Twins bring city to its feet

It seems many of these pop/rock tunes with a tinge of folk come under the foot-tapping, swaying, singing-along category. In fact, after their concert I kept remembering snippets of their music the following day.

It was a large crowd at The Guild Hall and I could feel the sense of anticipation and excitement in the air.

The support act was very good. I hadn’t heard of Pete Williams but had heard of Dexys Midnight Runners, of which he was once a member.

Pete and his band – which included a harmonica player – packed in about eight songs including Roughnecks and Roustabouts and Breathe my Love in a 40-minute set.

After a break, The Proclaimers started off with a rousing Sky Takes the Soul.

From then on it was song after song. The Proclaimers are not about fancy staging, costumes, elaborate dancing or gimmicks. Tonight was simply about the music and that was more than enough.

Everyone thinks of The Proclaimers as the twins Charlie and Craig Reid – which is true – but they also have a fantastic band with them on tour. Saying that, the talented brothers also play guitar and tambourine.

There were a couple of dedications, Let’s Get Married for those newlywed or about to, and I’m On My Way for a fan celebrating a birthday.

There were love songs (Sunshine on Leith), satirical songs (Role Model) and political songs (Cap in Hand), lively tunes and ones which were slower with heartfelt lyrics.

The popular Letter from America was sung early on but, saving the best until last, the twins sang the famous 500 Miles as the finale, which got most of the crowd up on their feet. After a standing ovation, we enjoyed two more tunes before sadly the night came to its conclusion.

Clare Kelly