Squeeze Ask Brighton Fans to Bring Food for Local Food Banks at Brighton Centre Show

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Squeeze are asking Brighton fans to bring more than just their voices when the band play the Brighton Centre on Saturday 5 December. The final night of their biggest ever UK headline tour will double as a collection for local food banks.

Led by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, Squeeze will be joined by Billy Bragg as Very Special Guest on their Tried, Tested and Trixies Tour, which opens in Glasgow on 12 November and ends in Brighton.

At every show, including the Brighton date, collection points will be set up where concertgoers can donate non-perishable food or make a cash donation. Everything collected will go to local food banks in the community of Trussell, the anti-poverty charity.

Eight Years of Giving

The partnership began in 2018, when Glenn Tilbrook started collecting for food banks at his solo shows. Since then, fans at Squeeze and Tilbrook concerts have donated 5.15 tonnes of food and raised £72,552.

“When I first started collecting for food banks back in 2018, I had no idea how much our fans would take it to heart,” said Tilbrook. “But it’s deeply troubling that, eight years later, so many people are still struggling to put food on the table. If you’re coming to see us, please bring something along if you can, whether it’s a few tins of food or a couple of pounds.”

Chris Difford added: “It’s genuinely moving to see people arriving at our shows carrying bags of food, knowing that what they’ve brought will help someone in the local community.”

A Hard Winter Ahead

The appeal comes as food banks face rising demand. Trussell expects its food banks to hand out around 600,000 emergency food parcels this winter. Last year, they provided more than 2.6 million parcels, including over 900,000 for children.

“Too many people this winter will be struggling to make ends meet, as families are forced to make impossible decisions like whether to put food on the table or turn their heating on,” said Emma Revie, co-chief executive of Trussell.

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What to Bring

Suggested items include tinned vegetables, fruit, meat and fish, soup, beans, pasta, rice, cereal, pasta sauces, tinned tomatoes, long-life milk, fruit juice, tea, coffee and biscuits. Toiletries may also be welcome. Cash donations will be accepted too.

The band are also giving £1 from every ticket sold on the UK tour to support grassroots music venues, artists and promoters.

Classics and a Lost Album

The show will mix much-loved hits, including “Up the Junction”, “Cool for Cats” and “Tempted”, with songs from Trixies, the band’s acclaimed new album. Remarkably, it is the first album they ever wrote. It was conceived in 1974, when Difford was 19 and Tilbrook 16, and left unrecorded for more than 50 years. MOJO gave it five stars.

Brighton Local

Brighton has the honour of closing the tour, so expect an emotional final night at the Brighton Centre. If you’re going, pack a bag of tins alongside your ticket. Everything collected will stay in the area, supporting local people through the winter. For more gigs coming up in the city, see our guide to what’s on in Brighton & Hove, and catch up on other big dates such as Transvision Vamp and Benidorm The Reunion.

Listings information

  • Event: Squeeze, Tried, Tested and Trixies Tour
  • Very Special Guest: Billy Bragg
  • Venue: Brighton Centre
  • Date: Saturday 5 December 2026
  • Food bank collections: at the venue on the night

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