The Proclaimers

Last week I went to see the Proclaimers in Seattle at the Tractor Tavern.  If you're on this side of the pond, you may have heard of them as the group that did "500 miles" (Benny & Joon) or "I'm on my way" (Shrek).  If you're on the other, but not Scotland, you've probably also heard of "Letter from America".  They're good songs, but they miss so much of what the group does.

This is the third time I've seen them live: once in Rothes hall in Glenrothes, Fife; twice in Seattle: the Crocodile Café about a year and a half ago, and the Tractor Tavern last week.  The Reid brothers seem to prefer small venues, and give a great performance.  In all three, the crowd was heavily laced with serious fans -- not quite a Scots version of Parrotheads, but getting there.  It made for a wonderful atmosphere, pretty much a singalong.  I just wish the Seattle shows had had more of the stories about the songs that the Glenrothes one did.

For those of you who don't know them, they're unabashedly Scots.  They've done little to moderate their accent, and wear their views on Scottish independence openly.  They're seriously anti-stylish.  They're also a very fun band, with their two US hits being pretty typical.  For an American ear, it may take time to get through the accents to get to the lyrics, but they're worth it.  (Ok, I lived in Fife for over 8 years, so I had _lots_ of practice)

What I love about their work are their lyrics, and how they juxtapose with the tunes. 

I really like the way they can capture ideas in sound and words.  My favorite start-the-day song of theirs is "Joyful Kilmarnock Blues"; on the latest album they have a song about growing old and eventually dying called "Some more to go" that has a refrain that captures the theme twice over, and there's a very happy sounding song on the same album called "DIY" -- but take a look at the lyrics :).  And finally, there are the drinking songs …

They also have a whole set of political songs.  These can be priceless -- "Throw the 'R' away" is a reaction to being told that they needed to learn a more moderate accent to sell; "Cap in Hand" is pretty much just what it says on the tin; "A land fit for zeros" is one of the most cutting songs about New Labour that I've heard; and "Everybody's a victim" is just classic.

If you haven't listened to them, do go check them out.