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Glenn Tilbrook—the singer of Squeeze hits such as “Black Coffee in Bed,” “Hourglass,” “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)” and “Up the Junction”—isn’t delusional about the music industry in 2025.
He doesn’t expect the band, founded in 1974, to race up the charts with any new recordings.
But Tilbrook does see a purpose in making albums.
“Records take a commitment and a certainty,” said Tilbrook, who will bring a solo tour to the Tobias Theater at Newfields on April 4. “You have to do a record with the knowledge that it means absolutely nothing to the majority of people. And so what’s your purpose in doing it? The purpose of doing it is actually to move forward artistically.”
For Squeeze, known for songs featuring lyrics written by Chris Difford and music by Tilbrook, moving forward is defined by two albums in the pipeline for release.
One project, titled “Trixie’s,” is made up of previously unreleased songs composed during Squeeze’s earliest days but newly recorded with a producer’s credit for the band’s bass player, Owen Biddle (a former member of the Roots). New songs are found on the other album.
Although release dates for the albums are yet to be determined, Tilbrook said he’s pleased that Squeeze worked on the projects in Los Angeles at the same time.
“I was very keen that we do both albums simultaneously,” he said. “I’m really glad we did, because one fed the other.”
The members of Squeeze spent the first part of March on the West Coast, playing arenas as the supporting act for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Heart.
“Squeeze is better than it’s ever been, as far as I’m concerned,” Tilbrook said. “If I look at the reaction we get, we’ve never had a reaction like this since we were on our first rise. People were going bonkers because we were fresh and bonkers ourselves. It really pays off. If you put your heart into it, you get a lot of heart back.”
Tilbrook, 67, will visit Indianapolis during an off-night of a tour in which he’s the supporting act for Daryl Hall. Tilbrook said he and Hall are similar in terms of being vocalists influenced by Black musicians who recorded for U.S. labels Motown and Stax in the 1960s.
“I grew up listening to it, and I still listen to it,” Tilbrook said. “I’ve been thinking a lot recently about cultural appropriation. The only way I can defend myself is that I respond, as a person and as a musician, to what I love.”
The initial ascent of London-based Squeeze included 1981 hit “Tempted,” which features Tilbrook sharing vocal duties with future Mike & the Mechanics singer Paul Carrack. TV shows such as “The Bear” and “Breaking Bad” reached back to feature Squeeze songs “Goodbye Girl” (released in 1979) and “If I Didn’t Love You” (1980), respectively, in episodes.
Tilbrook acknowledges that outsiders attempted to slot Squeeze in categories such as New Wave, but he didn’t buy it.
“If I look back on the songs that we were writing in 1974, we weren’t pub rock and punk rock wasn’t there—unless you’re talking about the New York Dolls or something,” Tilbrook said. “We weren’t any of that. We were writing sophisticated songs; we just couldn’t play them properly. So I think we exist outside of categories. I think we’re in a category of our own.”
Glenn Tilbrook
- When: 8 p.m. April 4
- Where: Tobias Theater at Newfields, 4000 N. Michigan Road
- Tickets: $39 to $49.
- Info: Visit forty5.com.
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Squeeze definitely had a sound that was distinct. If you were in college in the early 80’s they were the soundtrack of your time on campus. Well written songs with catchy melodies provided a backdrop for some wonderful memories.
Squeeze is the one good thing to come out of the original dissolution of The Velvet Underground.