The Proclaimers - Sunshine On Leith (2LP) - White & Green Marble Vinyl

Sunshine on Leith finds The Proclaimers stepping out of the stripped back, busker-on-the-barricades sound of their debut and into a fuller, warmer band setup that suits them beautifully. The Reid twins had already proved they could floor you with just voices and guitars, but in 1988 they teamed with producer Pete Wingfield on Chrysalis and built something sturdier around those harmonies. The result is a record that still feels homemade at heart, just now with drum thump, organ swell and a touch of brass giving their songs more lift.

Most people come in through I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles). Fair enough. It is the singalong to end all singalongs, an ode to devotion that barrels forward like a pub at last orders. It had a second life in 1993 thanks to Benny & Joon, landing them high on the US charts and turning the duo into unlikely global heroes. But the hit is only one part of the story here. Then I Met You is taut and bright, all chiming guitars and open-hearted vows. I’m On My Way is grinning and stompy, a tune that later popped up in Shrek and introduced the pair to an entire new generation. And those are just the obvious ones.

The title track is the real spine-tingler. Sunshine on Leith is a hymn for hard times, a love song to a person and a place, sung with that unvarnished Edinburgh burr that has always been the band’s secret weapon. The slow rise of organ and strings makes it feel like a Sunday service in a tiny kirk, and when the chorus opens up, you get why Hibernian fans adopted it as their anthem. If you have ever watched the clips from their 2016 Scottish Cup win, you know how powerful it is when thousands sing it back to the sky.

What makes the record stick is the balance. The brothers write with plainspoken clarity, so when they lean into politics or pride, as on Cap in Hand, it lands without bluster. When they go tender, it never turns syrupy. Their voices carry the weight. There is a touch of country-soul in the arrangements, a bit of Celtic lilt in the melodies, and a steady beat that keeps the songs moving. You can hear the shift from the bare-bones feel of This Is the Story to an outfit that still prizes directness, just now dressed in colours that let each chorus bloom.

It is easy to forget how rare it was, in the late 80s, to hear such strong accents on mainstream radio. The Proclaimers never sanded theirs down. That choice gives the album a grounded charm and a sense of place that a lot of era-mates lack. You know exactly where these songs come from, and you believe every line. That’s a big part of why Sunshine on Leith has kept its footing while many slicker records from 1988 have dated.

On vinyl the album really comes alive. The low-end thud on I’m On My Way and the organ on Sunshine on Leith breathe better with a bit of room, and the harmonies sit just above the guitars in a way digital often flattens. If you stumble across a clean Sunshine on Leith vinyl in a Melbourne record store, do not hesitate. It is also one of the easier entries if you want to buy The Proclaimers records online, and it pairs nicely with their debut if you are building a little shelf of The Proclaimers albums on vinyl. New pressings sound solid, but an original The Proclaimers vinyl pressing on Chrysalis has a lovely warmth. For anyone browsing vinyl records Australia, this is a title that earns its space.

The album’s legacy goes beyond the big singalongs. It seeded a stage musical, Sunshine on Leith, which debuted in 2007 and later became a well-loved film, proof that the songs were sturdy enough to hold a whole story. It kept their best qualities intact as trends shifted around them, and it quietly set the template for their career. Melodic, honest, proudly local yet built to travel. You can hum the hooks on first play, then keep finding little turns of phrase and pockets of feeling on the tenth.

Three decades on, Sunshine on Leith still feels like a friend. It is the record you put on before heading out, or when you need a lift, or when you want to remember why guitars and voices, played straight and sung true, can still outlast almost anything.