O2 Academy, Leeds 1st May 2025
There are some events where I know exactly where I was and what I was doing when they happened. One of those was hearing The Pogues on the radio. I was gobsmacked and bought the first album on cassette the next day. When the second came out it seemed like more of the same but it wasn’t. The songs were, if anything, richer and deeper. That album was ‘Rum, Sodomy and the Lash’ and this is the fortieth anniversary of its release, with a Pogues tour to celebrate.
There are people that will tell you The Pogues died with Shane MacGowan or when he was sacked but that isn’t true. McGowan was an utterly exceptional writer in the early days but the two times I saw him perform (with the Pogues, then The Popes), the performance was a little dull till he was drunk, glorious for ten heavenly minutes, then a shambles of tottering delerium. Tonight is a celebration of those amazing songs, performed by the core three original Pogues amongst a huge band and it feels great right the way through. These songs are not all MacGowans – many of the best-known Pogues songs are traditional or from the folk tradition, or even instrumentals, all turned into Pogues songs by a golden touch.
The band keeps changing between eight and twelve people, coming and going, with Spider Stacy leading proceedings and a rotating cast of singers. Hiding in plain sight is Jem Finer, on banjo and similar, while James Fearnley is a very visible component with his ever-moving accordion. Providing the core sound, the stage sees three drum kits, mics all over the place, auto-harp, harp,, bass and all sort, with of course the signature penny whistle of Spider Stacy.
This is a gig where everyone knows all the words to all the songs, even over a two hour period, the songs are that good. All the drunk men punch the air as they sing along and, as I move to the back (the Leeds Academy is a horribly crowded venue) it doesn’t matter how well I hear the stage, the atmosphere is packed with singing. When Dirty Old Town strikes up, the crowd sing the first two lines of Ewan MacColl’s song before Lisa even gets started.
Vocals are strong and often female. Iona Zajac, harpist, steps up and asks “are there any good men here tonight?….. no” before launching into I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day. She gets the ever-frenetic traditional song, Poor Paddy Works On The Railway, later, too. Elsewhere, Nadine Shah provides attitude and poise to a number of songs but Lisa O’Neill’s slightly plaintive voice cuts through most effectively, making Dirty Old Town and Rainy Night In Soho highlights. It is all highlights though, even in the joy of spotting which songs get the response – the crowd loves the jigs but the ballads see an emotional outpouring of song from grizzled old blokes.
Spider is clearly enjoying himself and jokes around with the band, at one point introducing Nadine, Lisa and Iona, singing backing vocals on London Girl, as “The Punkettes”. As the only sober person in the building, I was enjoying it more than The Pogues the first time round. Yes; it’s a crappy venue, over-full with drunk men, but the spirit was warm, everyone was friendly and there was a loose confidence and happiness in the band that helped us cherish the precious songbook. With a couple of lengthy encores, the band still couldn’t bring themselves to leave the stage and resorted to repeating Sally MacLennane to wrap things up.
This was a massive nostalgia hit but also a rare example of a community sing-song, led by the people who made the music.