Proclaimers

The Proclaimers are a Scottish music duo composed of twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid (born 5 March 1962). They are best known for their songs "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", "Sunshine on Leith", "I'm On My Way", and "Letter from America", and for their singing style with a Scottish accent. The band tours extensively throughout the world. They have released 11 studio albums since 1987 (the latest being Angry Cyclist, August 2018), as well as three compilation albums and a DVD.

History
The Proclaimers performing in De Panne in 2010

Career
Craig Reid and Charles Reid were born in Leith on 5 March 1962, and grew up in Edinburgh, Cornwall and Auchtermuchty. When they lived in Auchtermuchty they attended Bell Baxter High School. After several punk rock bands at school they formed the Proclaimers in 1983.

The pair came to public attention when an Inverness-based fan sent their demo to the English band the Housemartins, who were impressed enough to invite them on their 1986 United Kingdom tour. The exposure of the tour won the Proclaimers a January 1987 appearance on the British pop music television programme The Tube on Channel Four;[1] "Letter from America" peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart[2] while the album This Is the Story went gold.[3] The follow-up album Sunshine on Leith featured the singles "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", which went to number one in Australia[4] and New Zealand,[5] and "I'm On My Way".[2] They had a hit with their EP King of the Road,[6] which reached number nine in the UK in 1990.[2] "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" belatedly peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1993,[7] after appearing in the movie Benny & Joon, becoming their only chart single in the United States.[6] After seven low-profile years, they released their comeback album Persevere in 2001.[6]

In March 2007, they recorded a new version of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" with television comedy characters Andy Pipkin (played by Matt Lucas) and Brian Potter (Peter Kay) for the Comic Relief charity. A long list of celebrities were featured in the music video for this new version, including David Bellamy, Rod, Jane and Freddy, Paul O'Grady, David Tennant, Frank Sidebottom, Ronnie Corbett, and many more. This new version of the song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.[2]

In 2008, the cast and crew of Doctor Who filmed a video of the song to mark the departure of David Tennant as The Doctor. He claims to be The Proclaimers "biggest fan" and they made a cameo appearance in the video. As the video was shot during production of the last episode that David Tennant appeared in, it featured many of the guest stars and companions who appeared throughout his tenure.

A stage musical entitled Sunshine on Leith, featuring their songs, was created in 2007 for Dundee Rep and adapted as a feature film in 2013 bearing the same title.[8]

The band was one of the B-52s' touring partners on their Funplex tour in Australia and New Zealand in November 2009, alongside Mental as Anything.[9]

They featured in VH1's 100 greatest one hit wonders, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" having been their only US hit single.[10]

Their latest album, Angry Cyclist, was released in August 2018.

Activism
The Reids are well-known supporters of Scottish independence and have, at various stages of their lives, been activists for the Scottish National Party, expressing such views during their promotional tour of Britain in March 2007.[11]

On 16 May 2006, the twins announced their participation in a campaign to free a fellow Scot, Kenny Richey, from his death row sentence in Ohio, United States, including an appearance at a charity concert.[12] In December 2007, Kenny Richey accepted a plea bargain, which led to his release from death row and return to Scotland on 9 January 2008.[13] Also, in March 2010 they participated with Billy Bragg in a show at the Electric Palace, Bridport, supporting Reprieve, a charity that seeks to end the use of the death penalty.[14]

Influences
The band's Craig Reid has acknowledged 1970s punk rock as a major influence,[15] citing The Clash, The Jam, The Damned, and the Sex Pistols as inspirational.[15][16] On the punk influence, Stuff New Zealand remarked that punk bands galvanized the Proclaimers into making "whatever music they liked, in their own way, using their own accents."[16] Other notable influences included 1960s music, such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and The Kinks,[15] as well as later acts like Dexys Midnight Runners and Bruce Springsteen.[15][17]

Style
Described by Timothy Monger of AllMusic as a "charismatic amalgam", The Proclaimers' style of music incorporates elements of country,[17][16] folk,[17][16] punk rock, rock,[17] rockabilly[16] and soul.[17] Stylistically, the band have been typified as alternative folk,[17] alternative rock,[18] celtic pop,[19] country folk,[20] folk rock,[21] and post-punk.[22]

The vocals in The Proclaimers' music are characterized by thick Scottish accents.[17] Describing this to The Courier in 2018, the band's Craig Reid commented "it was a conscious thing, because we were singing about where we live, our experiences and it just felt stupid to sing in an English or American accent".[23]

Impact and influence
Many bands and artists have cited The Proclaimers as an influence or inspiration, including The Balconies,[24] Barenaked Ladies[25] Belle and Sebastian,[17] Camera Obscura,[17] The Concretes,[17] Jens Lekman,[17] Sondre Lerche,[17] Lonely Dear,[17] Oppenheimer, Peter Bjorn and John[17] and The Weepies.[17]

Recalling feeling an immediate kinship with the band after discovering This Is The Story, Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies commented "[the album] was perfect for us because it was exactly what we were; two guys with acoustic guitars, singing in harmony. It had all the energy of punk rock but just with acoustic guitars and voices".[25]

EPs[edit]

 * 1) 17 (promotional acoustic EP) (2009)