Squeeze in Portsmouth

Squeeze are a British rock and pop band formed in Deptford, London, in 1974 by songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. Their new wave and power-pop catalogue includes “Cool for Cats,” “Up the Junction,” “Tempted” and “Labelled with Love,” as well as the albums Argybargy and East Side Story. Squeeze reunited in 1985 and resumed touring after their first breakup; following another split, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook brought the band back in 2007. The re-formed group performed on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in 2016, and in 2021 Squeeze toured North America as the opening act for Hall & Oates.

Billy Bragg is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Barking in 1957, who writes politically engaged folk and rock shaped by punk. His early release Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy introduced songs including “A New England,” while “Between the Wars” and “Sexuality” became further staples. He also recorded the Mermaid Avenue albums with Wilco, setting previously unheard Woody Guthrie lyrics to music. During the 1984–85 miners’ strike, Billy Bragg played benefit concerts around Britain, often performing alone with an electric guitar. His later festival history became closely tied to Glastonbury Festival and its Left Field stage, which combines music with political discussion. In 2016, he toured songs from the railway-themed album Shine a Light in a duo with Joe Henry.