POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Proclaimers: Power of Positive Thinking

It must take a lot to discourage Craig and Charlie Reid, the Scottish twins who bill themselves as the Proclaimers.

Their celebrity from last year’s surprise “Benny & Joon”-fueled hit of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” has already evaporated and their show Friday was downsized from the 2,200-seat Wiltern Theatre, where it had been originally scheduled, to the 500-capacity Troubadour.

But the Reids--whose songs are deep testimonials to hard-earned spiritual and romantic faith--didn’t seem the least bit downhearted.

With a core of vociferously loyal fans cheering them on, the bespectacled pair and a four-piece band reveled in the spirited scene, delivering a hard-to-resist set of songs marked by both soaring hearts and melodies powered by a devotion to Elvis Presley.

The songs were presented with a cheerful determination that marks the power of positive thinking, Proclaimers style.

Cheerfulness also helped elevate the opening set of the Greenberry Woods above the Baltimore quartet’s obvious Beatles-Cheap Trick reference points. But it wasn’t quite enough to give the well-intentioned young group an original spin on an old, oft-recycled sound.