The new wave, post-punk, ’80s bangers band Squeeze is heading to the Cuthbert Amphitheater, kicking off their tour with Boy George, the upbeat, gender bending ’80s pop icon who sings “Karma Chameleon” on Wednesday, August 14
In their heyday, Squeeze hit the top of the UK Charts with songs like “Up the Junction” and “Cool for Cats,” and slammed the U.S. Billboards with earworms such as “Tempted” and “Black Coffee in Bed.” Now, about 50 years later, this supremely British, and incredibly ’80s band is making the rounds again, this time ahead of an album release.
Eugene Weekly checked in with Chris Difford, vocalist and guitarist who co founded Squeeze with lead singer and guitarist Glenn Tilbrook.
Difford talked about this 50th Anniversary tour (he thinks it’s still their 50th Anniversary tour, but he was also in Eugene last year for the same reason, and a rock star’s life is exhausting to keep track of), as well as Squeeze’s upcoming albums. One of these albums is Trixie’s which is a collection of songs that Difford and Tilbrook wrote in 1974, five years before Squeeze was officially formed. The other is an as of yet unnamed album of new material.
Difford responded via so his incredible cockney accent did not make its way to the page, but listen to “Cool for Cats” to hear one of the most catchy, ’80s, and indecipherable punk cockney songs out there — one of the rare tunes he takes lead vocals on.
You started Squeeze with Glenn Tilbrook more than 50 years ago. How is it, spending 50 years in a band (on/off)? How do you two work together now vs. back then?
Things run the same way if I am honest, I submit a bunch of lyrics, Glenn chooses the ones he likes and creates the melodies and the vibe. Sometimes country and Western, sometimes pop, sometimes a little rock — a bit like Donny and Marie [Osmond]! Then we record. I add my harmonies to the songs, slap out some guitar and that’s it! Squeeze in a Bottle.
I’d like to talk about your approach to lyric writing. So much of Squeeze’s most popular songs are sorrowful, full-length stories or emotional sentiments put to upbeat pop music. Was there intention behind this juxtaposition? Will we see something similar in Trixie’s?
Very much so, but you have to remember Trixie’s lyrics were written when I was 16 – 18 years old, so I have had to do a few edits to make them a little conform to 2024-2025. We really have tried to keep the re-recordings the same arrangements as when we recorded the songs on the cassette — we are so proud of how it’s sounding and we hope the Squeeze fans will enjoy it too.
This is an optional question that I’m dying to know the answer to: A universal favorite Squeeze lyric is in one of the only singles that you took lead vocals on, “Cool for Cats” released in 1979: “I kiss her for the first time and then I take her home/I’m invited in for coffee and I give the dog a bone.”
I would love to hear about you writing this line.
I really don’t know what you mean…ahem…he goes back to her flat, sees her dog and feels sorry that it’s looking a little skinny and gives the dog a bone. It could be misconstrued but I can’t help if some people go down that avenue.
On most Squeeze songs, I first wrote lyrics and Glenn wrote the music. One where it happened the other way round was Cool For Cats. Glenn had the music for that one and didn’t have a lyric idea, so he gave it to me and I started writing an idea. I sang it and it became a hit but, like all things in Squeeze, it wasn’t planned, it just happened.
On another hit of ours — “Up the Junction” took as long to write as it takes to read it. My mum and dad used to watch The Wednesday Play on BBC1, and I got drawn into those half-hour, kitchen-sink dramas. One was called Up the Junction. I pinched the title, but the rest of the story is from my imagination, though there was a Railway Arms pub in Blackheath, where I was living.
I never “got a job with Stanley, who said I’d come in handy,” but I loved those Ian Dury-type rhyming couplets. The line “I’d beg for some forgiveness, but begging’s not my business” still makes me chuckle. It sums up male stubbornness.
Let’s go back to Trixie’s, your collection of songs you wrote in 1974. What was the process of deciding to record and release these songs, and how much of it was finished when you came upon them?
Not too long ago, we listened to an old cassette tape that Glenn had recorded to 4-track before the first Squeeze album ever came out. This was a semi-concept-album based around ’50s nightclubs and gangsters, but these demos were never recorded or used on even the first Squeeze album. Glenn tracked down a better recording of the tape from a his good friend Kevin Moore, and after the band had a listen, decided to re-visit and properly record this ‘lost’ Squeeze album, called Trixie’s, with producer (and Squeeze bass player) Owen Biddle.
And what about your other album of new material?
As Trixie’s creative process unfolded, more words and music started arriving at the same time, and over a dozen band new songs arose and are being recorded, which itself will become another album of new Squeeze material — the new song being played live, “One Beautiful Summer,” is one of these recent tracks.
If your question is “when will either of these two new albums be released?” our honest answer is “We don’t know!”… but we hope to have at least one of them out once we get back from the 50th anniversary tour — but at this stage it is unlikely to be in 2024.
The short version: we have two new albums we’re working on, but it’ll be a while before you get to hear them.
Yes, because right now you’re about to kick off your next leg of your tour, this time with Boy George! How are you feeling about that?
Well the first show is Eugene on 14th August. We are all intrigued to work with George — we all grew up within two miles of each other and goes without saying we have really enjoyed watching his long and varied career — he is such a great singer too — great soulful voice and I‘d say his voice is better than ever. We might even try a duet if we get time. But, it is finding the time to be honest. We all merge in Eugene that day, and I really don’t know if we will find time.
For clarification, when you were in Eugene last year at the Hult Center, that was also part of your 50 Year Anniversary Tour, correct?
Really?? You know more than me. We have become like Elton John with this 50th anniversary — to be fair we do have so many anniversaries; meeting, forming, first live show, first record deal, first break up, ha.
Seriously, we are proud and honoured to be still playing to our fans, but even happier to be releasing new albums and writing great songs together. I really hope the fans love the shows with George. Can’t speak for George, but Glenn and I feel Squeeze have never sounded so great live, we love this version of Squeeze. Come and see for yourselves
Squeeze and Boy George play 6:45 pm Wednesday, August 14 at the Cuthbert Amphitheater at 6:45 pm. Box office opens at 4:15pm and doors open at 5:15pm. Tickets start at $24.75. TheCuthbert.com/events.
This story has been updated to reflect that Squeeze lead singer and guitarist Glenn Tilbrook and vocalist and guitarist Chris Difford are not best friends.