THE PROCLAIMERS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
Since emerging with their debut album This is the Story in 1987, The Proclaimers have carved a niche for themselves where pop, folk, new wave and punk collide as the emotional honesty, political fire, wit and sing-along raucousness of their songs has entertained fans across the world. Amongst their many accolades they have enjoyed Gold and Platinum singles and albums in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Their 13th studio album You May Offend offers 12 new tracks and marks the first album from brothers Craig and Charlie Reid since 2022’s hugely acclaimed Denture’s Out. Written in Edinburgh and recorded at Monmouth’s legendary Rockfield Studios with producer Dave Eringa, their crack live band – Steven Christie (keyboards), Garry John Kane (bass), Zac Ware (guitars) and Clive Jenner (drums) – and frequent guest guitarist, Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield.
The result is an album digging into the issues and feelings that matter to them. As with the title track, and first single, a lament for the state of free speech, with Charlie approving of the fact that the title can be taken two ways: “As in: ‘Look, careful what you do, you may offend someone.’ Or: ‘OK children, you may now offend.’ Is it an instruction or an invitation? Or a warning?”
The heart of the album is a beautiful Proclaimers ballad in the grand tradition (if not sentiment) of, yes, ‘Sunshine on Leith’. ‘The Grooming’ is a stately, hymnal meditation on the militarisation of Britain’s children from adolescence.
There are more playful moments on ‘Easy Rhyme’, which motors along with a Baba O’Reilly synth pulse, on a song of witty word play, “‘Dowdy daughters drain the Duchess of good marriage hopes’ and ‘nauseating Northern Britons dress in tartan trews’”. Whilst, there’s more trenchant imagery in the ‘There’s No Plan’, a charging, surging number propelled by hammering piano, critiquing the cluelessness of the country and the fact that nobody in power takes any responsibility for their actions.
Arguably, the most significant track on the album is ‘But It Is’. Received rapturously at recent gigs, the song is about the impotence and the hypocrisy of Western countries, not just Britain, and how lecturing the rest of the world about democracy, about freedom, about rights in the past may have been more acceptable when the West was on top, but no longer.
Meanwhile, no sooner out of the studio, this month saw the start of a seven-month, 61 date tour for the band, which continues in July.
The Proclaimers of 2026 are fast, funny, furious, and You May Offend is emphatically, bracingly and brilliantly done. The Proclaimers have never sounded so vital.
You May Offend is released on 11 September.
Pre-order: https://proclaimers.lnk.to/youmayoffend
Main photo by Chris McCluskie.