There are few more incongruous sights in London’s live circuit than a room full of middle-aged Mod revivalists spilling into the aisles of Cadogan Hall, a venue more commonly associated with string quartets and polite applause than pints aloft and shouted choruses. Yet on Friday night, the Chelsea concert hall hosted precisely that collision of worlds as Chris Difford and Bruce Foxton delivered an evening steeped in sharp songwriting, working-class nostalgia and unpretentious musical craft.

Difford’s opening set was less a straightforward acoustic performance than a warmly rambling piece of musical storytelling. Backed by Andy Caine on lead guitar and Melvin Duffy on pedal steel, the Squeeze lyricist turned Cadogan Hall into something resembling a South London pub back room, albeit one with excellent acoustics and velvet seating. Duffy’s pedal steel proved particularly inspired in the venue, adding a rich Country melancholy to songs such as 'Up the Junction', recast here with a distinctly Americana tint.

Between songs, Difford operated as a seasoned raconteur, his dry delivery oddly reminiscent of the stand-up comic Tom Ward. The stories arrived in a wonderfully unfiltered stream: Squeeze’s roadie Les allegedly driving a van into an ice cream shop; memories of Deptford’s Conker House estate and queues for the 75 bus; and an eyebrow-raising anecdote involving Peters and Lee. There were affectionate name-drops too, including Mark Knopfler supporting Squeeze in their early days and a forgotten B-side covered by Sting in Belgium.

Musically, the set leaned heavily on Squeeze standards, though Andy Caine’s muscular vocals occasionally pushed songs towards the Bluesy terrain of Eric Clapton or Steve Winwood. 'Labelled With Love' still carried its bruised tenderness, while 'Cool for Cats' and 'Pulling Mussels' drew loud singalongs from a crowd clearly unwilling to behave with concert-hall restraint.

If Difford supplied warmth and wit, Foxton brought propulsion. The former The Jam bassist remained intensely focused throughout, his economical but muscular bass playing driving a set that rarely paused for breath. Backed by Craig Joiner’s sharp lead guitar, Andy Fairclough on keys, sporting an uncanny resemblance to Sleaford Mods frontman Jason Williamson, and Mark Brzezicki on drums, Foxton’s band captured the urgency and melodic punch of the original records without lapsing into museum-piece reverence.

The crowd finally abandoned any lingering decorum during 'Town Called Malice', dancing in the aisles beneath Cadogan Hall’s ornate balconies. By the encore of 'The Eton Rifles', the venue’s usual air of refinement had entirely dissolved into joyous Pub-Rock communion, proof that songs rooted in buses, tube stations and ordinary English frustrations still resonate, even in one of London’s smartest postcodes.

Review: Ivan De Mello
Photos: Peter Tainsh and Ivan De Mello