The Proclaimers, The Hydro, Glasgow, review WIth the big glasses, the Arran jumpers and the un-Americanised accents, The Proclaimers seemed a novelty act to many when they first hit the charts in the late 1980s. But anyone laughing too hard to listen will have missed out on the work of two of the most passionate and astute songwriters of their generation. They articulated the yearning and rage of love and politics, set it to soul-inspired rhythms and gravity-defying harmonies of wicked invention, and created a sound that was completely their own. Though their reputation still rests on their glorious first two albums their latest, 2012"s Like Comedy, is something of a return to form. In a lively, affectionate show peppered with dedications to audience members read from scraps of paper, only some of The Proclaimers's enviable store of anthems and weepies got the treatment they deserved. Nobody there is likely ever to hear anything to match the poise and dignity of the chorus of "Sean," while an injection of unironic fervour gave the once-comical "Let's Get Married" a welcome serious edge. But in other songs there was a hint of briskness, almost as if The Proclaimers themselves didn't believe that they were sitting on a musical treasure trove. "Cap In Hand," performed in Glasgow a year before the independence referendum, should have been an epiphanic rallying call; "500 Miles" should have broken the rafters on Glasgow's newest venue; the more recent "After You're Gone" should have stilled the hall with its dignified secular spirituality. But none did; these stunning songs were hamstrung by an almost dismissive air that shortchanged them. The Proclaimers failed, sometimes, to have faith that their audiences were willing to be bent and manipulated by the wonder of great songs beautifully played. Too many were too fast and too loud and played by a small band that didn't have the dynamic range to do them real justice. Everything sounded good, but more of it should have sounded great. Still, some songs soared. "The Light" was a simple hymn suspended between the taut wires of the twins" unwavering voices; the harmonies in "Sky Takes The Soul" were needly, tense and dramatic, and "Joyful Kilmarnock Blues" exploded with defiant energy. In these moments The Proclaimers lived up to the immense promise of their writing. Their audiences believe in them - they should return the compliment.