Fifty years together as a band is rare, but the route toward such a golden anniversary isn’t often as circuitous as that of Squeeze (www.squeezeofficial.com). The heady British pop group’s celebratory tour of the United States started in Oregon in mid-August, and includes a stop at Pompano Beach Amphitheatre on Sept. 21.
Best-known for late-1970s and early-1980s U.K. and American hits like “Black Coffee in Bed,” “Cool for Cats,” “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)” and the memorable “Tempted,” Squeeze formed in 1974 when bandleading vocalists/guitarists Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were still teenagers. Two breakups have occurred since during that 50-year run, one relatively brief, the other lengthy.
“Glenn was two or three years younger than me when we first met,” Difford says from his home in England during a July Zoom meeting. “He was 15, I think, and I was around 17. We were young and ambitious; like pinballs going around in the machine, not knowing what was going to happen. But the enthusiasm and love of music were there.”
The songwriting team actually stayed intact through Squeeze’s first 1983-1984 hiatus, releasing the 1984 album Difford & Tilbrook. And the two collaborated occasionally as each pursued a solo career from 1999-2006. In early 2007, Squeeze reunited again and hasn’t looked back since — except to play such hits live.
“‘Black Coffee in Bed’ sounds like The Beatles doing Motown,” says Boynton Beach-based singer, guitarist and songwriter Sean Hanley (seanhanley.net). “The first time I heard them was on MTV, and timbre of Glenn Tilbrook’s voice on it reminded me of Paul McCartney right away.”
Squeeze’s first lull would be based, in part, on personnel departures. Its initial keyboardist was Jools Holland, who left the band in 1980 to start a solo career and, eventually, his own incomparable, long-standing BBC musical variety show Later…with Jools Holland. His replacement, vocalist/keyboardist Paul Carrack, arrived with hit single pedigree, having been the voice on Ace’s 1975 smash “How Long.” Carrack sang lead on “Tempted,” from Squeeze’s 1981 U.S. breakthrough album East Side Story (produced by Elvis Costello), but would leave after its release.
“Glenn will sing ‘Tempted,’” Difford says. “We’ll play all the radio songs. If we didn’t, it might be a very short set.”
“‘Tempted’ is such a great track,” says Hanley, “and ‘Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)’ definitely has that Elvis Costello sound. ‘Cool for Cats’ is also great, with Difford’s vocals. They have a great complement of vocal styles.”
Current Squeeze personnel includes members who came on board after its second hiatus in 2007 (keyboardist Stephen Large, drummer Simon Hanson), then 2017 (percussionist/vocalist Steve Smith), 2019 (pedal/lap steel guitarist Melvin Duffy) and 2020 (bassist Owen Biddle, formerly of hip-hop act The Roots).
The band’s songwriting template usually involves Difford writing his thoughtful, introspective lyrics first. Tilbrook then paints instrumental chords and textures around them, resulting in unique songcraft and vocal harmonies that rise above standard pop fare. That formula will extend to a couple forthcoming Squeeze releases.
“We started out this year working on an album of brand-new material,” says Difford, “which should be available in about a year-and-a-half. But by April or May of next year, we expect to release ‘Trixie’s,’ a different album of 13 songs we’d written in 1974 and never dreamt we’d ever record. The only versions of them that existed were on a cassette tape from rehearsals back then. And we plan to play a few of those selections on this tour.”
At age 69, Difford and the 67-year-old Tilbrook have navigated countless changes in the music industry over a half-century. Squeeze formed when LPs, 8-tracks and cassette tapes were industry listening standards in the ’70s, and the band gained renown as CDs and music videos took over in the ’80s (the latter helping to launch their opening act, vocalist Boy George, and his band Culture Club).
“Squeeze, Elvis Costello, XTC, Split Enz, and later Crowded House reminded me of if The Beatles had gone to art school instead of grimy pubs,” says Hanley. “I guess it was referred to as the second British invasion. Perfect. Squeeze’s style and pop/rock song craft are obvious influences on my own music.”
The second Squeeze hiatus ended around the time when streaming usurped most existing audio technology, taking many of the major recording labels with it and making touring the only sure-fire way for a name act to earn a living. In effect, the shift turned many veteran artists into nostalgic touring tribute acts to themselves.
“Everything really has changed, and that’s why you see so many bands on the road at the moment,” Difford says. “Stages are occupied because recording royalties, which used to pay around 50 percent of our income, now pay around two percent. It’s quite a drop, so now you practically have to tour.”
Even at retirement age, Difford explains that songwriters never have to retire completely. His compositional partnership with Tilbrook continues to stand the test of time, and his primary influences include elders and peers who’ve yet to quit writing, or for some, even roadwork.
“There are still so many things for me to explore from a lyrical point of view,” he says. “Influences change over the years, depending on who you’re listening to and responding to, like recently Joni Mitchell or Todd Rundgren. Or it could be John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Glenn and I have received occasional comparisons to those two, and it’s an incredible honor to be noted in the same breath.”
If You Go
Squeeze, with opening act Boy George, performs at Pompano Beach Amphitheater, 1806 N.E. 6th St., Pompano Beach.
When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21
Tickets: $54-$528
Info: 561-223-7231, www.pompanobeacharts.org