South-East London’s finest were in their own backyard on Thursday for what was a triumphant homecoming gig at the IndigO2 in Greenwich.
First up we were treated to the smooth grooves of Beautiful Landing. A short, 20-minute set showed they are ones to look out for.
Dr John Cooper-Clarke is, let’s be honest, a living legend. Arriving on stage in dark glasses and hat, his rake-thin form a familiar site to anyone who has witnessed his genius over the past 40-odd years. His poetry stands on its own – the opener Hire Car a frantic ode to rental vehicles delivered in that unmistakable broad Mancunian accent. It wasn’t just the poetry that got the crowd going – the anecdotes that may or may not be strictly true and the ‘dad jokes’ made for brilliant segues into the more familiar territory of his verse. We got all the classics – from Get Back on Drugs, through the masterpiece that is Beasley Street, Evidently Chicken Town, Twat and finishing with “everyone’s favourite wedding poem”, I Wanna be Yours.
By the time Squeeze arrived on stage twenty minutes later the IndigO2 was packed with a mixed and diverse crowd (we even spotted a KISS t-shirt!).
The opener Take Me I’m Yours saw the 7-piece in full flow, with Tilbrook and Difford’s vocals as strong and familiar now as they were in 1977 when this debut was first released. The “Heirs to Lennon and McCartneys throne” gave the Greenwich crowd hit after hit, from Hourglass to Up the Junction, Pulling Mussels from a Shell and Labelled With Love.
The musicianship was tremendous, with Tilbrook going full-on guitar hero, a drummer you couldn’t take your eyes off, and a very energetic percussionist!
Glenn Tilbrook reminded everyone why they were doing this tour – to raise money for the Trussell Trust and local food banks, before going in to to Food for Thought;
“Robert waits for his turn no fuss
The wage he earns is not enough
The help he gets from the Trussell Trust
Give his family breathing space
It’s simply a disgrace
Their needs cannot be met
Food for thought we’re not done yet”
Squeeze are a rare breed. Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford write ‘story-songs’ with infectious melodies and killer hooks that are somehow quintessentially English (“She lived down by the river
A flat the council give her”) and sound like they’ve always been there.
The end of the set – a mass singalong of Tempted and a rousing Cool For Cats sent everyone on their way happy and contributing to the shaken buckets for the Trussell Trust.
