I've seen Chris Difford perform before, at an intimate event called dinner with Difford, and I fell for the humble charm and deep voice of the man who penned 'Up at the junction' aged just 16 years old. Then he had spoken candidly about the band which he had clearly loved and loathed in equal measure during its turbulent years but last night was a much more guarded set. This tour has been dubbed 'The At Odds Couple' and this isn't entirely tongue in cheek.
I loved the start - the visual nod to the 50p stolen from mum Difford's purse to place the ad in the newsagent for a guitarist for his, as yet, non-existent, band and the one and only response from a young Glen. Or maybe it just allowed the diehard squeeze fans to feel a little smug at getting the references.
Despite starting in bed together with a nod to Morcombe and Wise there was a definite lack of warmth between Difford and Tilbrook. There were several instances in each half when one of them would leave the stage allowing the other to perform alone "Black Coffee in Bed" for Tillbrook "Fat as a fiddle" for Difford and Tilbrook's instance on Christopher Difford galled a little, but when they perform together - that's when the magic happens. That's when you realise what a dynamite couple they are.
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| This dance happy girl is decidedly Team Difford. |
The voices are still amazingly strong - black coffee in bed brought down a little for Tillbrook but undeniable squeeze. I was a little confused by Tempted which sounded different from my memories of it until I realised that Paul Carrack took lead vocals on the original - hold that thought for a pub quiz.
No mention was made of Carrack or Holland, in fact Squeeze itself appeared to be the elephant in the room. This was Difford and Tilbrook, Tilbrook and Difford "Don't mention the band"
There was a fleeting moment of togetherness when making it through 'Slap & Tickle' they shared a brief celebratory hug which left us wondering why it had all gone so horribly wrong (the relationships as opposed to the song)
It was a dynamite set only lacking one real gem with my favourite Squeeze line of all time "I wanna be good - is that not enough?"
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- Encore:
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- Encore 2:
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I just loved the whole night! Having forced
Janie to 'yeti up' and queue in the pouring rain to be in with a hope of seeing the whites of their eyes we did indeed grab a pew within 'eye-meeting' distance and I fear I may have left my heart in the Union Chapel on Saturday night. Wonder if it's in lost property?
This was fun, if not a little stilted. I really wanted them to talk about Squeeze (cue elephant picture), and apart from half of Jools Holland's face in a photo, that was about the only reference. For me, their voices sounded better together than when they did their individual solo slots. Really enjoyed the little films and photos that were projected above their heads, particularly the little graffitied notes with 'The Cum Bus' written.
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