Squeeze

March 2010

SQUEEZE will reform later this year for their first UK tour in a decade. “It’s like jumping in to bed with your ex-wife” says Chris Difford

Who made the first move to get this reunion tour going? You or Glenn Tilbrook?

We kind of decided jointly that that’s what we wanted to do. It wasn’t who made the first move, it wasn’t like that really.

Were you in touch anyway as mates?

No, we’ve never really had that mate thing happening. We see each other from time to time usually on business stuff. Recently we’ve been seeing each other more because we’re writing together.

Is the way you write together any different from when you first started in the late seventies?

Well we haven’t written anything for ten years and we are about to do that so I can’t tell you what it’s like at the moment. But I imagine it’s like getting in to bed with your ex-wife. It must be a bit weird.

How have you written together in the past? Is it how Lennon & McCartney started off, sat opposite each other with guitars?

I wrote the lyrics and Glenn wrote the music so it’s more like Bernie Taupin and Elton John but I don’t know what it’s going to be like this time. I expect it’ll be more like the Lennon & McCartney experience.

This will be the biggest tour that either of you has undertaken in a decade. Have you the stamina for it?

Oh God yeah. I’m pretty young, you know.

Is it going to be a Greatest Hits tour?

Largely it will be greatest hits but with stuff from our catalogue that we haven’t done for many years. So it’ll be oddities as well as hit.

And songs from a new album?

Possibly. we’ll see how we get on when start writing together. Going back to the ex-wife thing, if we fall out of bed then we may not be doing that.

So a brand new Squeeze album isn’t guaranteed?

I don’t think anything in life is guaranteed. All you can do is try. We’ll have to wait and see.

When do you start writing together or rehearsing?

We’re doing an American tour in August so we’ll work on it over there ready to bring back here for Christmas.

Have you any festive songs lined up for the tour?

No. I don’t think we’ll bother with that somehow.

Have you missed playing venues of the size you’ll be doing on this tour?

I’ve done quite a bit of touring with Jools Holland so I’ve been in and out of big theatres. But it’s equally good fun playing to six people or thirty-six thousand people.

How was last year‘s solo tour and the Nottingham Playhouse date?

I enjoyed it. Just being on my own and doing my own thing is worth doing now and again because it reminds you what you need to do as a performer.

You’re working on another solo album I understand?

Yes, it’ll be finished next week. It’ll be out in May. It’s called Cashmere If You Can. We’ll be giving away cashmere scarves with every copy.

You won’t have the time to tour the album will you?

No and it’s expensive to take a band out on the road. At the moment I can’t afford to do that.

Was it easy enough to get a band together to join you and Glenn for the Squeeze tour?

It’s Glenn’s band The Fluffers. They’re a good bunch of people so I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s going to be fun. And we always like playing in Nottingham. We always have a curry there.

In the Mogul-E-Azam, behind the Royal Concert Hall if I remember correctly?

Yeah. We only go in there because there’s a picture of Cliff Richard on the wall.

Gig

Who: Squeeze, The Lightning Seeds

Where: Royal Concert Hall

When: Friday November 19

Tickets: £33.50, 0871 2200 260

Web: www.gigsandtours.com