BEST known as the singer and songwriter from the band Squeeze, Chris Difford is about to support his friend Elvis Costello at the Apollo in Manchester on Monday, where he will showcase some of his solo creations.

But is going it alone a strange feeling after so many years with the band?

"Firstly it is quite nerve wracking," explained the softly spoken singer. "You haven't got anyone to hide behind, the responsibility becomes your own. Quite a daunting task, but it is quite liberating, as well, after being in a band for 20-odd years, to suddenly be on your own."

So how did this project begin? "A friend of mine called Francis Dunnery approached me last year and asked me if I was going to make a record," Difford explained. "We trawled through 20 or 30 songs that I had written and then we started to write some fresh ones. We could only really do it as a hobby because we were both so busy. But I think it is a better record because of that."

After songwriting for more than two decades, and writing for many major artists, where does Difford find his inspiration?

"Different people inspire different angles of my writing," he revealed. "If I'm writing with Marti Pellow, I'm trying to help him say what he wants to say. I'm like a secretary, really".

Performing solo is a challenge for an artist so used to the company of a band, but he is well up to the task. He said: "I'll take it easy, a step at a time. But I think fear is a very good thing to have, so it doesn't really concern me if it doesn't all go according to plan."

Chris Difford's solo album is due out in November 2002 but you can advance order it from his website at www.chrisdifford.com HERE