Recent News
Concert Reviews
Get Reviewed
Concert Review - Squeeze
Concert Review
The Guvernment, Toronto
I think that the Squeeze CD, "Singles - 45's and Under" should be required listening at Pop-Star U. The best of Squeeze is very good, indeed, and the songwriting of Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook has been praised by critics for the past 21 years. These guys mix great pop melodies and clever lyrics, and consistently end up with music that should be topping the charts.
Unfortunately, quality doesn't necessarily guarantee a place on MTV, and today's top acts seem to coast more on looks, dancing or attitude than on skill. In a world where Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock and the Backstreet Boys are chewing up valuable airplay, Squeeze sells relatively few records. Their tours do much better, and fans who make it to the shows are usually glad they went.
My first Squeeze concert was in 1985. It was a reunion tour for a band that had broken up 3 years earlier. They reunited for a charity show, found that they could still work their old magic and decided to re-form. The album that followed was 1985's "Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti". I attended the Toronto stop of the ensuing tour. Squeeze had a vast reserve of hits to choose from, and mixed in some great tunes from their new album. It was a show that every 80's teenage music-fan could love.
14 years and 7 releases (not counting anthologies) later, they've still got what it takes to send the crowd away happy. The band mixed songs from their latest release, "Domino", with plenty of tracks from earlier years. They served up "Tempted", "Black Coffee in Bed", "Annie, Get Your Gun" and more from their first 5 albums. I must admit that I haven't picked up a new Squeeze release since 1989's "Frank", but the band's performance of recent tunes like "Some Fantastic Place", "3rd Rail" and "Domino" will probably have me back in the music stores, prowling for product. Founder Glenn Tillbrook was joined by drummer Ash Soan, bassist Hilaire Penda and keyboardist Chris Holland, and this latest incarnation managed to bring a new vitality to songs old enough to be served alcohol. Which brings us to Chris Difford, the other half of Squeeze's powerhouse songwriting team. He skipped the latest round of shows, hoping to avoid the temptations of touring. Although the band gave it their all, there were occasional moments where an absent vocal harmony, or a missing guitar interchange reminded us of the tremendous effort required to fill Difford's shoes.
Squeeze will be touring through the Eastern United States until the end of October, and fans who attend won't be disappointed.
I think that the Squeeze CD, "Singles - 45's and Under" should be required listening at Pop-Star U. The best of Squeeze is very good, indeed, and the songwriting of Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook has been praised by critics for the past 21 years. These guys mix great pop melodies and clever lyrics, and consistently end up with music that should be topping the charts.
Unfortunately, quality doesn't necessarily guarantee a place on MTV, and today's top acts seem to coast more on looks, dancing or attitude than on skill. In a world where Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock and the Backstreet Boys are chewing up valuable airplay, Squeeze sells relatively few records. Their tours do much better, and fans who make it to the shows are usually glad they went.
My first Squeeze concert was in 1985. It was a reunion tour for a band that had broken up 3 years earlier. They reunited for a charity show, found that they could still work their old magic and decided to re-form. The album that followed was 1985's "Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti". I attended the Toronto stop of the ensuing tour. Squeeze had a vast reserve of hits to choose from, and mixed in some great tunes from their new album. It was a show that every 80's teenage music-fan could love.
14 years and 7 releases (not counting anthologies) later, they've still got what it takes to send the crowd away happy. The band mixed songs from their latest release, "Domino", with plenty of tracks from earlier years. They served up "Tempted", "Black Coffee in Bed", "Annie, Get Your Gun" and more from their first 5 albums. I must admit that I haven't picked up a new Squeeze release since 1989's "Frank", but the band's performance of recent tunes like "Some Fantastic Place", "3rd Rail" and "Domino" will probably have me back in the music stores, prowling for product. Founder Glenn Tillbrook was joined by drummer Ash Soan, bassist Hilaire Penda and keyboardist Chris Holland, and this latest incarnation managed to bring a new vitality to songs old enough to be served alcohol. Which brings us to Chris Difford, the other half of Squeeze's powerhouse songwriting team. He skipped the latest round of shows, hoping to avoid the temptations of touring. Although the band gave it their all, there were occasional moments where an absent vocal harmony, or a missing guitar interchange reminded us of the tremendous effort required to fill Difford's shoes.
Squeeze will be touring through the Eastern United States until the end of October, and fans who attend won't be disappointed.
