April 11, 1980 Gusto concert review: Squeeze at Stage One


Another gem of a band comes through Stage One. I was a fan.
April 11, 1980
Squeeze at Stage One
In the case of the British quintet Squeeze, the term New Wave applies mostly in terms of attack. Their set in Harvey and Corky’s Stage One in Clarence Thursday night is nothing if not energetic. Indeed, energy is what wins the session for them.
Now on tour in support of their third LP, “Argybargy,” they eschew the lyric and stylistic cleverness of that effort in exchange for a hard-hitting approach. It’s a matter of rhythm and flash over subtleties. Oh well, vocals don’t carry all that well on club dates anyway.
Squeeze thus becomes a two-guitar band with keyboards thrown in for spice. Guitarists Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford know the value of economy in the riff department. Pianist Jools Holland fills in the gaps, stepping out once to show his penchant for boogie woogie in “Gonna Mess Around.”
The secret star of Squeeze, though, is drummer Gilson Lavis, an English session ace whose meticulous rhythms and timely embellishments give the band a snappy panache that cinches their appeal. The set mixes selections from the three albums and concludes with an enthusiastic two-song encore.
Opening were the Toys, a Buffalo New Wave quartet that succeeds in bringing punk sensibilities to no-wave audiences. Bassist Meat Cleaver is particularly unforgettable in his long red underwear and naked chest.
Having introduced five new songs in their set, they proceeded to tear up a couple mid-‘60s hits – the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” and the Cyrkle’s “Red Rubber Ball” – topping it off with “a love song” to the most notorious denizen of Attica, “Son of Sam.” These boys may have a future in trashing the past.
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IN THE PHOTO: Record company press photo of Squeeze for the “Argybargy” album.
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FOOTNOTE: Guitarists Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were such clever songwriters they were hailed as successors to Lennon and McCartney, but they never quite caught on over here in North America. Their biggest U.S. hits, "Tempted" and "Black Coffee in Bed," hadn't yet surfaced at this point. Keyboardist Jools Holland bailed after this tour and pursued a solo career.

Difford and Tilbrook also quit in 1982, but after they reunited with Holland for a single show in 1985, they decided to give it another go. Seven more albums and a dizzying succession of lineup changes followed until 1999, when they again disbanded. Back together once more since 2007, Difford and Tilbrook now have an eight-piece band and this year they're going on tour with Heart, beginning March 3 in Los Angeles.  

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