Before Scottish twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid brought their unmistakable harmonies to Royal Hospital Chelsea with a 24-track set, support came from Edinburgh-born Hamish Hawk.
Describing himself as more of a diarist than an inventor, Hawk delivered songs that felt poetic, observant and instantly captivating. There were moments where the shadow of Joy Division could be felt, but the main frustration was that the audience only got to hear him once. His songs left you wanting the chance to listen again, to absorb the detail, and to better understand the ideas behind them.
Hawk also earned bonus points for closing with “The Mauritian Doubles Badminton Champion, 1973,” a song that paid homage to Sir Christopher Wren, the architect behind the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
The Proclaimers opened with new song “Knock It Down,” which proved every bit as catchy as many of the classics from their first two albums, This Is the Story and Sunshine on Leith. The warm reception to the announcement of their forthcoming album, You May Offend, due in September, suggested that the appetite for new Proclaimers material remains strong.
Coming four years after 2022’s Dentures Out, the new songs sat comfortably alongside the older favourites. In particular, the politically driven “But It Is” showed that The Proclaimers have lost none of their sharpness or conviction.
Several album title tracks featured throughout the set, including the forthcoming “You May Offend,” “Dentures Out,” “Angry Cyclist,” “Life With You,” “Born Innocent,” “Restless Soul” and, of course, “Sunshine on Leith.” The range within these songs was part of what made the evening so effective, from the antithetical lyrics and honky-tonk piano drive of “Born Innocent” to the innocent, celebratory rush of “Life With You.”
From early in the set, The Proclaimers showed their mastery of audience participation. By the third song, “There’s a Touch,” they had the crowd singing, clapping and responding with ease. They built on that connection by drawing heavily from This Is the Story and Sunshine on Leith, performing 11 songs from those first two albums and gradually lifting the audience from their seats.
“Misty Blue” underlined The Proclaimers’ gift for direct, heartfelt storytelling, while “Sunshine on Leith” carried extra melancholy with guest violinist Erica Nockalls adding emotional weight to one of their most beloved songs. Naturally, the set also included “I’m on My Way,” introduced to another generation through Shrek, and the inevitable communal explosion of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”
There is still something fascinating about the fact that, had Dexys Midnight Runners’ Kevin Rowland not funded The Proclaimers’ first demo, which was then sent to The Housemartins and led to a support slot, the world might never have received Craig and Charlie Reid in quite the same way.
With a simple black backdrop bearing “The Proclaimers” in white, and with the brothers dressed plainly in jeans and T-shirts, there was no attempt to dress the evening up as anything it was not. That humility remains central to their appeal. The Proclaimers have never sounded like a band overwhelmed by fame. At Live at Chelsea, they sounded like exactly what they have always been: honest, direct, political, melodic and deeply loved.
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