Chris Difford The Fire Station Sunderland 31 January 2024

An Ageing Well Ambassador goes to see an ageing well Squeeze songster at our new great venue.

Another great artist performing in Sunderland at the equally great Fire Station, which is fast becoming a regular venue for many friends and local residents. The Fire Station website advertised the performance: "All of Squeeze 's best known songs were composed by Chris and songwriting partner Glenn Tilbrook. Chris performs them, along with some solo material ...  as part of his nationwide Not Only... But Also, tour"

Chris says of his new tour: "My new songs written with Boo Hewerdine tell a story of celebration; 25 years writing lyrics and playing on stages big and small. A journey I look back on with great fondness and gratitude. I can't wait to climb back on stage and perform. Although I have been shy in the past, I now find myself feasting on the here and now deep within the shell-like of your ear.  I will be joined on stage by Melvin Duffy on his pedal steel and together we will deliver an evening of warm and, I hope, funny stories. Melvin's playing is outstanding, and I feel so lucky to have him as my sideman, he cries over the songs and always makes them sound amazing. "Not Only but Also is not just a look back on 50 lyrical years, it's a journey that asks, 'What Happened?' - What happened to all those years and mates I grew up with before I formed a band? I hope you enjoy this new show for 2023."

And a journey and a feast of songs and stories it was. Chris was in a jovial mood telling many stories of how we grew up on a council estate in South London, became a skinhead and attended reggae nights at the local Palais as a teenager. Then he discovered progressive rock and became a Hawkwind fan. He was even lucky enough to attend the first Glastonbury festival witnessing an early morning set by David Bowie and a great performance by Hawkwind. Magic.

His tales were extremely funny in the way he told them, all of the crowd laughing and clapping along. He talked of old friends, early encounters with marijuana and early girlfriends; one of which stabbed him after an altercation! This guy lived life to the full and didn't hold anything back in relating his stories. How much was exaggeration; who knows? That didn't matter anyway, the evening was packed full of anecdotes and reminiscences.

The stories went on, to include tales of meeting Sting, Bono, and Jon Bon Jovi when Squeeze were supporting them, or vice versa. We all laughed along with him as he joked about their massive success compared to that of Squeeze. Now, come on Chris you haven't done too badly after all! The show was in two sets with a short interval in between. Along with Chris' wonderful stories we were also treated to songs which comprised all of the well-known Squeeze chart hits and some of Chris' solo material, which was equally engaging. Chris sang, among others, the big hit singles "Up the Junction" (my favourite), "Cool for Cats" and "Is That Love?" (another particular favourite of mine).

Chris was accompanied by, I assume, the aforementioned Melvin Duffy who played a Fender Telecaster, rather than a pedal steel guitar as promised by Chris above. Whatever, his guitar was excellent and he, like the audience, could not stop laughing along with Chris' stories.

Setlist: Set1: Take Me I'm Yours; Unk; What Happened; Pulling Mussels (From the Shell); I Lived for Each Moment; Slap & Tickle; Tempted

Set 2: Up the Junction; Freddie and the Dreamers; Is That Love; Cowboys Are My Weakness; Goodbye Girl; Labelled With Love; Cool for Cats.