500 miles and a whole lot more for The Proclaimers
Mention The Proclaimers and people immediately think of Scotland, specs and sing-along songs.
The duo from Leith became unlikely superstars in the '80s with their raw, stomping, harmony-laiden folk tunes and overtly political lyrics.
Today, 22 years since their first hit, the identical twins are still going strong on both sides of the Atlantic and Down Under – something they put down to their work ethic.
'There's an audience for what we do because we keep coming back. You need to be persistent to build a following and we stay on the road a lot, returning to the same areas every few years,' says Charlie Reid, who is 47 and 30 minutes older than his brother Craig, on the phone from Winnipeg.
He and Craig are enjoying the sunshine in Canada at the moment, having toured there in six feet of snow before.
The brothers regularly perform in Canada, home to some of their most ardent fans. But is there a difference between Canadian, English and Scottish audiences?
Charlie says not. 'The difference in audiences is more about what night of the week it is than what nationality they are and all sorts of other factors, like whether it's an all-age gig, if there's alcohol and what sort of a venue it is – a club, a casino, a festival. They all have slightly different feels to them.'
Charlie is certainly a voice of experience when it comes to touring.
This year The Proclaimers have already toured across the outlying areas of Scotland, the East Coast of America and much of Canada. They're about to head back to the UK for a string of summer festival appearances (starting with Stokes Bay next week), before embarking on a tour of the US in September and the UK in October and November. Then it's on to Australia and New Zealand before Christmas. That's nearly 60 gigs between next Friday and December 13!
'We love touring,'says Charlie. 'The only downside is not seeing your kids.'
Charlie and his wife Carol have three children. The oldest is at university, while the youngest is still at school. Craig, meanwhile, has four children at school. The twins often try to fly their families out to visit them on tour, but say that 'outside the school holidays it's difficult'.
Last year they undertook a year-long world tour (including their fourth Glastonbury appearance) as well as writing a new album.
Notes & Rhymes, their eighth studio album, was released last month
'It's a continuation of what we've done before,' Charlie explains. 'But the last two records were a big step up for us.
'Your perspective changes as you get older. Life moves on and so does your song writing. Of course musicians develop their skills too.
'People who liked Sunshine on Leith (their second album] 20 years ago will recognise aspects of Notes & Rhymes, but the attitude and world view have developed. I would hate to think they hadn't.'
The new material seems less political and more romantic than its predecessors. Some songs sound like obvious apologies from Craig to his wife, who forgave him after he was snapped bedding a Canadian groupie.
Charlie says: 'To some degree the album is a snapshot of our lives at the moment, but at the same time the songs stand alone. They're not a documentary.'
When The Proclaimers first emerged – the epitome of anticool in style and singing in regional accents about Scotland's emigration and politics – they were a far cry from the 80s playlist staples such as Rick Astley and Sinnitta.
Having formed in 1983 and with a fervent live following in Scotland, their first big break didn't come until late '86, when they were invited to tour with The Housemartins.
In January 1987 they made a now seminal appearance on pop programme The Tube and became a overnight phenomenon, recording their debut album, This Is The Story, just over a month later and being voted NME readers Best New Band that year.
The rest is cult pop music history, but highlights from the last few years include Sunshine On Leith being turned into an award-winning musical and their appearance on Family Guy, which Charlie calls 'a real honour'. There are also plans in the pipeline for a similar cartoon cameo on The Simpsons.
You know you're a superstar when you're invited to appear on shows like these, but Charlie readily admits that their fame is mostly down to cult.
'We're distinctive. It might not sell huge numbers of records or tickets, but it keeps us in peoples minds.'
What won The Proclaimers a place in our minds, and hearts, is the fact that, though they are distinctive, they are not gimmicky. The twins produce honest songs about issues they believe in.
And they do a lot for charity.
'Politically, I've always had a bit of a problem with charity,' explains Charlie.
'It's a substitute for taking real action. But if you can give people clean water or stop starvation, you can't say I'd rather wait for the government, you do what you can. It's an obligation
'Maybe you give a donation, maybe you get a little bit more involved. In our position it's a compliment to be asked to get involved and I believe that if you're asked to help then you should.'
It was their charity work that got The Proclaimers their first ever UK number one, nearly 20 years after the song was first released.
In March 2007 they topped the singles chart with a rousing new rendition of their classic anthem I'm Going to Be (500 Miles) – a collaboration with comedians Peter Kay and Matt Lucas for Comic Relief.
Following in the steps of Kay's previous Comic Relief chart-topper, Is This The Way To Amarillo (which took the Tony Christie classic to number one nearly 35 years after its release), 500 Miles raised over a million pounds for the charity.
It didn't do The Proclaimers any harm either. That year sales of their 2002 Best Of collection soared beyond platinum and they sold more gig tickets in Scotland than any other act.
Charlie recalls:'It was great. 500 Miles had been a successful song in 1988 – big but not huge. But it grew over the years and took on a life of its own all over the world.
'Then in 2007 it rebuilt itself in peoples consciousness.'
Charlie explains the appeal of his iconic song in simple terms: 'It's a singalong thing.
'If you have one song like that in your career you're very lucky. It's financed the rest of our career,' he continues.
Part of The Proclaimers' appeal can be put down to their genes. Their vocal harmonies are undoubtedly enhanced by their twin voices' similarity, and Charlie believes he and his brother share a special bond as identical twins.
He recalls an incident when they were teenagers: 'Craig was taken in for questioning by the police because he and his friends had been in the area when a bus shelter was broken (it wasn't them). I didn't know about it until the next day, but that night I dreamed that I was in a police car.
'I'm not religious or superstitious. I'm extremely sceptical and it's hardly pure telepathy, but it's interesting. 'When twins are separated they still end up doing similar things. There's definitely something in the genes that's about more than just the way you look.'
Will the Reid twins ever consider separating and going solo?
Charlie says it's a possibility: 'I wouldn't say I wouldn't, but it doesn't come up because were so devoted to what we do. If one of us didn't want to do it anymore, maybe the other would go solo.'
There's certainly no hint of that yet. The brothers are still going strong. Having played at the Kings Theatre, the Wedgewood Rooms and the Guildhall, they are looking forward to returning to Portsmouth for Stokes Bay Festival next week.
'The best thing about festivals is that you can win new people over,' says Charlie.
'Most people at festivals don't go to see one act, unless it's something huge like Bruce Springsteen. Most people just go along to the event knowing two or three and open to seeing it all.
'If you put in a good performance, people will turn out when you come back to do your own show.
Charlie thinks the Stokes Bay crowd will enjoy their performance: 'We're the kind of band that suits festivals,' he explains.
'The upbeat thing we do goes down well at festivals, where people are out to have a good time.'
The Proclaimers are headlining Stokes Bay Festival on Friday, July 31. Adult tickets cost 30 for the day or 100 for the weekend. For more information and to book, see stokesbayfestival.co.uk. You can also catch the duo at Southampton Guildhall October 17. Tickets cost 22.50 from (023) 8063 2601.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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