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SQUEEZE EAST SIDE STORY Story: Peter Watts Photo: Fin Costello Deep in their south-east London lair, SQUEEZE are putting the finishing touches to their first album of new material since 1998. Here, the band’s songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook – along with past and present bandmates – tell us their remarkable story, from the sweetshops of Blackheath to Eltham police station, Greenwich swimming baths and beyond. “It’s hard to compete with your own past,” they tell us... Squeeze circa 1980: (l-r) John Bentley, Chris Difford, Gilson Lavis, Jools Holland and Glenn Tilbrook 54 | UNCUT | OCTOBER 2015 OCTOBER 2015 | UNCUT | 55 SQUEEZE N THE BACK end of an industrial estate in out and we pushed the bike all the way back to The band record sessions south-east London, surrounded by WhaT MIghT Jools’ house.” for their self- warehouses containing steel, timber and With Paul Gunn on drums and Harri Kakoulli titled debut with John Cale, beer casks, you’ll find a one-storey have Been… on bass, Squeeze took their name from the title far right building with a cheery “No Vacancies” Glenn Tilbrook was an early Only One of The VU’s final album (“It made us laugh,” sign in the window. This is Glenn says Tilbrook) and began playing local pubs. Tilbrook’s 45RPM Studio; where, FTER MEETING in 1973, Chris Difford “We did originals and covers like ‘Junior’s Farm’ ensconced in the welcome sanctuary of and Glenn Tilbrook quickly put a band by Wings, Lou Reed’s ‘Hangin’ Round’, ‘I See “the sofa room”, we find Tilbrook and atogether. “That summer, we played The Light’ by The Five Americans and a lot of Chris Difford, his songwriting partner for the a couple of festivals, one as a band, one as rock’n’roll,” Difford recalls. The writing routine I past 40 years. Through the wall, you can hear a duo,” recalls Tilbrook. “The band was a bass was already established. “It’s how we’ve always Cradle To The Grave, their first album of original player called Norman and a drummer, John, worked,” says Tilbrook. “The lyrics inspire the material for 17 years, playing in the room next that’s all I can remember. That didn’t really melodies, the rhythm of the lyrics inspire the door. The two men reveal that the record was work. Later, we had a West Indian pianist called rhythm of the song. The lyrics have to tell the born in this studio – which resembles the Floyd. He was great, and I always wondered story before you play with the music.” of a funky motel, although Difford thinks what Squeeze would have sounded like with “Chris’ words have a metre that rolls easily “it could double up as a youth centre”. At him in it. He had some great songs, but it just with music, they are the perfect thing to set to a one end, there’s a small paved open space – didn’t happen, that lineup was very fluid and melody,” explains Holland. “You don’t need to Tilbrook insists on calling it a garden – filled gone in a few months. So after that, we asked force the words. Glenn, musically, is a genius – with benches, flower pots and a pub sign Jools to join.” and I don’t use that word lightly – and from a requisitioned from one of Tilbrook’s favourite Tilbrook was also playing in another South very early time was writing like Burt Bacharach, Squeeze in the studio with John Cale. Cale told the band on-the-road boozers “somewhere between London band at this time. “I played in an early but didn’t have a way of expressing the emotions we to throw out their old material and explore murkier Birmingham and Crewe”. At the other, there’s lineup of The Only Ones,” he says. “We had a felt, so Chris came along and summed up what life territory. “He was erratic, a dark character, very hard to the recording room, with walls plastered in guy called Lawrence Impey co-manage us. was like in London at that time.” With Holland’s read,” admits Difford. “He’d say to me, ‘Have you ever sticky notes, each bearing the title of a classic He’d been to school with Peter Perrett – Pete’s piano jollying things along, another crucial element thought of writing about a sex master, with whips and Squeeze song – “Take Me I’m Yours”, “Tempted”, wife is Harri Kakoulli’s sister. I had a period of came from the vocal harmonies – Tilbrook leading, chains?’ I was 18, I had no idea what that might be like.” Difford (left) “Cool For Cats” and dozens more, a legacy and Tilbrook being homeless so my only way out was playing Difford, almost flat, one octave lower. Difford’s The band recorded an EP, “Packet Of Three” in 1977, carefully written out and posted up, proud and performing with Pete and living in his house. He was guitar had a similar function. “Chris played on followed by a self-titled LP in 1978. “We were happy to as Squeeze impossible to ignore. forerunners already a big-time dealer, it was a heavy scene.” everything and was the cement that kept everything go along with everything John said, as it was inspiring “I used to be intimidated by our history,” says Skyco in 1974 together,” says bassist John Bentley, who replaced to be around him, but it didn’t sound like us, it sounded Tilbrook later, surrounded by B-movie posters, Kakoulli in 1979. “We were all very good musicians, like us doing something else,” says Tilbrook. “But he instruments and Squeeze memorabilia. “It’s hard T WAS A spot of petty pilfering that set Squeeze on their and Chris was more of a Keith Richards character. His was the most musically gifted person I’ve worked with. to compete with your own past, which is what we do way in 1973. “I’d been in a band at school,” says Difford. playing wasn’t immaculate, but it was part of the He pulled some great stuff out of us, like ‘The Call’, which with every record. I always thought that there was no I“And that smell really attracted me. So I put an advert in chemistry that made it sound like Squeeze. If he’d been I’d never have written without John Cale.” point doing another record unless it was the best we made a Blackheath sweetshop window with 50p I stole out of my technically brilliant, it wouldn’t have been as good.” Engineering the sessions was John Wood, who had and Cradle To The Grave was a litmus test. You can’t hide in “the metre mum’s purse and that 50p took me all this way. Did I pay it The final element was Gilson Lavis, who replaced worked with Cale for years. “John was very front of an audience.” back? Probably in brandy.” Gunn on drums in 1976. Lavis had drummed for agitated, very manic,” recalls Wood. “He had Tilbrook and Difford sit across from each other, politely of ‘cool for One of two people to answer the ad was 15-year-old touring American musicians, including Dolly been brought in because this was punk and the sharing jokes and acting more like colleagues than close Glenn Tilbrook. “It said, ‘Wanted: Guitarist for band. Parton, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, but had material was quite aggressive, but the label friends. The pair met in Greenwich in 1973 and immediately Influences Kinks, Lou Reed, Glenn Miller’,” he says, most recently been working in a brickyard in didn’t think they had a single, so without John established a routine they’ve maintained ever since, cats’ was remembering the exact wording. “It also said there were Bedford. He admits that when he saw the Melody we did ‘Take Me I’m Yours’. It was as far from the separating songwriting duties with Difford composing tours coming up and a record deal. My girlfriend said I Maker advert – “South London band seeks rest of the album as it could get.” lyrics and Tilbrook taking musical direction from those inspired by should answer, so I gave him a ring. Everything in that drummer” – he was desperate. “I took the seats out “Take Me I’m Yours” reached No 19 and paved the words. Many of their most memorable songs are rooted in advert was a lie except for Chris. He was real.” my mum’s Mini, shoved my drumkit inside and drove way for a second LP, co-produced by Squeeze and the London of the 1970s; indeed, the new album was Tilbrook and Difford were impressed by each other’s to Greenwich swimming baths for an audition with this John Wood on A&M in 1979. “We did Cool For Cats inspired by the teenage memoirs of Bermondsey boy benny hill” songs, particularly as neither had previously met bunch of weirdos,” he says. “They already had songs quickly,” says Holland. “We recorded in Pink Floyd’s Danny Baker, the DJ and former NME writer. “I read CHRIS DIFFORD anybody else who wrote. A routine swiftly developed. so different to what was in the charts – they were studio in Britannia Row and they had this amazing new Danny’s book [Going To Sea In A Sieve] four years ago and “Chris gave me a lyric and I put a tune to it,” says Tilbrook. witty and had melodies.” mixing desk, and on day one somebody knocked a can thought for the first time that this might be a project Chris “It worked, so he gave me some more lyrics.” As it transpired, Lavis became instrumental in of Coke over it and brought everything to a halt.