By Art Charlton
Midway through their first song, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, in their trademark octave harmony sang the line, “It’s really been some welcome, you never seem to change.”
That lyric from their 1978 eponymous debut album could sum up Monday night’s show at the Mayo Performing Arts Center:
An appreciative crowd gave a warm welcome to a duo who vocally sounded as good as ever, maybe even better, while displaying the same cheeky humor, evocative lyrics and musically intricate tunes that have characterized their career.
The performers and the audience alike may have gone a bit grey and put on a few pounds since being introduced to each other in the late 1970s “New Wave” that also brought fellow Brits like Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, and The Police to prominence.
Yet, like old friends who have been apart for far too long, it’s easy to remark “you haven’t changed a bit.”
This show, however, was not strictly an exercise in nostalgia, even though the two dozen tunes performed in two sets and an encore hit many of the highlights in the lengthy career of the band Squeeze and its two primary writers and vocalists.
The band, which evolved into a vehicle for the two main actors with a revolving cast of associate members — not quite a Steely Dan duo with a stream of sidemen, but close – released a new album in October. Difford and Tilbrook performed four of its 12 tracks, plus some lesser-known Squeeze songs from various stages of their career and a smattering of tunes from their solo careers.
Cradle To The Grave is their first studio set in five years and their first new material released under the name Squeeze since Domino in 1998, as 2010’s Spot the Difference consisted entirely of remakes of their past songs.
The evening started with a darkened stage and a ringing telephone, the lights coming up to reveal a set decorated like a Mid-Century Modern bedroom, with the performers rising from their twin beds to strap on acoustic guitars and perform their first song in pajamas.
Tilbrook – the one with lighter hair and a higher voice, in case you don’t know your Chris from your Glenn – exited the stage while Difford, the dark-haired one whose dusky baritone was more frequently heard in harmony with Squeeze songs, swung into Cool For Cats.
When Tilbrook reappeared, he had traded his pj’s for an electric guitar, to add a sitar-like solo.
Next it was Tilbrook’s turn for a solo tune, sitting at the electric piano for a soulful Black Coffee in Bed while Difford stepped offstage for his wardrobe change.
For the rest of the night, the duo ran through a mix of music, swapping lead vocals, and chatting with the crowd.
Popular Squeeze tunes like Up The Junction, Pulling Mussels (from the Shell), Is That Love? and Tempted were matched by deeper cuts, such as Electric Trains from 1995’s Ridiculous and The Truth from 1991’s Play, as well as solo works.
Difford mostly strummed an acoustic throughout, while Tilbrook switched between acoustic, electric and keyboard, the stripped-down arrangements nevertheless sounding full.
Difford’s solo turn included back-to-back tunes that prompted some knowing laughs from many in the audience: Fat as a Fiddle (from 2008 solo album The Last Temptation of Chris), about middle-age weight gain, and Wrecked (from Cashmere If You Can, his 2011 solo album), a fond reminiscence of substance abuse in his misspent younger days.
“What a wonderful journey it’s been,” he sang.
Tilbrook later followed up with a rollicking music hall tune he described as the “signature song” of his great-grandfather, who was a musical entertainer and “would have laughed at the notion of weight issues” described in Difford’s Fat as a Fiddle.
His ancestor, he noted, was alive during a time of austerity where you could only dream of eating to excess as described in the tune, whose only lyrics were the repeated lines, “I’ll buy you an ice cream, buy you an ice cream as big as your head.”
After singing it once, Tilbrook told listeners it was their turn, and the crowd did a credible job with the jaunty number.
“He’d be so proud if he could hear that now,” Tilbrook laughed. “Thank you for indulging me, and him!”
The show also included two sections where the duo took audience questions. Brittney, a young listener who said her mother got her into Squeeze, asked about their influences.
Difford said The Velvet Underground was an early inspiration for him, proudly noting, “Their first gig was five miles from here” in Summit.
Tilbrook said he favored “the Pop end of the spectrum. I loved The Monkees, I loved The Beatles.”
Drew said he saw Squeeze in April 1982 at Vassar College, asking the musicians how old they were at the time, “what were the expectations, and looking back, what were you thinking?”
“We were probably thinking very different things than we’re thinking now,” Difford replied.
Tilbrook noted he was 20 on the band’s first U.S. tour in 1978, adding he had dreamed of coming to America, as “so much of the music that we loved comes from here.”
Questioner Bob noted many critics have favorably compared the songwriting team of Difford and Tilbrook with another famous duo, Lennon-McCartney, and asked if they had ever met Paul McCartney.
“I’ve met Paul McCartney, I used to live just down the road from him,” Difford recalled. “And the first time I met him, he said, ‘Which one are you?’ and I said ‘Ringo,’ of course.”
Art Charlton is a native of Morris County, a former Morristown resident, and a former Star-Ledger reporter. Like Glenn Tilbrook, he is a fan of the Charlton Athletic Football Club of South London.
SET LIST
Song Title (Album Name)
- Take Me I’m Yours (Squeeze, released in the United States as U.K. Squeeze)
- Cool For Cats (Cool for Cats)
- Black Coffee in Bed (Sweets From A Stranger)
- Nirvana (Cradle to the Grave)
- Electric Trains (Ridiculous)
- Some Fantastic Place (Some Fantastic Place)
- Beautiful Game (Cradle to the Grave)
**Audience Questions**
- Slap and Tickle (Cool for Cats)
- Fat as a Fiddle (Difford solo album The Last Temptation of Chris)
- Wrecked (Difford solo album Cashmere If You Can)
- Cowboys Are My Weakness (Difford solo album I Didn’t Get Where I Am)
- Up The Junction (Cool for Cats)
**Intermission**
- Cradle to the Grave (Cradle to the Grave)
- Happy Days (Cradle to the Grave)
- The Truth (Play)
- Annie Get Your Gun (Singles – 45’s and Under)
- The Elephant Ride (Sweets From A Stranger)
- I’ll Buy You An Ice Cream As Big As Your Head
- Still (Glenn Tilbrook and The Fluffers Pandemonium Ensues)
**Audience Questions**
- Pulling Mussels (from the Shell) (Argybargy)
- Is That Love? (East Side Story)
- Tempted (East Side Story)
**Encores**
- Another Nail In My Heart (Argybargy)
- If I Didn’t Love You (Argybargy)
- Goodbye Girl (Cool for Cats)
