Squeeze Pull In The Fans For Their Big Five-O Celebrations At Birmingham’s Symphony Hall

The legendary Squeeze arrive at Birmingham as part of their momentous 50th anniversary UK tour, taking in 27 dates in total, with just a 12-day break after completing a 20-date stint in the United States, co-headlining with Boy George. Birmingham’s Symphony Hall is a 2,262-seat capacity concert venue and forms the majestic centre piece of Birmingham’s Centenary Square. Being overwhelmingly grand in appearance on the inside it provides a fitting venue for this significant occasion.

Squeeze @ The Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Squeeze @ The Symphony Hall, Birmingham (Kieran Atkinson)

The troupe formed in Deptford in 1974, came to prominence in the late 1970’s, and have undergone many lineup changes. This third incarnation of the band has existed since 2007 and tonight comprised 8 members, putting in a faultless performance of 22 songs from their impressive and extensive back catalogue produced over the past half-century, all sweet intellectual guitar pop, and the product of the supremely talented song writing and musicianship of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, both providing guitars and vocals. All the hits were here as well a few rare gems. The pair are widely regarded as one of the greatest pop musical composer partnerships in recent history and often regarded as a modern-day Lennon and McCartney.

It was clear from the audience participation, that here was a strong presence of exited stalwart fans among the crowd, creating a party vibe and helping the band celebrate this landmark occasion in high spirits.

They have produced some of the most timeless generation transcending songs during their career, ranging in musical styling from sad to quirky, the extremes of which are exhibited in two of their, arguably, most popular and successful songs, Cool For Cats and Up The Junction, both reaching number 2 in the charts.

Up The Junction is sad and narrative heavy with clever rhyming couplets and tells the story of an ill-fated relationship. The lyrics skip through the song at an even pace leaving no room for a chorus. An emotional key change towards the end pulls at the heart strings as the lyrics become more doom laden.

Conversely, Cool For Cats is a quirkier number and takes its name from the first rock ‘n’ roll television show in England during 1959. The lyrics express the social scene the band were experiencing at the time, with cheeky nods towards the then current pop culture. It features a rare lead vocal performance from a cockney-accented Chris Difford. The complex keyboard played towards the end, originally played by Jools Holland, was expertly and faithfully reproduced here, much to my delight as I simultaneously recalled the tune in my head as the song was playing. Also, the synth backbones of Slap And Tickle and Take Me I’m Yours, were faithfully recreated, as was the forceful military style stomp of the latter, but missing, alas, was the clockwork like synth accompaniment to Goodbye Girl, though an enjoyable rendition was played here.

Tilbrook announced that two new album releases can be expected in the near future, one of new songs, and another containing 50-year songs he and Difford wrote when they were first together that where “really good”, but they never got round to recording them. This will be the first new material since 2017’s The Knowledge.

Squeeze were supported by Mercury Prize-winning and multi-instrumentalist Badly Drawn Boy – aka Damon Gough – with his brand of indie folk and rock, and who also recently celebrated a musical milestone of 25 years of releasing music. His eclectic discography spans over nine albums.