The building at 170 Post Ave. has a long and storied history as a Westbury landmark, dating back to its days as the Wheatley Hills Tavern starting in the 1930s. Now Mirelle’s Restaurant, the venue has been featuring occasional live music for the last several years. One of the restaurant’s biggest musical events so far happens on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 9, when singer and songwriter Glenn Tilbrook, arrives for an intimate solo acoustic concert as part of the My Father’s Place Concert Series.
As half of the dynamic duo of Difford and Tilbrook, leaders of the band Squeeze, Tilbrook has been responsible for creating some of the best known pop songs of the last 40 years, including “Black Coffee in Bed,” “Tempted,” and “Pulling Mussels from the Shell.” Squeeze, which first formed in the 1970s, broke up in 1999 but reformed in 2007. Tilbrook’s last appearance in Westbury was in 2012, when Squeeze played at the NYCB Theater.
Tillbrook’s upcoming Westbury gig is one stop on a four-date mini US solo tour in August which will also take him to Amagansett. Tilbrook expects to perform a wide variety of songs in Westbury.
(Photo by Danny Clifford)
“I’ll be doing some new Squeeze stuff, as well as old Squeeze stuff, and my solo stuff,” said Tilbrook, who said the new Squeeze album was mastered on July 20. “I’ll definitely want to play some songs from that.”
The new Squeeze album, From the Cradle to the Grave, is due out this fall. It’s the first album of new Squeeze songs in 17 years.
“It felt really good. There’s some stuff on the record, I think that’s the best we’ve ever done. And it has to be that way or else I can’t see a point of doing it,” Tilbrook said. “It’s a statement from us about where we are, and how serious we are and about writing and the fun, and it’s certainly hard work, but it’s fun and it’s rewarding, and it’s what we do.”
Squeeze has one of the most distinct vocal sounds in pop music, featuring Tilbrook’s McCartney-like sweetness in sharp contrast to Difford’s deep, mellow voice. “One of the things about this record is that we really took pains to say let’s sing together as much as possible, cause that’s the thing that we’ve got that no one else has,” he said.
Though he’s played some big venues in his time, playing in a smaller and more intimate venue such as Mirelle’s is nothing new for Tilbrook. “I spent years just playing clubs after the last time that Squeeze folded,” Tilbrook said, “and I was absolutely fine with that, I enjoyed that. Now Squeeze are back, we’re playing at the Royal Albert Hall here in October. It’s a big venue. We do festivals, and headline festivals over here to 40,000 people. And all that stuff is great but I still love playing clubs, always want to do that, always like that different approach.”
It has been a very busy year for Tilbrook, with recording and touring. But he still manages to find time to relax. “I actually leave London next week to come to the U.S. where me and my family are on holiday for nearly five weeks,” he said. “In that time I have the gigs which you’ve mentioned. But I love the U.S. and I love to come and explore and hang out, and so I do, as well as working there.” Underlying it all is his love for performing: “Wherever I can play, I will.”
Check out Tillbrook at Mirelle’s Restaurant, 170 Post Ave. in Westbury, Aug. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Find out more by visiting www.myfathersplace.com
