Gig of the Year?- Chris Difford

Ok- the year is drawing to its close so I'm going to start to think about what was my gig of the year. (..which gives me a chance to review all the gigs I went to this year before I started this blog).

I'll start with the ex- Squeeze co-front man Chris Difford at the Jazz Cafe back in January, (I think).

This gig was a lovely bonus. A friend bought me a ticket to see Richie Havens playing the Jazz Cafe in Camden and when I turned up I found that Chris Difford was the supporting act. His set was made up of his reworking of a whole load of Squeeze's songs in a doleful country-ish style. He was supported by a steel guitar player (Melvin Duffy I think) and a backing singer (Dorie Jackson I think). At first the audience seemed a little indifferent but gradually the familiarity of the songs -albeit played in such a different way- along with a disarming brand of chat won over most of the audience who in the main had paid to see someone else.

I guess ultimately it was all a bit low key- people were still drifting in during his set- and a few people were chatting at the bar. But I never saw Squeeze and I was delighted. Afterwards I had that buzzy feeling I get after I've seen something really good- which just about got me through a rubbish train journey back to Cambridge - (the light bulb in the train's headlight blew and the driver did not have a spare) and I spent an hour, around midnight- waiting at Welwyn station staring up at the Shredded Wheat Factory.

Richie Havens was also worth seeing, though I didn't know too much about him before the gig and I suppose Chris Difford's set eclipsed his (for me anyway). Also I had to leave before the end of Haven's set to rush to get the train with its ill-fated headlamps.

The next morning I bought Chris Difford's LP- South East Side Story- which features the re-worked Squeeze songs as a download- and despite being pretty tired-I spent the next day, as you should spend most winter days, sitting in front of the fire trying to explain to your 18 month old daughter why the music you are listening to is so good- and on that particular day why Squeeze were such a really great band.

Possibility out of 10 that this will be gig of the year- a good 8/10 which is not bad for a support act.

Here he is live at the Albany.



...and this is what I loved when I was about 13



I think one of the reasons why I really liked Squeeze is because when they appeared on the Christmas Top of the Pops playing Cool for Cats my Dad got really angry. I think it must have been the line about "Give the Dog a Bone" (which certainly went above my head when I was 13). Anyway he wasn't having that on the telly on Christmas Day and with the first stirrings of adolescent rebellion I sulked.

Well that's how I remember it.