The Proclaimers: What Offends Us—and Why We Never Look Back (#297)

The Proclaimers have never been interested in becoming a nostalgia act. Craig and Charlie Reid join Mark Millar on the XS Noize Podcast to discuss what still drives—and offends—them nearly 40 years after This Is the Story. The brothers explore their uncompromising 13th studio album, You May Offend, whether people have become easier to offend and the political anger running through the record. They also reveal the stories behind "But It Is" and "The Grooming" and consider whether political songs can still change minds. Craig and Charlie explain how their songwriting partnership continues to work after four decades, why they have never worried about being fashionable, and what it was like recording at Rockfield Studios with producer Dave Eringa and James Dean Bradfield. The conversation also covers the dangers of nostalgia, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" passing one billion streams, and what happens when songs such as "500 Miles" and "Sunshine on Leith" take on lives of their own. Finally, they reflect on what they can write about in their sixties that the young men who made This Is the Story could never have understood. You May Offend is released on 4 September via Cooking Vinyl. The XS Noize Podcast is hosted and produced by Mark Millar.