 | MODO-LIVE presents SQUEEZE2025 |
Celebrating their fiftieth anniversary with an extensive international tour, Squeeze are one of rock's vital institutions, a band who carved out a distinctive place in the pop firmament with their vibrantly melodic, perceptive songs. Those songs were written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, the composers who remained at the heart of Squeeze since its inception in 1973. Such early New Wave hits as "Up the Junction," "Cool for Cats," "Another Nail in My Heart" and "Tempted" led critics to label Difford and Tilbrook the "next Lennon and McCartney," an assessment that wasn't proven to be hyperbole. The ensuing decades found Squeeze building a formidable body of work, a songbook that continues to expand with the release of the vigorous comeback albums Cradle to the Grave and The Knowledge, a pair of records Squeeze delivered in the late 2010s after a nearly twenty-year hiatus from the studio.
Over the years, Squeeze saw a few hiatuses and breaks, not to mention players cycling through the lineup. Throughout it all, Difford and Tilbrook were the constants. The pair met when Tilbrook answered a "musicians wanted" advertisement Difford placed in a local south London shop. Keyboardist Jools Holland joined shortly afterward, then the band adopted the name Squeeze, cheekily taking the moniker from the disparaged final Velvet Underground album that featured none of the group's original members. Improbably, founding Velvet Underground member John Cale wound up playing a crucial role in Squeeze's early career. In 1977, after Gilson Lavis came aboard as their drummer and Harri Kakouli became the group's bassist, Cale produced Packet of Three, Squeeze's debut EP, and a good portion of their eponymous 1978 debut. The band produced two cuts on Squeeze, including their breakthrough hit, "Take Me, I'm Yours."
"Take Me I'm Yours" showcased a nervy, inventive band, providing a blueprint for Cool for Cats, the 1979 album that established Squeeze as one of the leading New Wave groups. Boasting the poignant "Goodbye Girl," the dexterous storytelling of “Up the Junction” and the jaunty wit of the title track, Cool for Cats was one of the defining LPs of New Wave, bettered only by the colorful, muscular Argybargy, the 1980 sequel that featured "Another Nail in My Heart" and "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)." Squeeze teamed with producer Elvis Costello for East Side Story, a 1981 masterpiece with “Tempted,” their first song to crack the American charts.
Success caused some ripples within the band. After releasing Sweets from a Stranger in 1982, Squeeze split. Difford and Tilbrook continued their collaboration with a self-titled LP in 1984, then reunited most of the Argybargy-era lineup for Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti in 1985. This incarnation of Squeeze recorded Babylon and On, the 1987 album that gave the band its first American Top 40 hit with the exuberant "Hourglass."
Squeeze spent the first part of the 1990s delivering such exquisitely crafted records as Play and Some Fantastic Place, albums that showed the group easing into a reflective middle age. By the time they delivered Ridiculous and Domino in the second half of the '90s, they were considered forefathers of Britpop, the swinging sound spearheaded by such Squeeze disciples as Blur and Supergrass.
After the supporting tour for Domino concluded in 1999, Squeeze went their separate ways. Difford and Tilbrook launched solo careers that would continue after they reunited as Squeeze in 2007. At first, the revived Squeeze was a touring outfit, only heading into the studio in 2010 to cut Spot the Difference, a collection where they re-recorded their greatest hits. Difford and Tilbrook added keyboardist Stephen Large and drummer Simon Hanson to the lineup during this time, eventually taking the revitalized group into the studio to record Cradle to the Grave, the 2015 album that found the band reconnecting with the dynamic, tuneful eclecticism of their 1980s heyday. Two years later, The Knowledge proved Cradle to the Grave was no fluke.
With bassist Owen Biddle, pedal steel guitar and guitarist Melvin Duffy and percussionist Steve Smith joining Difford, Tilbrook, Large, and Hanson, Squeeze has stayed on the road through the early 2020s, taking time to record the Food for Thought charity EP in 2022. The early part of 2024 has seen the band working on two new albums, one of new material and the other consisting of songs that Difford and Tilbrook wrote in 1974 which have never previously been released. In the summer this current line-up of Squeeze was joined by the backing vocalist Danica Dora. This is the version of the band that's kept the sound and spirit of Squeeze alive during its fiftieth year, a half-century distinguished by some of the smartest and sweetest guitar-pop made during the rock & roll era.
Pricing
VIP 1*: $582.87 ($525.58 + $2.10 CIF + $55.19 service fee)
VIP 2**: $266.42 ($239.20 + $2.10 CIF + $25.12 service fee)
P1: $115.10 ($102.50 + $2.10 CIF + $10.50 service fee)
P2: $94.05 ($82.50 + $2.10 CIF + $9.45 service fee)
P3: $84.05 ($72.50 + $2.10 CIF + $9.45 service fee)
P4: $63.00 ($52.50 + $2.10 CIF + $8.40 service fee)
All above prices include GST.
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Squeeze Guided Tour Experience (VIP 1) includes:
- One Premium Reserved Ticket in the First 2 Rows
- Guided Tour of the Stage and Gear
- Soundcheck Viewing Access
- One (1) Personalized Photo, Signed by Difford & Tilbrook
- One (1) Exclusive Merch Pack Designed for VIP Purchasers
- One (1) Commemorative VIP Laminate
- VIP Venue Entry
PLEASE NOTE: GUIDED TOUR PURCHASERS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ARRIVE AT THE VENUE AS EARLY AS 2 PM ON THE DAY OF SHOW
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Squeeze VIP Merch Package (VIP 2) includes:
- One (1) Premium Reserved Ticket within the First 8 Rows
- One (1) Exclusive Merch Pack Designed for VIP Purchasers
- One (1) Commemorative VIP Laminate
- VIP Venue Entry
PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS NO ARTIST INVOLVEMENT WITH THIS PACKAGE
VIP Disclaimer: Please e-mail [email protected] with any customer service questions. All VIP package elements will be rendered invalid if resold. Name changes will be issued at the sole discretion of 237 Global. VIP instructions will be sent via email no later than three days (3) prior to the event. If you do not receive this email three days (3) prior please email [email protected]. Your VIP merchandise will either be handed out on-site or shipped - specifics will be emailed no later than 3 days before your event. All VIP package elements and contents are non-transferable; no refunds or exchanges; all sales are final. All VIP items and experiences are subject to change. Please note that the information provided at the time of purchase (e-mail and mailing address) is the same information that will be utilized for shipping and individual contact requirements where applicable. 237 Global, the artist, tour, promoter, ticketing company, venue or any other affiliated parties are not responsible for outdated or inaccurate information provided by the consumer at the time of purchase. If you have any questions regarding your VIP elements, or have not received you VIP information within three days (3) of the event date, please email [email protected]. Please add [email protected] to your safe senders list to ensure receipt of all necessary show information.
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Kelowna Community Theatre event tickets include a $2.00 Capital Improvement Fee (CIF) and 5% GST. A service fee is added for box office costs, card processing, and taxes. Tickets and service fees are non-refundable.
