Squeeze / Badly Drawn Boy - Usher Hall, Edinburgh 9th October 2024

Squeeze are a band I have always loved. The first single I ever bought was “Up the Junction” – 99p in the House of Fraser, Edinburgh if you’re interested. I have seen them in small rooms, festivals and large concert halls and have never been disappointed. On Wednesday the Usher Hall was at capacity and, by the look of many there, it was clear most of the audience had been with the band since the early days of their eponymous first album.

Before Squeeze took to the stage, we were treated to 40 minutes of Badly Drawn Boy, Damian Gough. Always self-effacing, BDB played a set of tunes to touch heart and soul as well as evoking memories for many of this audience’s demographic. “Born in the UK” with its references to the Falklands and Thatcher was case in point. Many will have come across BDB though the quirky and relevant soundtrack he produced for the film adaptation of Nick Hornby’s book “About a Boy”. Only one from that tonight, “A Minor Incident” and a lovely song it was too. If you a have not experienced BDB before, then check him out, the soundtrack is a great starting point.

So, beers bought and seats taken we awaited the main event and, bang on 8:30, the lights went down and eight musicians appeared on stage. Over the years, Squeeze have morphed from their original, egalitarian line up of four, to a group of musicians whose role is to offer the very best of support and interpretation of the words and music of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. Difford and Tilbrook have had an unsteady relationship over the years but continue to gravitate back to one another, I guess because they both know the other one makes them better musically. Difford’s words describe love and loss in a way few other songsmiths have mastered – “Goodbye Girl” and “Labelled With Love” being prime examples and both were on show tonight. Tilbrook is the axeman of the duo, the music he sets the words to is catchy, complex and always just right for the story. In my view, the output from these two sits comfortably with Lennon and McCarney and pretty much any other writing pair you care to mention.

“Black Coffee in Bed” starts us off, “Footprints” is next then “Is That Love”. All bangers to start. To the surprise of many, the next tune was my first single “Up the Junction”. This brought about one of the challenges of a seated gig. Some of the audience wanted to dance and did so without a care. Others wanted to enjoy the night from their seat and did care about the dancers! A couple of songs later, Chris Difford settled the issue and invited people to stand if they wanted to…my preference being 6’02” and sitting at the back! I’m still not sure about seated gigs.

The night cracked on and everything you’d expect to be included in an anniversary show was there. The early album cuts like East Side Story’s “In Quintessence” sat alongside the 7 inch selections from these albums like “Tempted”. It was also nice to hear the newer material including “Trixie’s Hell on Earth” and 2017’s song about life in an old folks home “Departure Lounge”.

There is not much let up for banter or chat, rather tonight’s 8 piece just keep bashing on with song after song, and, what an eight they were. Some have been around for a while, like Stephen Large who was doing some fantastic stuff on keys and accordion; whilst others are relative newbies – the low end of Owen Biddle kept the boogie alive on his bass. And, of course, there is Simon Hanson, the formidable drummer who has been an absolute mohawked, rock on the kit since 2007. I thought he played out his skin on Wednesday night.

“Tempted” received a bit of stripping back, with Glenn playing and singing it virtually unsupported for most of the song. Squeeze have a habit of doing this with some of their classics on tour. Tonight, I though, it worked for them and as the band joined in for a ballsy last chorus, it really set out what a top tune this 1981 single was and remains.

The band played in Aberdeen the previous night. Unfortunately, Chris Difford was too unwell to perform in the Granite City. Whatever cold he suffered from certainly gave his vocal an added growl which, in turn, made “Cool for Cats” one of the stick out moments of the show.

We got to the end of the night via “Labelled with Love” and “Hourglass” before and extended version of “Take Me I’m Yours”. This was spread out to included introductions and solo’s from all the band. It brought the night to a close. No encores just 23 top songs in 110 minutes. It certainly worked for me.

I spent the evening with my mate Hendo and, together we retired to a nearby watering hole to review matters. We chatted with a few folks, some thought it was all too loud “they are not Hawkwind” he said. This made me laugh, almost as much as the bar tender who asked if we’d been to the ‘Squash’ concert? When we corrected the record, she said she’d been calling them that all night! Hendo and I both thought the sound was really well balanced, crisp and certainly not excessive with the volume button.

We had a beer and reflected on a fantastic night in a fantastic place. They may not last another 50 years, but I will be buying tickets to see them as long as Squeeze keep performing. Difford and Tilbrook are certainly crown jewels of the British music scene. Tonight’s performance, their back catalogue and sheer musicality have them at the top of their particular musical tree. If you can get to see them, go. You will thank yourself for the pleasure.