Ravinia 2026 Issue 5

SQUEEZE Squeeze is one of rock’s vital institutions, a band that carved out a distinctive place in the pop rmament with vibrantly melodic, perceptive songs like “Up the Junction,” “Cool for Cats,” “Another Nail in My Heart,” and “Tempted.” ose songs were written by Chris Di ord and Glenn Tilbrook, the composers who have remained at the heart of Squeeze since its in- ception in . e pair met when Tilbrook answered a “musicians wanted” advertisement Di ord placed in a local south London shop. e band adopted the name Squeeze from the disparaged nal Velvet Underground album that featured none of the group’s original mem- bers. Improbably, John Cale, one of those found- ers, would play a crucial role in Squeeze’s early career, producing their debut EP Packet of ree and much of their eponymous debut. e band produced two cuts on Squeeze , includ- ing their breakthrough “Take Me, I’m Yours,” which became a blueprint for ’s Cool for Cats , where “Goodbye Girl,” “Up the Junction,” and the title track coalesced for one of the de- ning LPs of new wave. Bettering themselves with ’s Argybargy , which featured “Another Nail in My Heart” and “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell),” Squeeze then teamed with produc- er Elvis Costello for ’s East Side Story and “Tempted,” their rst song to crack the Amer- ican charts. Squeeze split a er releasing Sweets from a Stranger in , but a er a self-titled duo LP in , Di ord and Tilbrook reunited the band for ’s Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti and ’s Babylon and On , which gave them an American Top hit in “Hourglass.” Squeeze spent the ear- ly s delivering the re ective middle-age al- bums Play and Some Fantastic Place , then found themselves considered the forefathers of Britpop by the time of Ridiculous and Domino . When the band wound down again in , Di ord and Tilbrook launched solo careers that would con- tinue a er reuniting Squeeze in as a tour- ing group. But ’s greatest hits re-recording Spot the Di erence led them back to the studio to expand their formidable songbook with ’s Cradle to the Grave , ’s e Knowledge , ’s Food for ought charity EP, and now Trixies , released in March. Squeeze previously appeared at Ravinia in and . ADAMANT From punk rock roots in London, Adam Ant has become an icon around the world, pow- ered by nine albums and hit singles. He burst onto the scene in as the frontman of Adam and e Ants, then made history in when the group’s debut album, Dirk Wears White Sox , became the very rst number-one album on the UK Independent Albums Chart. e Gold-selling follow-up album, ’s Kings of the Wild Frontier , featured Ant’s trademark Burundi-beat style of African drumming and spent weeks as the number-one album in the UK, becoming the best-selling album of . e collection delivered three top- ve sin- gles—“Dog Eat Dog,” “Antmusic,” and the title track—winning Ant the Brit Award for Album of the Year when the honors became an an- nual event in . Ahead of his third album, Ant released the single “Stand and Deliver,” which immediately claimed the top spot on the UK’s chart for ve weeks and would win him the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year. When Prince Charming was released in late , the title track similarly leaped to the top of the charts, giving Adam and e Ants eight singles in the top at one time. Adam Ant spun o as a solo artist with ’s Friend or Foe , quickly landing a number-one hit in- ternationally with “Goody Two Shoes” while also scoring smashes with the title track and “Desperate But Not Serious.” Friend or Foe be- came Ant’s highest charting album in the US at number and scored him a Grammy nomi- nation as Best New Artist while MTV marked him as the Sexiest Man Alive. A er Strip and its hit “Puss ’n Boots” in , Ant worked with producer Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex) on ’s Vive Le Rock , then teamed with R&B giant Andre Cymone for ’s Manners & Phy- sique , which generated the hit “Room at the Top.” Around this same time, he broke into lm and TV acting, appearing on episodes of Tales from the Crypt and Northern Exposure , among many other roles, while releasing Wonderful in . Earning a Q Music Icon Award in , Ant returned to the charts in with Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter . Adam Ant is making his Ravinia debut. Festival Shop Each purchase supports Ravinia and our Reach Teach Play® programs. OR SHOP ONLINE AT SHOP.RAVINIA.ORG LOCATED INSIDE THEDINING PAVILION Your Shopping Begins Here. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 87 DEAN CHALKLEY (SQUEEZE); STEVEN SCOULLER (ANT)