A very busy summer of gigs for Halifax’s Piece Hall included a visit from Squeeze, a beloved British band.
By Miles Salter
Feature photo by The Piece Hall
The Piece Hall has, behind the scenes, had a tricky summer. The trust behind the hall revealed that it had made a £700,000 loss in the 18 months leading up to the end of September 2024, leading to disquiet among the town’s political animals.
Hopefully, they’ll get back on track soon. It’s a great venue for live music and has found a new lease of life through an energetic programme of events, drawing audiences from across the region. Good luck to Nicky Chance Thompson (MBE) and her team.
Squeeze are determined to make this gig into a party. Dressed in colourful suits and with a set that barely lets up, they win over the crowd with their energy and infectious melodies.
The band cannot lose with their back catalogue, which is peppered with idiosyncratic hits. Opening with Black Coffee In Bed, the third song, surprisingly, is Up The Junction, a humorous tale of surprise pregnancy which remains one of the best songs of the ‘70s. We also get Labelled With Love, Goodbye Girl, Cool For Cats, Slap and Tickle, Tempted, Take Me I’m Yours and more.
The audience, many of whom are in their late 50s or early 60s, may be revelling in a little nostalgia. It’s nearly 50 years since the band’s debut EP, Packet of Three, was released. Music has changed a lot in the years since Squeeze were last in the charts, but to the audience, it doesn’t matter.
These are singable, winning tunes, centred on the joys and pitfalls of love and betrayal, full of sly humour and, like the poetry of Philip Larkin, mixing romantic images with the everyday. ‘Sunlight on the lino woke me with a shake,’ goes a line from Goodbye Girl.
The Beatles influence is tangible, but so too is the enthusiasm. The band’s leaders, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, may have had their ups and downs over the years, but this sharp, fun, enlivening set was perfect for a summer’s evening. Wonderful stuff. Keep going Squeeze! Your audience needs you.
Squeeze played at The Piece Hall, Halifax on 1 August 2025.
