FOR the first time in almost 20 years, Squeeze stalwarts Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook have taken to the road as a duo on the amusingly titled The At Odds Couple Tour.

The penultimate autumn date of 11 brings their sometimes turbulent partnership to the Grand Opera House, York, on Monday night, where they will celebrate one of the great songbooks of English pop, "presenting their songs in a unique way" while giving an insight into what has made the Deptford duo tick through the years.

“There's lots of history and myth to our relationship," says Chris.

"There have been times when we’ve not gotten on and not communicated with each other but we're now at a place where we have a lot of respect for each other. No relationship is plain sailing, whether it be personal or work, but over the years we’ve come to understand our differences and similarities and learnt to co-exist alongside each other.”

Glenn, too, has been quoted as saying, "the last few years have been really interesting. We’ve talked more than ever and reflected on our relationship and it’s brought us to this point”.

That point sees arguably England's most fertile songwriting partners since Lennon and McCartney even making light of those differences by coming up with the witty tour title, a nod to Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon's fractious 1968 film, The Odd Couple.

"Well, how did we come up with it?" Chris asks himself. "It was one of those things when you're sitting around toying with ideas and The Odd Couple is a film I particularly like."

He saw the rich potential in a show that would revisit Squeeze songs, mixed with conversation. "I'd seen other musicians do that, and it's a really interesting thing to do. I thought, 'we could do that, Glenn and me," he says. "We did a few shows in the summer to see if it could work and it certainly did. That was in the West Country, where we just told people we were coming."

The format is flexible, much more so than a Squeeze band performance. "When we go out as Squeeze and play songs as a band, there's no room for us to stand around and talk about our lives or play songs off the cuff, so it's wonderful to get to the opportunity to do that in a storytelling way now and we'll just see how the cards fall on the table."

The duo's set list combines the familiar likes of Cool For Cats and Up The Junction with material from next year's upcoming Squeeze album and songs that have lain dormant and discarded for 40 years,

"We're doing a lot of the old songs, a lot of new songs [Squeeze reformed in 2007] and some lost songs that people won't be aware of. They were only recorded in the most basic form in 1974/75, but they were the calling card that got us our first record deal and got us to make our first record. However, when it came to the producer, he didn't like them so we had to dump them and we didn't have any chance to release them," says Chris.

"But here we are, playing them 100 years later, and playing them in concert like they were written, delicate and fragile, now we're also a bit delicate."

Chris has been struck by the reaction to the At Odds Couple shows.

"The first thing I discovered was how incredibly welcome the audiences have made us feel. It's extraordinary to be loved by 300 to 400 people in a room and we're very lucky to be able to feel that warmth," he says. "I know that when I go to see performers, I want to be able to join in that appreciation. If I went to see James Taylor, I would be feeling this feeling; it would be a love fest!"

Life in Squeeze may sometimes have been too tight a Squeeze for lyricist Difford and composer Tilbrook over four decades of ever-changing musical landscapes, internal re-shuffles and even an acrimonious break-up. However, in a year when Tilbrook has released a solo album entitled Happy Ending, the bond between the two Squeeze protagonists is fine and dandy once more.

"It's just so lovely to be on stage with Glenn; someone who I admire such a lot, and to be able to share our songs with people is always a great feeling," says Chris.

"I don't always get it right. It's still a learning curve because we're still learning to be in each other's company and how to be songwriters in an age where songwriting is not a craft any more."

At the time of this interview, Glenn was still in America, and he and Chris were yet to decide whether they might record the At The Odds Couple shows for release.

"It's a case of finding the time to do that; Glenn and I have such busy lives beyond this, that we only ever seem to see each other on tour," says Chris. "But those songs from 1974-75 may be recorded. Wait and see."

• Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, The At Odds Couple Tour, Grand Opera House, York, Monday; doors, 7pm. Tickets update: selling fast on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york