THE Vault in Hexham has pulled off something of a coup for its upcoming show.

The venue, tucked away on Hallgate, has booked Glenn Tillbrook, the singer and guitarist of the wildly popular new wave band Squeeze, to perform later this month.

Squeeze were formed in March 1974 by Tillbrook and Chris Difford.

Difford, speaking on Radio 4, once claimed that he stole 50p from his mother’s purse to advertise for a guitarist to join his band – even though he wasn’t in one.

Tillbrook was the only person to respond to the advert, and they began writing songs together, soon adding legendary pianist Jools Holland and drummer Paul Gunn to make an actual band.

The group came to prominence in the late 70s during the rise of new wave music – a genre of pop-oriented rock music incorporating disco, mod, and electronic music.

The likes of Adam and the Ants, The Boomtown Rats and Blondie were all part of the new wave alongside Squeeze.

Like most 70s acts, Squeeze’s line-up has been inconsistent and they’ve also disbanded twice – once in 1982 and again in 1999.

However, they’re currently active with Difford and Tillbrook at the helm, and released an album, The Knowledge, in 2017.

Tillbrook is currently on a solo tour, entitled Tour For Foodbanks. The singer, who has always had social consciousness rooted in his music, will be raising awareness and donations for the Trussell Trust.

The anti-poverty charity supports a network of over 420 food banks across the UK, and delivered more than 1.3 million three-day emergency food supplies in 2017-18.

A tour with the rest of Squeeze later this year will also aid the Trussel Trust.

Glenn said: “It’s disgraceful that in 2019 people can’t afford to put even the most basic food on the table.

“I’ve been so humbled and moved by the generosity and compassion of the people coming to the gigs and donating.

“So far, more than 1.5 tonnes of food has been raised for those that need it, and I can’t wait to see how much we can achieve throughout the year in my solo shows and with Squeeze.”

The venue will have a food drop point as well as collection boxes, while Glenn himself will be donating all profits from his merchandise, including an exclusive four track EP, to the organisation.

Audience members are asked to check with local food banks to see what supplies are currently needed.

The gig is particularly special for Ben Haslam, the owner of the Vault, who describes Glenn as one of his idols.

Local artist Ben renovated the ancient cellar-cum music venue in 2016, after he was inspired to create a space for starter musicians and local performers to play and gain exposure.

And Ben hopes that it won’t be the last big name to grace the Vault as he tries to raise the venue’s exposure.

He said: “We’re very excited. We sold out tickets for the concert in a matter of days. People are travelling from all over the country.

“It gives fans an opportunity to see whites of the performer’s eyes.

“I’m really excited myself. Glenn was one of my idols growing up.

“Hopefully it opens the floodgates – small venues across the country are struggling, but they’re important hubs for talent. It leads to greater things.

“This is the start of several concerts with established performers. We’ve already had Baz Warne from the Stranglers and some big acts from the folk scene in the past.”

And Ben was also quick to praise the aid for the Trussell Trust.

He added: “Obviously we live in quite an affluent area, but behind the scenes there’s lots of people struggling.

“It’s very easy to overlook it, but it really is there.”