CONCERT & FESTIVAL IMAGES |
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- 2012 - |
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CAMBRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL SATURDAY 28th JULY 2012 [3] |
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The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid. They are probably best known for the songs "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", "I'm On My Way" and "Letter from America". This was the first time I had got to see them live. The brothers are fans of Hibernian Football Club, and "Sunshine on Leith" has become a club anthem, being played at home matches for important fixtures, such as the Edinburgh derby versus Heart of Midlothian FC, the club's city rivals. They are also 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. However in April 2007 Charlie Reid announced that he had switched his allegiance to the Scottish Socialist Party in protest at the Scottish National Party's receipt of funding from big business. Many of their songs reflect their political views, such as "Letter from America" and "Cap in Hand". 1990 saw a Europe wide top 10 hit with the classic song King Of The Road. Despite the brothers forming the core of the band, they are surrounded by a number of excellent musicians, whose names I failed to identify on Internet. The Proclaimers are: Charlie Reid vocals/guitar, Graig Reid vocals, Steve Christie keyboard, Zac Ware lead guitar, Clivie Jenner drums and Gary John Kane bass. Whilst not likely to win any prizes in the fashion stakes (who cares anyway), the bar was raised somewhat with the appearance on stage of the classically trained violinist, Erica Nockalls, also a member of The Wonderstuff, during the rendition of the melancholy ballad "Sunshine on Leith". The Proclaimers certainly got the house rocking though. With my love of more progressive forms of rock, I might not rush out and buy their records, though I would expect my elder brothers to take a liking to them. I suspect The Proclaimers may remind them of some of the bands of yesteryear. They have been compared to the Everly Brothers. Considering their energetic, melodic folk-rock, the comparison made some sense, even though the Proclaimers didn't really sound like the Everlys. Instead, the band was a post-punk pop band, aggressively displaying their thick accents on sweet, infectiously melodic songs about love, politics, and life in Scotland. The lead guitarist Zac Ware drew my attention, delivering tight riffs with gusto and punch. I wasn't expecting to enjoy them as much as I did. |
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The Proclaimers |
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Craig Reid (vocals, percussion) |
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Charlie Reid - vocals, acoustic guitar |
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Zac Ware - lead guiter |
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Gary John Kane - bass guiter |
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Erica Knockalls - violin & fiddle |
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[Photos taken using a Nikon Coolpix S10 and in some cases, Nikon D100] |
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