Glenn Tilbrook performing his The Best Of Times UK Tour at The Glee Club Nottingham on Thursday 3rd November 2016


Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

It takes a very special artist to have the audience in the palm of their hand from the off, and Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook is very high on that list as a packed Glee Club hung on his every word for each of his 25 song set.

Warming the crowd up was Steve Smith, who is accompanying Tilbrook on this forty one date tour. With just a guitar and a mic, he started his set with Now We’re Here Today. Whilst still a member of British band Dirty Vegas, their Grammy award winning Days Go By went down a storm as did Let The Night, before he closed his set with Little White Doves.

Glenn Tilbrook bounced onto the stage, looking younger than ever. Delivering some old Squeeze favourites he also threw in some songs from his last solo album, Happy Ending. Opening with Someone Else’s Bell and Some Fantastic Place, he set the pace for the evening. It was all very frantic and extremely fast. Take Me I’m Yours had the audience singing along as Tilbrook displayed his superb guitar skills, and solo track Persephone kept the pace going before the first half was brought to a close with a luscious Friday On My Mind, a memorable Labelled With Love and a delightful Annie Get Your Gun.

Tilbrook took up where he had left off in the second half with Up The Junction and Cradle To The Grave before delivering an amusing Genitalia Of A Fool. There were all the old favourites like Black Coffee In Bed, Slap And Tickle and Tempted. Finishing with Pulling Mussels (From The Shell) and Goodbye Girl, the audience had sung their hearts out.

With his timeless lyrics, his excellent vocals, his subliminal guitar skills and a huge catalogue of songs to choose from, Glenn Tilbrook, up close and personal, was by far the best gig of the year.