Trams can ensure The Proclaimers’ shows are not just one weekend wonders for Leith - Brian Ferguson

Leith is now one of Scotland’s best-connected places by public transport

It was a surreal experience in so many ways to experience the ultimate homecoming for The Proclaimers in Leith at the weekend.

Craig and Charlie Reid will forever be linked with their birthplace and not just because of Sunshine on Leith, that tear-jerking anthem that has long been adapted by fans of Hibernian Football Club.

It is almost 35 years since the release of the album of the same name, which firmly established them as major players after breakthrough hit Letter From America the previous year.

The Proclaimers played two sold out gigs at Leith Links at the weekend. Picture: Calum Buchan

When their two Leith Links shows were announced before Christmas, my first question for their publicist was when they last staged a concert in Leith, only to be told there was no record of them having done so. But it is also important to reflect on the fact The Proclaimers and promoters Regular Music have put Leith Links firmly back on the cultural map of Edinburgh.

You have to go back to the 1980s and 1990s, when Leith Links regularly played host to the hit Fringe shows Archaos and the Circus of Horrors, for anything remotely on the scale of the weekend's concerts.

Since then, Leith has undergone a remarkable transformation, thanks to its thriving and constantly evolving food and drink businesses. Yet it is hugely frustrating there are only a handful of modest venues offering regular live entertainment – and one of them, Leith Depot, had to campaign to head off a property developer’s demolition plans.

Hopes of bigger and better things to come rest with the council owned-Leith Theatre, a remarkable venue that any city would be proud to have and cherish, but which is not in good enough condition, or equipped with the right facilities, to regularly host concerts.

The Proclaimers played two sold out gigs at Leith Links at the weekend.

Even the Edinburgh International Festival, which has far greater resources than any other event in Scotland, has declined to return this year due to the costs involved.

While many of those who packed into the Leith Links big top were clearly diehard devotees of the Reid brothers and the event was hugely symbolic for The Proclaimers, there will be no shortage of attendees wondering whether such events could become a regular occurrence there.

Crucially, Leith Links is expansive enough to cater for a huge pop-up venue without having to restrict access to the whole park. And at a time when event organisers are under growing scrutiny over their environmental impact, it is also worth pointing out Leith has suddenly become one of the best-connected places in Scotland by public transport thanks to the long-awaited opening of its tram line just in time for fans of The Proclaimers to be able to use it.

The tram is already key in getting fans to and from other sites, which are suddenly attracting major music events – the Royal Highland Centre, where the Connect Festival and shows by Lewis Capaldi and The Killers will be staged this summer, and Murrayfield, which has just secured two Taylor Swift shows after playing host to Beyonce, Harry Styles and Bruce Springsteen last month.

The Proclaimers played two sold out gigs at Leith Links at the weekend.

The tram should also make the staging of events in Leith, at the Links and elsewhere, much more viable, attractive and appealing to both concert promoters and audiences, ensuring The Proclaimers’ gigs were not just one weekend wonders.