Craig Reid of The Proclaimers talks to TIM HUGHES about hitting the big time, their proudest moments and what’s coming up as they prepare to play the O2 Academy

THEY’VE had a string of hits, travelled the world and have celebrity fans by the score – but fame sits uneasily with twins Craig and Charlie Reid.

The Proclaimers remain a pair of down-to-earth Scots who can’t quite believe their luck.

“When we started we were just happy to be off the dole,” says Craig.

“I’d been out of work for six years and honestly didn’t know what to do. We couldn’t believe we could make a living playing music. We just thought that if we could get a record deal it would be perfect, so to have a couple of hits down the years has been a bonus. I’m glad to still be doing it.”

Craig talks as he sings; tough and unflinching while still polite. He gives off an aura of no-nonsense born of an unglamorous background and an earlier career as a hardened punk rocker. But while he is clearly not one for pleasantries or small talk, he is thoughtful and considered – answering my questions with carefully chosen words.

“Being discovered was half the battle for us,” he goes on. “We were lucky. There were a whole lot of people in our position in the 1980s, and most of them didn’t make it.”

The band were spotted after being chosen by The Housemartins to join them on tour. Then an appearance on Channel 4 chart programme The Tube. Their debut Letter from America reached Number 3 and their album This is the Story went gold.

So what, I wonder, has been his proudest moment? “Hearing myself on the radio for the first time,” he says. “And then having a hit in America. But coming back in 2001 after a long time off was the best thing we’ve ever done.”

The twins are now getting stuck into their biggest ever UK tour, lasting six weeks – a measure of their enduring popularity – despite Craig’s modesty.

Next Thursday they arrive in Oxford, where fans will be treated to songs from across their nine-album career – from instant classics like I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), I’m On My Way, Sunshine on Leith and Letter from America up to tunes from their latest LP, last year’s Like Comedy.

“After 25 years it’s great to still have an audience,” he says.

“We have had a couple of periods off and when we came back we didn’t know if our audience would be there – but they were.”

So to what do they attribute their longevity as a live act? “Honesty,” he says. “All we have done is put over what we think in music and have not copied anyone else. “We just do what we do as honestly as we can. Many people don’t like it, many don’t care either way, and a few understand it.

“You’ll hear songs which vary in emotion, and which cover different subject matter, but it’s all honest. I don’t like people who are cynical in any art form. It doesn’t sit with me. “You’ve got to write the words and music you actually believe.”

There is also, of course, their unique image – those strapping lookalike brothers with thick-framed specs, tight jeans and broad Lothian accents. Even if they’d never sung a word, people would’ve taken notice.

“I think we were distinctive, whether you like us or not.” Craig agrees. “People didn’t mistake us for anyone else. And some people quite liked what we did.”

Craig – the oldest of the twins by all of half-an-hour – still lives in Edinburgh, despite the temptation of warmer climes.

A lifelong footie fan, he also still makes time to cheer along his beloved ‘Hibs’ (Hibernian FC – for whom Sunshine on Leith is the club anthem) alongside his old pals.

“We’ve seen the best of the world over 25 years, but I like staying here,” he says. “My family are here and I like the people here and the pace of life. It’s a great city. People come up to us and they are okay.”

And, I can’t resist asking, do they ever get mixed up? “Yes, but I don’t mind. Being twins we have both grown up with it. After all, we are identical twins, so do look fairly similar.

“And even though we’ve been accused of playing tricks on people, we never have!”

So what is he most proud of? “Doing it the way we wanted to do it,” he says. “And not compromising.”

As you might expect, writing duties are shared between the twins – though not quite evenly; Craig admits to writing more than his brother. “We both write the words and music,” he says. “And once we’ve got one we play it over again, changing key and tempo. But there is always only two of us on guitar and piano.”

Where they are supported, however, is in the studio. Their list of producers is impressive by anyone’s standards, including the likes of Gerry Rafferty, Edwyn Collins, Chris Kimsey and, for their breakthrough, Sunshine on Leith, Pete Wingfield.

And what is Craig’s favourite song? “Sunshine on Leith,” he says without hesitation. “I don’t know why; it’s just a strong song which comes with some hard core production.”

One of their biggest fans, Little Britain star Matt Lucas, meanwhile, recently volunteered his own services to produce a video for their single Spinning Around In The Air – which featured the brothers, in drag, and 50 other people celebrating a drunken golden wedding anniversary in a bungalow in Glasgow.

The pair’s songs are now also being immortalised in a stage musical Sunshine On Leith, which follows the lives of two soldiers returning home from Afghanistan. A film is due out next year – though the brothers have had little to do with either.

“All we’ve done is lend our songs,” says Craig. “It’s about getting our songs used in a different context and reaching new people.”

They are fitting tributes to an enduring act. But for all their success, Craig’s humbleness comes through.

“Only two or three of our songs are known by the general public,” he says. “We still want to build our audience and get better at what we do. It’s not about selling records; we’ve already done that. We just want to write better songs and do better shows.

“After all, we’ve got the best job in the world and never want to stop.”

  • The Proclaimers play the O2 Academy Oxford next Thursday. Tickets are £24.50 from ticketweb.co.uk