Image by Danny Clifford.
To celebrate their momentous 50th anniversary, British music legends Squeeze have announced a massive UK tour for 2024 including a show at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre on the 27th October. With a half-century distinguished by some of the smartest and sweetest guitar-pop made during the rock & roll era, Squeeze will be performing an impressive list of hits and rare gems from their extensive back catalogue. They will be joined by special guest Badly Drawn Boy.
Squeeze are one of rock’s vital institutions, a band who carved out a distinctive place in the pop firmament with their vibrantly melodic, perceptive songs. Those songs were written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, the composers who have remained at the heart of Squeeze since its inception. 70s and 80s Hits such as ‘Up the Junction’, ‘Cool for Cats’, ‘Another Nail in My Heart’, ‘Hourglass’ and ‘Tempted’ led critics to label Difford and Tilbrook the “next Lennon and McCartney”, an assessment that wasn’t proven to be hyperbole.
Squeeze in the 1990s delivered exquisitely crafted records – ‘Play’, ‘Some Fantastic Place’, ‘Ridiculous’ and ‘Domino’. Reuniting in 2007 after solo careers, the ensuing decades have found Squeeze continuing to build their formidable body of work, with the release of the vigorous comeback albums ‘Cradle to the Grave’ and ‘The Knowledge’. Squeeze have stayed on the road through the early 2020s, taking time to record the ‘Food for Thought’ charity EP in 2022 raising foods and funds for food banks.
With Difford and Tilbrook joined by bassist Owen Biddle, guitarist Melvin Duffy, percussionist Steve Smith, keyboardist Stephen Large and drummer Simon Hanson – the sound and spirit of Squeeze remains vital and vibrant for its fiftieth year.
Squeeze have confirmed that they will once again be supporting charity The Trussell Trust, which provides emergency food and support to people who cannot afford the essentials, while campaigning for change to end the need for food banks in the UK. Fans are invited on the tour to bring along food donations to the shows, where there will be collection points across the venue each night. There will also be collection buckets for any cash donations. All donations will be distributed to people in crisis across the 1,300 food bank centres in the Trussell Trust network. Visit trusselltrust.org/donate-food to find out how to make a donation to your local food bank and the items they most need this winter.
Joining Squeeze on their 50th anniversary festivities is one of the UK’s most treasured songwriters Damon Gough aka Badly Drawn Boy, who also recently celebrated a musical milestone, 25 years of releasing music. From his still-towering, Mercury Prize winning debut The Hour Of Bewilderbeast in 2000 to the enthralling soundtrack to Nick Hornby adaptation About A Boy (from 2002); Badly Drawn Boy’s beautiful and eclectic discography spans over nine albums including Have You Fed The Fish? (also 2002) Born In The U.K. (2006) and his most recent album Banana Skin Shoes in 2020. His set will feature a career-spanning set of hits and fan favourites.
Squeeze’s 27 date nationwide tour, culminating at London’s Royal Albert Hall, is only part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. Difford and Tilbrook are currently working on their first new material since The Knowledge and are deep diving into the archives for previously unreleased material. Watch this space….
For tickets to see Squeeze in Southampton click here.
Squeeze 50th Anniversary UK Tour + special guest Badly Drawn Boy
Fri 04 Oct 2024 Sheffield City Hall
Sat 05 Oct 2024 Birmingham Symphony Hall
Tue 08 Oct 2024 Aberdeen Music Hall
Wed 09 Oct 2024 Edinburgh Usher Hall
Fri 11 Oct 2024 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Sat 12 Oct 2024 Manchester O2 Apollo
Sun 13 Oct 2024 Newcastle O2 City Hall
Tue 15 Oct 2024 Stoke-On-Trent Regent Theatre
Thu 17 Oct 2024 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
Fri 18 Oct 2024 York Barbican
Sat 19 Oct 2024 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 21 Oct 2024 Llandudno Venue Cymru Theatre
Tue 22 Oct 2024 Leicester De Montfort Hall
Wed 23 Oct 2024 Cambridge Corn Exchange
Fri 25 Oct 2024 Ipswich Regent
Sat 26 Oct 2024 Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Sun 27 Oct 2024 Southampton Mayflower Theatre
Tue 29 Oct 2024 Guildford G Live
Wed 30 Oct 2024 Bristol Beacon
Fri 01 Nov 2024 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Sat 02 Nov 2024 Brighton Centre
Sun 03 Nov 2024 Plymouth Pavilions
Tue 05 Nov 2024 Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
Thu 07 Nov 2024 Reading Hexagon
Fri 08 Nov 2024 Swansea Arena
Sat 09 Nov 2024 Eastbourne Congress Theatre
Mon 11 Nov 2024 London Royal Albert Hall
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