summer.
As quintessentially British as roast beef, warm beer, and rain, Squeeze were one of the U.K.’s most successful bands of the past 30 years, yet their unique brand of storytelling rock effortlessly transcended the Transatlantic gap. Hits such as “Tempted,” “Hourglass,” and “Goodbye Girl” gave Squeeze a huge U.S. following, from college campus to factory floor.
The 12-date Quintessential tour will see Squeeze play a selection of their greatest hits, starting at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on July 31. Dates in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Atlantic City follow, before the final show at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California, two weeks later. A tour of their homeland follows later in the year.
Due for release in the U.K. only at present is Essential Squeeze, a CD collection of 16 of the band’s best-loved songs, plus two previously unreleased songs, followed by reissues of their entire catalogue. A DVD of the same name has also been released, containing the band’s promotional videos and a full live show from 1982.
Squeeze’s songwriting team of Chris Difford & Glenn Tilbrook was dubbed “The New Lennon and McCartney” by journalists upon the release of the group’s classic 1981 album, East Side Story. The following year, they headlined Madison Square Garden but split within months, suffering from exhaustion. After a three-year break, Squeeze returned, touring relentlessly to rapturous crowds over the next 14 years and releasing seven studio albums.
Throughout Squeeze’s second incarnation, the band’s lineup was fluid, with Difford and Tilbrook the only two constant members — reflecting their role as the band’s songwriters and front men. In common with many classic writing partnerships, the Difford-Tilbrook duopoly was fraught with tension, and their fractious relationship disintegrated — seemingly forever — in 1999. The pair’s collaboration on Jim Drury’s 2004 biography, Squeeze Song By Song, was their first tentative step towards rekindling their partnership, the book proving a cathartic experience for both men.
In the meantime, both Difford and Tilbrook received critical acclaim for their solo albums. 2001 saw the latter release The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook, followed three years later by the lauded Transatlantic Ping Pong, half of which was recorded in Nashville. Last year saw the release of U.S. film director Amy Pickard’s feature-length documentary Glenn Tilbrook: One For The Road, about being on the road as a musician in the States.
2003 saw Difford’s solo debut, I Didn’t Get Where I Am, while his 2006 gentle treatment of Squeeze classics, South East Side Story, was also well received. Both musicians are currently recording new albums for release this year.
Cited as major influences by the likes of The Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight, and Lily Allen, Squeeze remain as relevant today as when they first took to the stage back in 1974, and they hope to reach a new audience as well as delight their original fans.
Joining Difford and Tilbrook onstage will be John Bentley, Squeeze’s bass player from 1978 until 1982, along with two long-time collaborators of Tilbrook — Stephen ‘Lord’ Large on keyboards and Simon Hanson on drums.
Squeeze U.S. dates
July 31 Cape Code Melody Tent Hyannis, MA
August 1 Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA
August 3 Beacon Theatre New York, NY
August 4 Borgata Music Box Atlantic City, NJ
August 6 Starlight Ballroom Sayreville, NJ
August 7 North Fork Theatre at Westbury Westbury, NY
August 8 Pier Six Concert Pavilion Baltimore, MD
August 9 Wolf Trap Filene Center Vienna, VA
August 11 Concerts in the Park Alpine, CA
August 12 The Grove of Anaheim Anaheim, CA
August 13 Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA
August 14 The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA
