And their fans will walk 500 miles…
Why Scottish twins who conquered the globe are glad to be back out on the road
Thirty-one years ago, Charlie and Craig Reid, aka The Proclaimers, were sending a breath of fresh air blasting through manufactured 80s pop. Their pointed, funny, uplifting and melodically potent songs conquered the globe.
From future SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon to stars like Matt Lucas and David Tennant, the lads from Fife town Auchtermuchty gained die-hard followers for life. Classics Sunshine On Leith, Letter From America and 500 Miles ensured international success. And now their 11th album, Angry Cyclist, contains everything that makes the 56-year-old twins special.
“We weren’t talented enough to fake it,” insists Charlie. “We had to kind of make it up and do it our own way.”
Charlie admits Craig is the more productive songwriter of the pair, and that hard work and application has been the key to remaining top of their game. “Old guys like [Merle] Haggard used to say they could go write a song in the corner of a room when there was a party going on. Craig and I are not like that,” says Charlie. “For us, it’s the quiet room, sitting down and working for a few hours a day, trying to get some ideas.”
He says the most satisfying part of their career has been the continued success and sell-out tours since 2001’s aptly titled Persevere. “At that time we hadn’t put a record out for five years or so. That felt it really was a comeback,” he says. “We’d both got married, had kids and stuff.
When the kids were really young, we had a couple of years where I suppose we didn’t really want to be out.”
Out on the road is where The Proclaimers legend was made. And now they’re back on tour.
“Given our age and the way we always were, we don’t get an awful lot of airplay. So the best way by far is just to be there, you know?” says Charlie.
“Just be out there and doing shows.
And then the people who discovered you for the first time, or remember you, they’ve got an opportunity if it’s a town near where they stay.”
■■Angry Cyclist out now. They play Hull City Hall tomorrow and touring UK until December 15.
’We weren’t talented enough to fake it. We had to kind of make it up and do it our own way’