Proclaimers - Interview
by Nick Dent-Robinson
published: 6 / 11 / 2019

intro
Craig Reid from bestselling acoustic duo the Proclaimers talks to Nick Dent-Robinson about their touring and the surprising influence of the Rolling Stones on their music.
They were a denim-wearing, bespectacled pair of twins from Auchtermuchty in the depths of Scotland armed with battered acoustic guitars and booming Scottish voices. So maybe not the most likely of British rock stars. But, almost four decades after their emergence on to the international music scene, audiences still can't get enough of The Proclaimers. Amongst all the glitter and gaudy neon of the early 1980’s pop scene, Craig and Charlie Reid couldn't have looked more out of place. But their simple honesty, harmonies and powerful song-writing quickly endeared them to the nation – and to many the way they belted out their debut ‘Letter from America’ on BBC TV's ‘Top of the Pops’ or Channel 4's ‘The Tube’ was a total revelation....a stark reminder of how raw talent can be so refreshing and exciting. People still love them to this day. Prior to a sell-out performance at Oxford's large New Theatre venue, Craig said, “We are both very proud we are still making music today and that so many people want to see us perform live. I am even prouder that we've always done things the way we wanted to and never compromised. After all these years it's just fantastic to still have big audiences. There were years when we opted out of recording new albums or touring but our audiences now are bigger than ever! And there is a real mix of ages following us too - which is so satisfying! It is important for us to keep out there, doing festivals, stage shows, everything. I quite enjoy playing theatres though – especially in the summer. It is a nice break from that wellies and sun-block routine at festivals! Though we've enjoyed playing Glastonbury as well as Oxfordshire's Cropredy and Cornbury festivals in the past.” The Proclaimers have been described as “idiosyncratically unique” - which Craig likes. But their early inspiration was from an unlikely source. “Yes, it was the Rolling Stones who inspired us,” Craig laughs. “We loved them from when we were eleven. Hearing them convinced us to be musicians. Not that either of us exactly saw ourselves as Mick Jagger! We played in different bands for years and, even when we started as the Proclaimers, recognition was slow coming. The break came after the Housemartins invited us to join them on tour. That did it. ‘Letter from America’ made Number 3 in the charts and then ‘This is the Story’ went gold. We couldn't believe our luck. Sometimes I still can't. In the early days we were dirt poor. But then with punk music we could get bookings without being great musicians and we could survive financially. We progressed from that. I was unemployed for six years. You never forget what that's like. We never compromised on what we did musically. And we never lost sight of our roots. A lot of good people we knew never made it in music - or in life. We are just so grateful for the luck we've had. To an extent you make your own luck, of course and you have to work hard and keep motivated. But I know we've been fortunate. I can't believe we inspired a musical and film - ‘Sunshine on Leith’ - and we've had success with eleven studio albums – though ‘Sunshine on Leith; remains my favourite song. It's the peak of our live shows for most of our audiences too.”
Band Links:-
https://the.proclaimers.co.uk/https://www.facebook.com/TheProclaimers/
https://twitter.com/The_Proclaimers
Picture Gallery:-


most viewed articles
current edition
Pennyblackmusic - Writers and Photographers' Albums of the Year 2024Peter Perrett - In Dreams Begin Responsibilities Interview Part One
Man From Delmonte - Interview
Clive Langer - Interview
Pennyblackmusic - Book of the Year Award 2024
Johnnie Johnstone - Interview
Marianne Faithfull - Reflections
Laura Nyro - Profile
Johny Brown - Corpse Flower
Vinyl Stories - Vinyl 2024
previous editions
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EPMichael Stuart Ware - Pegasus Epitaph: The Story of the Legendary Rock Group Love
Trudie Myerscough-Harris - Interview
Marianne Faithfull - Interview
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Henry McCullough - Interview
Beautiful South - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Peter Paul and Mary - Interview with Peter Yarrow
Marianne Faithfull - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Dorie Jackson - Stupid Says RunRingo Starr - Look Up
Beabadoobee - This is How The World Moves
Pixie Lott - Encino
Dusty Springfield - The BBC Sessions
Unthanks - In Winter
Joan Armatrading - How Did This Happen and What Does It Mean?
Rosie Lowe - Lover, Other
Oïmiakon - Comptoir Des Vanites
Emily Burns - Die Happy
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart