The Proclaimers

The photo above shows some vinyl records and CDs I bought in London this summer. From bottom left, two albums by BC Camplight, which are really good I recommend to everyone, and Seduction of Ingmar Bergman by Sparks and Office Politics, a brilliant work by the Divine Comedy.

And on the top, the first three albums by the Proclaimers. I had a lot of fun browsing all sorts of vinyl records in the shop, but as soon as I laid my eyes on Reid brothers my brain told me “buy them all". Fortunately, my willpower serves me pretty well and I was able to refrain myself from buying them all (there were five).

Yes. I’m a massive fan of Scotland’s national treasure, the Proclaimers. I can’t rave about them enough to express my love for the brothers. I genuinely get furious whenever someone uses the N-word to describe them - a novelty act. No other music moves me like their simple yet strong and powerful songs do.

The very first time I saw their performance was on a late-night TV show, which is a compilation of old footage from a music programme called The Roxy. Bizarrely, they stood out so much among those glitz and glamour of acts like Siouxsie and the Banshees or Kim Wilde and I clearly remember thinking "What the hell are those guys?". They were like boys from the ‘60s.

The original footage included a tip on how to tell them apart, as "no one in the pop world can’t", only to reveal it’s the colour of their frames. Lots of people say, almost jokingly, that they can't tell which one is which, but seriously, they don’t have exactly the same face, do they? It’s more like they “dressed” the same way (and they still do).

Anyway, I don't recall what eventually made me get into to them a few years later, but this bizarre encounter happened around the time of them releasing their 11th studio album “Angry Cyclist” and songs were played on BBC radio often, so that’s probably when I recognised them.

Other than Still Game location tour, I had something else to do in Scotland. Visiting Leith and see Sunshine On Leith musical. I didn’t do much in Leith, though, with limited time before the musical starts, but it was a lovely experience, sitting on a bench at the deserted (it really was) Port of Leith and hopping on a tram, listenting to their songs. And the musical was superb.

The thing about the Proclaimers, though, they are criminally neglected in my country. There is an anecdote that indicates a degree of how little they are known - one music magazine mistakenly referred to them as “Craig and Charlie from The Jesus and Mary Chain”.

You may have heard of the word “big in Japan”. A strange phenomenon of artists or songs having huge followings particularly in this far-eastern island. The Proclaimers are quite the opposite. They are “small in Japan”. It’s interesting that even The Who fall into that category but that’s another story. So, if you wanted to go to a concert of someone like them, it’s either book a flight or give up. I sometimes wonder how on earth is it possible that obscure indie bands to end up doing shows in Japan, or even stand-up comedians who only speaks English to tour a country in which the majority of people are famously bad at English, with no subtitles offered. Maybe I’m not aware of massive fan base of those acts. They might be big in Japan, who knows, or perhaps younger artists have more chance of getting fans here. Still, it’s shocking that these legendary musicians who have been around for more than 30 years have never set their foot on this land, not even for music festivals. Bear in mind, we had Red Hot Chilli “Pipers” at Fuji Rock this year - not that I’m saying they are an obscure indie band (I love them immensely).

I’ve always wanted to see them live, and it’s quite frustrating that there seems to be nearly zero chance of seeing them locally. Then, to my greatest joy, came an annoucement that they will be touring next year for the first time in two years. I screamed and woke my neighbour.

Several dates were added in the following days, including Letterkenny Summer Sessions and Custom House Square Belfast on 15th and 16th August respectively. I felt a flurry of excitement, because in Japan, mid-August is a holiday season and I might be able to make it work for me.

I made a decision. I will fly 5,000 miles (and more) to see the Proclaimers. I’ve seen some fans moaning on the duo’s Facebook page that they would have to travel 500 miles to see them, but hey, they should consider themselves so damn lucky. 

Anyway, now the problem is, “which one?”. My initial plan was to attend both Letterkenny and Belfast, but the last thing I want to do is overscheduling. It can be tiring and might diminish the excitement. Fortunately, both tickets for are not selling as fast as Scottish dates, which sold out in a flash (a strong reminder of how difficult seeing them in Scotland is), I can still sleep on it.

But something happened, and it made me buy a ticket for Belfast gig this morning. I found out that Brògeal is going to be their support act.

                                             

Brògeal is a folk-punk band from Falkirk. They've instantly become my favourite band ever since I heard their song on the radio, and undoubtedly one of the hottest band in Scotland. There is no reason for me to miss this show.

So, Belfast is confirmed. But how about Letterkenny? Well, it will take some time to make up my mind. I’m gonna leave it for later.