A woman is clambering on stage and heading for the microphone; a man is making his way up to sing backup. There’s a look of panic on Glenn Tilbrook’s face, but he was the one to instigate this by inviting an audience member to sing Another Nail in My Heart because his voice was going. It’s a risky move that could have backfired horrendously but the woman pulls it off and knows every word. “Sheffield’s got talent,” Tilbrook exclaims, with great relief, before the guest vocalists are quickly escorted off.
It’s not a dream start for the opening night of their 50th anniversary UK tour, Tilbrook having to interrupt the show because he was struggling with his voice – not that you would have noticed – then having to change the set accordingly and cut it slightly short. “There’s some songs we definitely can’t do now,” he says. However there are a good few they still can, and there had already been plenty before the unexpected pause.
Such big anniversary tours are often the death knell of bands; old hits tokenistically, apathetically delivered and sounding older by the second. But while Squeeze feel very rooted in another era – few embody the glimmer of new wave quite so completely as them – some of the tunes remain undeniable. These are some immaculately constructed pop songs: from the wonky yet shimmering Up the Junction to the irresistible strut of Pulling Mussels (From the Shell), they are like well engineered cars that were built to last but are still zipping around long after they should be.
The eight-piece band are a tight, slick operation who navigate Tilbrook’s vocal absence expertly, often pushing songs into extended grooves to produce a fine final run. Cool for Cats still purrs, with Chris Difford’s voice remaining in great form, while the bubbling synths, deft melodies and military-like drums that drive Take Me I’m Yours make it a potent closer. Earlier on, the male vocalist from the audience had grabbed the microphone and proclaimed, “Glenn Tilbrook is pound for pound the best singer I’ve ever heard.” It’s a real testament to the band that they finished so strongly without such a key presence.
• On tour until 22 November
