Horsley Live Music Club presents CHRIS DIFFORD (of SQUEEZE) with special guest JOHN PEPPARD
THE GREAT HALL, HORSLEY TOWERS KT24 6DU. SUNDAY MARCH 12th

About Chris Difford
Chris Difford is a rare breed. He is best known as co-founder and songwriter in one of Britain’s favourite and most loved bands – Squeeze – with whom he has played for more than forty years. But there is much more to tell – and Chris will share some of his story with us, during an entertaining and enthralling evening, road-tested in two sell-out weeks at the Edinburgh Festival. Part stand-up, part sit-down and featuring songs old and new, this will be a night to remember.

Chris has a gift for bringing the everyday and mundane to life, with his smart, pithy lyrics. He is a Grammy nominated lyricist and double Ivor Novello Award-winning songwriter who is also an author and podcaster. With fellow Squeeze founder Glenn Tilbrook, he has written some of the most enduring songs of our lifetimes, including Cool For Cats, Labelled With Love, Tempted and Up The Junction. He has also co-written with people like Elton John, Bryan Ferry and Jools Holland. One of his recent compositions is even on Ollie Murs’ latest album.

And there’s more. For the past 25 years, Chris has passed on his skills and passion through residential songwriting courses. His autobiography, Some Fantastic Place, was released in 2017 to widespread acclaim. He has released a number of solo albums, including The Last Temptation of Chris.  Over the past year or so, Chris has also been busy with Squeeze, touring America and the UK and releasing a new EP, Food for Thought.   And in his fascinating podcast, I Never Thought It Would Happen, he discusses songwriting with his many famous friends. Well worth a listen, all of it.

About John Peppard
Grammy-nominated songwriter John Peppard, originally from Derry in Northern Ireland, now lives in Surrey. He has written songs for major acts such as Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood and Michael McDonald.

He co-wrote the Grammy-winning song "In Another's Eyes" for Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. It was a Number 1 song in the USA and has been featured on albums selling in excess of 25 million copies.
 
John makes regular trips to Nashville, where he has written with Beth Nielsen Chapman, Bernie Chiaravalle, Marshall Crenshaw, Charlie Dore and George Marinelli, amongst many others.

As well as in the USA, John's songs have been recorded by artists in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands and Norway. “Blessing In Disguise” featured on Michael McDonald’s 2017 album “Wide Open”, "Things Are Gonna Change" was a Number 1 song in Norway and the song "Numb" was featured in the US TV show "Smallville".

A REVIEW 
Chris Difford at Horsley Towers Sunday 12th March 2023
It may be a long way from Madison Square Gardens, where he has performed a number of times, but Horsley Towers provided an atmospheric and surprisingly cavernous setting for Chris Difford’s hugely enjoyable one-man show.  

His relaxed, confident and laidback approach seduced the audience easily. As an award-winning songwriter and co-founder of the band Squeeze, Difford had nothing to prove, but proved it anyway.
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From a childhood spent on a south-east London council estate to his success as a rock star, brushes with fame and problems with relationships and alcohol, Chris entertained the audience with stories that were honest, witty and often raw.    Highlights included the postcard in a shop window that led to the formation of Squeeze, early experiences with girls, embarrassing encounters with celebrities and the many support acts who subsequently became more famous than Squeeze.

Backed by his own beautiful acoustic guitar and the absolutely marvellous Melvin Duffy on pedal steel guitar, Difford performed his own take of a number of Squeeze hits, including Cool for Cats, Labelled with Love and Up the Junction, as well as some of his own excellent songs.  The moving Battersea Boys, based on the life of a man he met in a hospice, was particularly memorable, as was Fat as a Fiddle, a theme song for this reviewer, the owner of many a ‘bigger belt’.  

A packed house hung on his every word and joined in some of the songs, shyly and quietly perhaps - this is Horsley, after all – but bringing no small measure of sexual pleasure to Chris. Or so he said, as he coaxed the audience towards the climax that was Cool for Cats.  A shy audience perhaps, and maybe only a few of us were already fans, but one which enjoyed the show greatly, the more so perhaps for having finally discovered a true genius.  

In support, we were privileged to welcome the talented John Peppard. John is a singer, songwriter and guitarist – and turned out to be gifted at each of these. What’s more, his softly-spoken charms easily drew the audience into his stories of Nashville, songwriting and open guitar tunings. John performed a set of his own songs, the highlights of which were ‘Right here in this Room’ and ‘In Another’s Eyes’, a massive hit in the US for Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. He left the stage to a rousing ovation and cries for more.

The whole evening was a great celebration of Horsley Live Music Club’s first year - our best show for sure, featuring two talented, original and entertaining performers. Both were kind enough to say how much they enjoyed the evening, as were many members of the audience.  How do we improve on this evening? Make sure you're a club member, or on our mailing list at the very least. 

The audience also excelled themselves in response to a request for food bank donations, bringing along what was literally a van full of food. Chris and Squeeze are active supporters of the Trussell Trust, the umbrella charity for food banks, and an autographed copy of Chris’ book, Some Fantastic Place, was auctioned to raise further funds.  

And for this evening, Horsley Towers was indeed some fantastic place. 

                                                                                   Mark Beasley. 14 March 23

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHOW
This is a seated concert, in the atmospheric and historic setting of the Great Hall, Horsley Towers. You have the licence to roam all evening and the bar will be open from 7.00 until 11.00. The show will start at 8.00 with John Peppard, followed by an interval and then Chris Difford. Please note:  this is a one-man show. 

• Tickets are £18 (plus a booking fee). Admission is by advance booking only. Tickets can only be booked via Ticketsource. 
• Location: The Great Hall, Horsley Towers, DeVere Estate, Ockham Road South, East Horsley KT24 6DU
• Date: Sunday 12th March 2023
• Timings: Bar open from 7.00 – 11.00. Show runs 8.00 – 10.30 (approx. timings) with interval.

  Please note: 

• Advance ticket sales only. We are unable to offer refunds, there are no concessions and there is no resale facility.
• You are asked to be seated by 8.00. You are welcome to take drinks to your seats and to return to the bar at any time
• This is a fully seated event, but please note that seating is unallocated - seat location is 'first come, first served'. 
• Parking. Car parking is free. Drive through the barrier and proceed to the far end of the estate where there is parking. Horsley Towers is the large historic mansion house – use the main entrance
• We regret that there is no disabled access. We will do all we can to help if notified in advance.
• The club, its events and its music choices are intended for adults. If you bring children, this is at your own risk. 

 
​TO BOOK TICKETS, CLICK HERE

We are grateful to Michael Micallef, DeVere and Horsley Towers for their generous support.       

This event is promoted by the HORSLEY LIVE MUSIC CLUB. We are a voluntary group of local music enthusiasts who put on regular music events in the Horsley area. Members make it all happen and get booking priority. Join us here. Contact us here.