For a while in the early ’80s, Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford of Squeeze were being compared to Paul McCartney and John Lennon, thanks to their estimable songwriting skills. Though their studio LPs never sold in significant quantities—their sole album to achieve either Gold or Platinum sales in the U.S. is a 1982 million-selling singles collection, they churned out plenty of radio-friendly, hook-filled songs, notably “Goodbye Girl,” “Another Nail in My Heart,” “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell),” “Tempted,” “Black Coffee in Bed.”

Yet Top 40 programmers in America consistently (and inexplicably) turned a deaf ear. Only one of those gems even charted on the Hot 100 (“Tempted,” which peaked at a lackluster #49 in 1981). Even the most devout Squeeze fans—of which I am one—would be shocked to learn that their only two songs to earn a Top 40 listing on the Hot 100 were 1987’s “Hourglass” (#15) and “853-5937” (#32). That’s it!

And their great back-to-back studio albums, 1980’s Argybargy and 1981’s East Side Story, peaked at just #71 and #44 respectively in the U.S.

But the fans knew and despite many personnel changes as well as several lengthy break-ups, Difford and Tilbrook have continued to tour to perform those great songs to enthusiastic audiences. They’re in the midst of a significant tour with dozens of North American dates this summer to be followed by a U.K. run in the autumn. And they’ve already announced shows in Japan, New Zealand and Australia for April 2027. Tickets for most of the dates are available here and here.

Watch a 2026 performance of one of their classic songs

Related: Our 2017 concert review of a “rejuvenated” Squeeze

And it wouldn’t be a Tilbrook-Difford outing without a great hook: In November 2025, the band announced the March 6, 2026, release of their first all-new studio album in eight years, Trixies. “Oh, no,” even a Squeeze die-hard could be heard saying. “Another band well past their shelf life in the studio releasing a new album.” But here’s where it gets interesting. From the album’s press announcement:

Written by the teenage Difford (19) and Tilbrook (16) at the very start of their songwriting partnership, when concept albums and rock operas were de rigueur and with the snappy underworld vernacular of New York fabulist Damon Runyon filling Difford’s thoughts, the songs are a collection of stories set in a fictional night club, Trixies.

The only problem with these songs – crime scene vignettes like “The Place We Call Mars” and “Don’t Go Out In The Dark,” the riotous come-hither rapacity of “Why Don’t You” and the evocative acoustic scene setter “You Get The Feeling” – was that, back in 1974, the musical vision of the young creators exceeded their virtuosity. “We fully committed ourselves to songwriting but this was three or four years before we even got to make our first record. Long story short, these were songs that we just didn’t have enough musical experience to record properly” explained Difford.

The natural question is: does a 2026 new/old Squeeze album have the goods? And, if so, why weren’t the songs ever recorded?

“At that time, we couldn’t get signed, we couldn’t get gigs,” said Tilbrook during a live TV interview on BBC Breakfast. “From the moment we met, we wrote non-stop. By the time we got signed… a few years later… we carried on writing and forgot about those songs.”

As Pete Paphides’ liner notes explain, “The musical vision of the teenage creators exceeded their virtuosity. Fifty years on… what better way… than to complete the circle and realize the vision they had for Trixies. “These are very much the same songs that we wrote then,” said Tilbrook. “The only difference is that now I can teach the songs to the rest of the band. Back then, I didn’t even know what the names of the chords were.”

Tilbrook’s warm vocal starts things off on the restrained “What More Can I Say?” and its simple arrangement sets the scene for the make-believe nightclub. “The cocktails have been shaken, the girls have all been taken,” he sings.

It’s immediately followed by what may be the most beautiful song in their catalog, “You Get the Feeling,” featuring Tilbrook’s lush vocal, particularly when he sings, “I love the feeling here.” The song’s only “fault”: at just 2:46, it’s too short.

They’re joined by the playful “Hell on Earth”—The bouncer’s name is Eddy, he’s always on the ready—and to these ears somewhat reminiscent of Queen, followed by the driving beat of “The Dancer,” the latter featuring Difford on vocals.

The collection closes with the Sgt. Peppers-era Beatles-ish “Trixies (Part One),” winding up grandly with “Trixies (Part Two).” “Trixies is a gas,” Tilbrook sings. Yes, it is.

Trixies is available in the U.S./worldwide here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here and here.

For the tour, Tilbrook and Difford are joined by Owen Biddle (bass guitar), Melvin Duffy (pedal steel guitar), veterans Steve Smith (percussion), Stephen Large (keyboard), and Simon Hanson (drums), and Danica Dora (backing vocals), all of whom perform on Trixies.