The Proclaimers Live in Sheffield Review by Rob Johnson
When I was a younger man with thick rimmed glasses and a bad haircut (I wanted to be Rivers Cuomo from Weezer), a stranger in the street once accosted me to tell me that I “looked like him from The Proclaimers’. Aside from the fact that if I look like one of them I must look like both of them (as they’re twins), I think I allowed this interaction to colour my view on the Scottish rock duo for many years as I am a relatively recent convert to the sonic power of The Proclaimers. Happily, having now seen them perform an incredible set at a packed Sheffield City Hall, any misgivings I may have had about them have melted away.
As the duo, here fleshed out into a fully fledged rock band complete with electric guitar, drums and keyboards, have just released their thirteenth studio album, You May Offend, the first half of the set is made up of tracks from that record as well as deep cuts from across their storied career and old favourites such as ‘Over and Done With’. The latter of which gets an early airing and is met with enthusiasm and goodwill from a crowd who are polite if a little muted (until the end at least). The new material also goes down well with the title track and ‘Knock it Down’ sounding particularly impressive.
After informing the crowd that much of the second half of the set will be taken from the band’s beloved second album Sunshine on Leith, things immediately become more rowdy with ‘Sean’ and ‘Cap in Hand’ greeted like old friends. ‘Letter From America’, an astonishing song that only becomes more insistent and idiosyncratic with age, is met with palpable excitement, and the band smash it out of the park here with the song given a more epic feel by the depth and quality of the instrumentation. It’s some song.
Charlie and Craig Reid have always been fiercely proud and protective of their Scottish roots, specifically Edinburgh, and that is never more obvious than on the one-two punch of ‘Streets of Edinburgh’ and ‘Sunshine on Leith’. The two tracks compliment each other perfectly and hearing them back to back you can almost imagine standing atop Arthur’s Seat and gazing out at Edinburgh Castle. The latter song, always a favourite of mine and the soundtrack to many a drunken evening, has become almost like a hymn or even a kind of national anthem itself. Although that’s not quite right. It’s not just about loving where you’re from, it’s about nurturing it, being thankful for it, ensuring that it’ll still be there for others to love and enjoy in the future. It’s a beautiful song performed beautifully. No wonder it’s been turned into a terrace anthem.
After finding time to dedicate a song to Sheffield legend Paul Heation, the band close out the first part of the set with three classic, upbeat singles that get everyone in the vast hall up on their feet. ‘Then I Met You’ is a breathless long song with driving guitar and typically lovelorn lyrics, ‘I’m On My Way’ is a track that is impossible not to succumb to with its call and response verses and massive chorus and ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ is such a pop behemoth that it’s transcended The Proclaimers to become one of those songs that is woven into the fabric of the UK music scene. It’s a song that I would skip under normal circumstances, only because of over saturation, but seeing it performed live, there is no doubting it’s visceral power. Pure pop perfection.
After a short break, the band return to the stage for ‘Make My Heart Fly’ and ‘The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues’, the latter of which features an absolutely incredible drum solo from longtime drummer Clive Jenner and some sterling keyboard work from Steven Christie. Despite the fact that both men are far from spring chickens, they can still rock as well or better as any other live band currently on the circuit. While that statement might seem hyperbolic, seriously, go see them live or find some stuff on YouTube. The musicianship on show here is truly mesmerising.
And with that, the Reid brothers make their bows and leave the stage. Despite the band being well into their fourth decade now, they show no signs of slowing down. Quite simply, one of the UK’s finest indie rock bands.
Comments are closed.