Rare treat from gifted Glenn (From Swindon Advertiser)

Rare treat from gifted Glenn

3:54pm Thursday 10th November 2011 in Reviews

If Glenn Tilbrook is an unfamiliar name to you, there’s a strong possibility you’ll know some of the songs he wrote with Chris Difford, when the pair fronted the much-admired Squeeze.

To see him playing in Old Town was a rare treat, as he set before an enthusiastic crowd a showcase for his songwriting gifts, his guitar skills and genuinely unique singing voice.

He launched into acoustic versions of new wave classics such as Another Nail in My Heart, Goodbye Girl and the still-preposterous-yet-strangely-touching Up the Junction. The first, solo half of the evening’s set lent heavily towards Tilbrook’s 1980s Squeeze heyday, but for the second half, Tilbrook was joined on stage by a multi-instrumentalist and a percussionist, whose addition gave the stage the look of a musicians’ workshop, with a huge bass guitar, harmonium and even an I-pad.

Tilbrook’s Dickensian look entirely suited his tuneful tales of picaresque characters, as he ran through a sequence of name-songs, such as the Murdoch-baiting Rupert, the seedy tale of chatline-obsessed Larry and pretentious Persephone. Best of all, Tilbrook returns for an encore of Tempted that’s so good that it leaves you wondering quite why Paul Carrack was given it to sing. It’s the classics – and it’s easy to forget how many hits Squeeze had – that are best received.

Despite the fame he has enjoyed, Tilbrook seems well-suited to the intimate setting of a small venue such as The Vic, which deserves praise for presenting a performer of his calibre. - ANDREW THOMPSON