Venue:
The Hexagon, Reading
Date: 07/11/2024
I have seen Squeeze on many occasions since the 1980s but this was the best I have ever seen them.
Support was from Badly Drawn Boy who provided an excellent 40 minute set drawing on all eras of his career and full of anecdotes as anyone who has seen him before would expect.
Squeeze cane on at 8.40pm and delivered a 1hr 40 minute set that was pure joy. The kicked off with an excellent ‘Black Coffee in Bed’ quickly followed by great versions of ‘Is it Love’ and ‘Up The Junction’. They are are bit more rockier than I have seen them before with Glenn Tilbrook showing of his guitar prowess with short solos in most songs.
They are now performing as an eight piece band with two percussionists, two keyboard/slide guitarists and a new female singer alongside Glenn and chris on guitars and their new producer on bass. The expanded band allows a lot more beefing up of the sound and room for exploration on very familiar tunes which I really enjoyed.
They have recorded two new albums in the first 6 months of 2024 apparently, one a set of songs first written by Difford/Tilbrook in 1974 and a second set of new material. During the gig they mention that they nearly got a record deal with the 1974 tunes but the rpodiucer/record company wanted them to sound like the bay Ciry Rollers! They played two of the 1974 songs in the set and they were very good.
Overall a fantastic evening at a great venue I hadn’t visited before. They play a straight set with no faux encores and the end of the gig is an elongated version of ‘Take Me I’m Yours’ with band member introductions and short solos – took me back to the drum and bass solos of my 1980s heavy metal gigs!
Highly recommended.
The audience:
No one under 40 as far as I could make out and lots of people like me parking in the over prices, but safe and secure, parking in central reading.
It made me think..
Set list here:
Black Coffee in Bed
Footprints
Is That Love
Up the Junction
One Beautiful Summer
Someone Else’s Heart
In Quintessence
Departure Lounge
Some Fantastic Place
If I Didn’t Love You
Pulling Mussels (From the Shell
Another Nail in My Heart
Annie Get Your Gun
You Get the Feeling
Trixie’s Hell on Earth
Goodbye Girl
Cradle to the Grave
Slap & Tickle
Tempted
Cool for Cats
Play Video
Labelled With Love
Hourglass
Take Me I’m Yours
Looks to be an impressive set list.
Did consider this one, but the price for The Hexagon (not my favourite venue) did put me off
(apologies if that makes me sound like a tight git)
Parking – indeed, the Car Park nearest the Hexagon is over-priced (assuming that’s the one you used), but if you visit the 6 sided venue again, look for Q-Park over t’other side of the roundabout. Just as secure, and a much more reasonable cost.
Q-Park is what I used. £1.80 per hour after 6pm is even excessive by my Oxford standards!
Eh up. Them prices have gone up since I last used them. No more recommendations from me.
£1.80 per hour expensive? That’s £7.20 for 4 hours.
The QPark near the Symphony Hall in Brum more like £12.00
Civic B car park is the best in Reading price wise. Dead handy for the Hexagon as well. Is somewhat dark and dingy but takes Ringo so no need to hang about.
Like Uncle Wheaty I’ve seen Squeeze many times over the years including twice this year (Glasgow Concert Hall and Kelvingrove Bandstand) and agree they have never been in better form live. Difford & Tilbrook seem to have been reinvigorated by this line up and all on stage look as though they are having a great time.
They’re probably now drawing as big an audience as they ever have, a welcome contrast to the half empty venues around the time of the Domino album. Both shows I was at this year were completely sold out and they have added another date at the Concert Hall for this month due to demand, this might also be sold out.
Looking forward to the new releases when they arrive.
See also the Chameleons and China Crisis with regard to audiences.
I saw them in that O2 dump in the Gorbals about 10 years ago and they didn’t so much as look at each other on stage. There could have been a wall between them. I gave up on them that night.
Not a massive fan but saw them at the RAH supporting The Who in March and they were excellent
I’ve seen them twice this year – both times at the 300-seat Exchange in Twickenham, where they do warm-up shows for their tours that are announced to people on their mailing list. Both times they were fantastic, and it was particularly nice watching them from a seat in the third row – though being that close was a bit unnerving the first time. I felt like they could see me just as much as I could see them, and it made me want to be on my best behaviour. But even the back row is only about 10 rows back from that.
I considered this at the Cambridge Corn Exchange last week, but the venue (acoustics) and price put me off. I love a bit of Squeeze and haven’t seen Mr Boy for about 20 years.
I’m going to have to put my hand in my pocket next time, as none of us are getting any younger.
A ton to see them at the Cliffs Pavilion. Think I might pass.
Tickets are £42 – £61 at the Cliffs Pavilion
You are correct, thank you. That was a late night, let’s call it… lazy, web search.
Bloody ticketmaster gougers.
Saw them in Toronto in September and they were superb, best of the 3 times I have seen them.
Setlist was similar, but in a different order and Labelled with Love was omitted. Don’t think they ever play that in North America sadly 🙁
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/squeeze/2024/massey-hall-toronto-on-canada-b57f94e.html
Thanks for review
Was Chris Difford there when they played Toronto ?
I remember them being on in Singapore a number of years ago and I was unsure of going as Chris Difford (at that time anyway) wasn’t touring internationally. In the end I couldn’t make anyway, so one of my “unseen bands”.
Yes he was
I remember the singles compilation “45s and under” doing great business in comparison to their albums. They are such a fine band. I’d love to see them one day.
Squeeze have always been a favourite band, to the extent I always think I have seen them enough, always worried they are turning into a heritage and nostalgia package. And then I catch them at a festival and am again enraptured by the songs. Little more now than the Glenn Tillbrook show, luckily he has an engaging presence, and still has all his vocal and guitar presence. (Sure Chris Difford is often there, but more to smile benignly, strum inaudibly and do Cool For Cats.) The ever expanding line up and bassist number 417 may add to the sound but I think I prefer the economy demanded of a 5 piece.
As well as Cool for Cats he did lots of joint vocals with Glenn in Toronto. Take Me I’m Yours, Slap and Tickle etc
Saw them at the smaller O2 venue in the Dome last year. They were good, and it was a great setlist, but they were too loud for the room and the beefed-up band removed an awful lot of any light and shade in the sound. I think at one point there were four guitars all hammering away. And very few bands need an extra percussionist.
I think Squeeze have extra members in case of one or more being sick during the tour, for insurance purposes. The guy playing percussion, I believe, has stood in for Chris on shows that he misses. You see this in a lot of bands now – look at James. They have Debbie Knox-Hewson on percussion, but she’s a world class drummer, and they also have multi-instrumentalist Chloe Alper who mostly just sings, but sometimes can do other stuff. Pearl Jam had Josh Klinghoffer as their spare guy on tour recently.
I find myself in London today and found out that Squeeze are at the Royal Albert Hall tonight. I bought a ticket and am rather excited!
You will have a great night I’m sure.
Possibly not. I walked out after just under an hour. The sound was unbearable.
A shame that after the massive refit a few years ago that the sound can still be bad.
@uncle-wheaty @steve-walsh …. just back. I did have a good time!
I’d never been to the RAH before and I was completely wowed by the space. I’d booked a ticket in the cheap seats, in the Choir, so when I went in, I was looking back into the auditorium. I hadn’t realised how big it would be. It was almost Tardis like … the people in the top galleries (?) seemed so small and far away.
I arrived a bit too early, but had a couple of exorbitantly priced beers in the RAH bar. I guessed that a drink at the RAH might be a bit pricey (but perhaps I am out of touch with London prices) and thought that I might find a pub near the South Ken tube station. Well, either I turned the wrong way or there are none.
Anyway, I did a bit of people watching while I was having my beers … there were lots of men like me… balding, greying, bearded and in their 60s. I got talking to someone and age was mentioned and I did say that if this was a 50th anniversary tour for Squeeze, the age of the audience was hardly surprising. I’d have been 10 or 11 when they started.
I had a brief chat with an Irish man about Hue and Cry, but between the speed at which he spoke and my somewhat dodgy hearing, I missed quite a lot of what he said. I smiled a lot and nodded.
Of Badly Drawn Boy, I only know Silent Sign but he was very engaging and seemed to be a likeable person.
I really did enjoy Squeeze. The sound may have been a bit murky, but I put that down to being behind the band in the cheap seats. I am a Squeeze singles fan, so a greatest hits set suited me fine. There were good muscular versions of Pulling Mussels From A Shell and Another Nail In My Heart (two of my absolute favourites) and a singalong Tempted. All good … even the two Squeeze songs J least like, Slap And Tickle and Labelled With Love.
I had a grin on my face all evening and I am sure that this was not just down to the beer!
I have only been to RAH thrice; once up in the standing balcony in the rafters, once halfway up to one side and once in the choir. This last was easily the best, sound wise, giving also good views of what the band were up to behind their keys, kits etc. Not so good for the front men.