Glenn Tilbrook gig [10th September 2005 @ The Espy]

After RocKwiz on Tuesday night, Dean and Pete were each given double passes to see Glenn Tilbrook at the Espy on Saturday night. They kindly asked Andy, Geraldine and myself to attend. For those who are unfamiliar, he was the lead singer of classic 80's new wave UK outfit Squeeze.

It was a very enjoyable gig, albeit a very long and tiring one. He was supported by Marcel Borrack and Ashley Naylor (the lead singer of Melbourne band Even).

Glenn was a very likeable character, chatting to the crowd constantly. He didn't have a setlist, instead taking requests from the crowd. He was generally happy to oblige, but he refused to play the Squeeze classic Cool for cats, claiming that he had tried it twice in the past and failed (fellow Squeeze member Chris Difford actually sang lead on this song). I went up to the front and asked if he could play From a whisper to a scream, which is an Elvis Costello song from his brilliant album Trust which Glenn dueted on. I couldn't hear him properly, but his response was either "I can play a bit of it" or "I can play it a bit later". Either way, he didn't end up playing it. I don't seem to have much luck with getting my requests played. Not happy Jan!

Highlights of the night included Glenn getting up on the bar in the Gershwin room to sing a song, doing a great cover of Voodoo chile (together with some amazing Jimi Hendrix guitar moves) and Andy buying a copy of Ashley Naylor's solo album which was signed "love Ash". How sweet!

Overall, an entertaining gig that was probably about 30 minutes too long (it finished at about 1:30am).