Glenn Tilbrook – 4 December 2014 – live at Lizottes, Central Coast, Australia

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Tom says:

7 December 2014 at 3:32 am

Glenn Tilbrook solo, 4th December, 2014.
Pulled up at the carpark at of Lizottes and the first person I see is the unassuming but very distinctive figure of Glenn on his cell phone. As the song says, ” I acted cool and cocky” as I walked past and gave him a wave, which he duly returned with a smile (much to the amusement of my accompanying wife and 2 kids, who could see straight through my thin veil of nonchalance into my boyish adulation). They may never fully understand my obsession with this man, but they certainly understand the significance of me seeing him live for the first time in seven years. It is gratifying to see how my kids (who are all musically talented) have come to embrace Glenn and Squeeze’s music.

The streetfront sign at the venue bears testimony to the general ignorance that this country has of Squeeze. “Glenn Tillbrook – Cool for Cats” it proudly announces. I can’t really blame them. It is logical to identify him with what was their only hit out here, which is still a standard on our 40+ radio stations.

Lizottes is an odd choice of venue for an artist like Glenn. It is certainly a very well known and respected brand for quality live Australian music in the Sydney region, but two of the three venues that trade under that name are well outside of Sydney itself, which makes the job of attracting patrons to a lesser known overseas artist very difficult. Tonight’s gig is at Lizottes Kincumber venue, which is in a regional centre about an hour and a half’s drive from Sydney, so it is quite an achievement that it is about two-thirds full. To prove my point, the gig on the following night at Sydney’s Lizottes is a sell out, while the gig in Newcastle Lizottes (2.5 hours out of Sydney) had to be cancelled due to lack of bookings. It ain’t rocket science, and I think whoever booked these shows should have known better and booked all 3 gigs in Sydney.

Having said that, the strange twist is that tonight’s gig is only about 3 miles from my doorstep, so I cant complain too much!

Anyway, the 60 odd fans who did turn up tonight certainly understand the incongruity of the “CFC” sign at the front door and their attentiveness to every song and willingness to sing along demonstrates that they know very well who and what they have come to see.

The most striking thing about any Glenn solo gig is the intensity he brings to his performance. We all know his songwriting is obsessive in it’s uncompromising quest to marry oblique chord sequences and key changes with the most intoxicatingly seductive melodies. But his love of live performance is equally zealous and he seems almost in a permanent trance-like state. It is compelling – almost surreal – to watch.

He banters freely through the evening and darts through his catalogue with swaggering abandon, like a moth flitting from flame to brilliant flame . . . and not for a second does the intensity drop, until he tumbles exhaustedly offstage in a ball of sweat and flowing silvery locks. Every fibre of his being has been poured into 24 breathtaking musical gems that bear testimony to the magnitude and significance of his musical legacy. The audience are transfixed by the relentless power of his vocals and the frenetic zeal of his guitar playing. Even the most indifferent observer would get the impression that he is singing and playing EVERY song as if his mother’s life depended on it.

Glenn is quite simply a rare and splendid musical genius. There is no question about it. He stands on the shoulders of every great popular musical force of the modern era, from McCartney to Motown, but is not content to just lazily enjoy the view – he continues to build upon those influence to reach new and unequalled heights and we are so privileged to be witnesses and evangilists for his surreal talent.

Back to reality. As the audience spills out into the night and queues at the merch desk, it is somehow hard to reconcile the affable humility and humanity of the man that is behind the spiritual encounter we have just experienced. Buying a CD seems such a trivial tribute to offer in exchange for the piece of his soul that he has just given us. A nervous and utterly inadequate “thank you”, the mandatory photo opportunity and it is all over until next time . . . I can only hope it is not another seven years away.

Set list:
Take me I’m yours
Persephone
Vanity Fair
Ter wit Ter woo
Chat Line Larry
Oh well.
Tempted
Elephant Ride
Untouchable
Black Coffee
The Truth
Labelled With Love
Still
Up the Junction
Ice Cream
In Quintessence
By the Light of the Cash Machine
Slap and Tickle
Annie Get Your Gun
Is That Love
Another Nail in My Heart
Pulling Mussels
Cool For Cats
Goodbye Girl

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Tom says:

18 May 2017 at 2:17 pm

Upon arriving here to make a comment for David’s competition I realise that I had already commented 2 and a half years ago – (see review above). The review seems to spiral into hyperbole, but it needed to do that; it was such an intense gig in such a far flung corner of the globe. Not the same throbbing audience as the gig he played about 10 years earlier in Sydney (the tour where he recorded the “Aussie P” live EP, but still an extraordinary night. Highlights for me from the set list were Ter wit Ter woo, Elephant Ride, Still and Cash Machine.

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Glenn Tilbrook – 4 December 2014 – live at Lizottes, Central Coast, Australia

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