In the age of blowdried boybands there's something heartening about the sight of two bespectacled, denim-clad, nerdy-looking Scottish twins taking on the charts with nothing except a couple of guitars and a set of rousing folk songs. It's been seven years since the Proclaimers' last album but Persevere shows the Reid brothers in sterling form - particularly in their hard-edged compositions about Scottish nationalism, which pack a heavy political punch. Played with honesty and passion, this album represents a very welcome return for two of music's most unlikely heroes.
