Squeeze. Photo by Chyrisse. VNT_0038 — Squeeze. Photo by Chyrisse.

By Chyrisse Tabone and Wendy Hunter, Journalists, and Chyrisse Tabone, Photographer – Rock At Night, Tampa

Live Review: Squeeze – 50th Anniversary Tour with Guest Badly Drawn Boy – Royal Albert Hall, London – November 11, 2024

The festivals and bands of the ‘80s era have been pure joy for Rock At Night this year. Maybe it stems from nostalgia or perhaps because the decade produced such unique music. So upon entering the architecturally breathtaking Royal Albert Hall, the anticipation was high. Constructed in the 1870s, this world-renowned theatre not only survived the Great War, but also hosted a plethora of events throughout history. In recent years, the venerable theatre has hosted rock concerts, ballets, BAFTA awards, and special events like the Concert for George. We saw boxes of donated foodstuffs in the lobby since Squeeze supports humanitarian causes and fair ticket sales. Concert-goers were encouraged to donate non-perishable food items to support food banks in the area.

Damon Michael Gough of Badly Drawn Boy. Photo by Chyrisse.

First up was English solo singer-songwriter, Damon Michael Gough of Badly Drawn Boy, who is also multi-instrumental. With his smooth voice and between song humor, this performer not only gave us intricate finger-work on the acoustic guitar, but bantered with the listeners as well. His final song, “Once Around the Block” was particularly creative with lyrics stating, “Take a left, sharp left, and another left, meet me on the corner, we’ll start again…”

Glenn Tilbrook o Squeeze. Photo by Chyrisse.

We are honored to again review and photograph Squeeze, the stalwarts of good ol’ London, after seeing their recent show in Florida. We just can’t get enough of this band. In a sense, performing in the city was a ‘homecoming’ for Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, who formed the band 50 years ago. Often compared to Lennon & McCartney, the band is still strong, despite having a few break-up bumps and line change-ups through the years. They began the evening with the wildly popular songs “Black Coffee In Bed” and “Footprints.” The listeners were cheering to these first hits which were also mainstays in my auto cassette player. And listeners began dancing soon afterwards. We were gifted some new songs from an upcoming album called Trixies. The release date is up in the air as of now. Tilbrook’s song ‘Trixie’s Hell on Earth” was actually written 50-odd years ago, but never recorded. The revisiting of early songs prompted a creative surge for the duo to pen “One Beautiful Summer,” a striking acoustic-driven ballad.

Chris Difford of Squeeze. Photo by Chyrisse.

Along with Tilbrook and Difford, the band included drummer Simon Hanson, keyboardist Stephen Large, percussionist Steve Smith, guitarist Melvin Duffy, backing vocalist Danica Dora, and bassist Owen Biddle. A special shout out goes to Smith who rocked everything from conga drums to maracas while dancing and singing and to Large demonstrating his skill at the accordion for the reinvented and zydeco sounding “Goodbye Girl.”

Stephen Large of Squeeze. Photo by Chyrisse.

Squeeze saved some of their beloved hits such as “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)” and the gorgeous ballad “Some Fantastic Place” for the last portion of the concert. Early hits, the wry and catchy, “If I Didn’t Love You” and the driving beat of “Take Me I’m Yours,” remind us why we fell in love with the band. Highlights of the evening included a stripped version of Tilbrook performing “Tempted” and the bouncy ska song “Cool for Cats.” Another highlight was the punky “Slap & Tickle.” The Beatlesque “Is That Love” sounded pop-perfect and fresh. Squeeze hit it out of the ballpark last night. Squeeze’s 50th Anniversary Tour is definitely a must see!