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The Pogues have announced a 40th anniversary expanded reissue of their seminal 1985 album Rum Sodomy & the Lash.

Arriving October 24th via Rhino, the new 2-cd and 2-lp vinyl editions house the original album, bonus material including B-sides, the Poguetry in Motion EP, a BBC session, and other live cuts/rough mixes. Among the previously unreleased material are live recordings of “A Pair ofr Brown Eyes” and “Sally MacLennane” from Glasgow Barrowland in December 1987, and a rough mix of the band’s version of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Do You Believe in Magic?” — a Poguetry in Motion outtake.

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Produced by Elvis Costello, Rum Sodomy & the Lash is often considered The Pogues’ masterpiece and one of the greatest Celtic rock/punk albums of all-time. Costello was initially brought in just to produce the singles, but extended his stay to produce the rest of the album.

“I saw...

The Pogues have extended their 2025 tour with their first North American dates in 13 years. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of their seminal album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, it will feature founding members James Fearnley, Jem Finer, and Spider Stacy alongside guest vocalists and musicians.

The new string of dates kicks off on September 5th in Washington, DC, with subsequent stops in Philadelphia, Toronto, New York City, and more. See The Pogues’ full touring schedule below.

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Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 4th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster and Axs.

James Fearnley, Jem Finer, and Spider Stacy shared the following statement about the tour:

“To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of our second LP, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, a veritable Super Session of musicians, a Last Waltz if you will – including the Pogues themselves, members of bands that have come after,...

Thanks to the enduring allure of “Fairytale of New York,” the spirit of the Pogues’ Shane MacGowan is in the air once more. But MacGowan’s impact and legacy were also heard onstage in Dublin last night.

At the city’s 13,000-seat 3Arena, surviving members of the Pogues commemorated the 40th anniversary of the band’s debut album, Red Roses for Me, by playing the album start to finish with an array of guests. At a show that found a new generation of Irish rockers and even one rapper paying...

Nearly a year after the death of The Pogues’ beloved frontman Shane MacGowan, the band has come back together and announced a string of 2025 tour dates, celebrating the 40th anniversary of their seminal album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash.

The tour will see founding Pogues members Spider Stacy, James Fearnley, and Jem Finer take the stage alongside “special guests” across six dates in the UK next May, marking the band’s first formal outing since their 2014 tour. Among the cities they will perform in are Birmingham, London, Manchester, and others.

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Tickets for the shows will first go on sale via venue pre-sales opening on Wednesday, November 20th at 9:30 a.m. local time. The general on-sale will then open on Friday, November 22nd, at 9:30 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.

The 2025 tour dates come in commemoration of The Pogues’ 1985 album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, which...

When Shane MacGowan died in November 2023, he left a great, big, romantic poet-shaped hole in music. Now, a year later, the late Irish songwriter’s band, the Pogues, have announced their first tour without him.

The Pogues announced Tuesday that they will play seven shows in May 2025 in the U.K., with tour stops in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, and London. The tour is timed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Pogues’ beloved 1985 album Rum Sodomy & the Lash — the record that built MacGowan’s legend as a brilliant,...

The Pogues are reissuing their Christmas classic, “Fairytale of New York,” on 7-inch vinyl to raise money for a charity supported by late singer Shane MacGowan.

All proceeds will go to Dublin Simon Community, an organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness. MacGowan frequently participated in the charity’s annual Christmas Eve Busk; his last public performance was for the 2021 Simon Busk, during which he performed “Dirty Old Town.”

The 7-inch single will feature “Fairytale of New York” on the A-side, with the instrumental of the song on the B-side. It costs roughly $12, with $7.50 from each sale going to Dublin Simon Community. Pre-orders are ongoing.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to The Pogues and Shane MacGowan’s family for their generosity in creating such a special legacy for Dublin Simon Community with this release,” Emma Kilkenny, Head of Fundraising & Communications at Dublin Simon Community, said in a statement.

Shane MacGowan’s funeral was as much of a celebration of his music as it was of the man. In the streets outside of the church, mourners joined in unison to sing some of MacGowan’s most beloved songs with The Pogues. Inside, Nick Cave gave an emotional rendition of “A Rainy Night in Soho,” and Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill teamed up for a rousing performance of “Fairytale of New York.”

Fittingly, MacGowan’s band delivered the final performance of the ceremony, as Spider Stacy led The Pogues’ surviving members in a rendition of “The Parting Glass.” It marked the band’s first time playing together since 2014.

MacGowan died on Thursday, November 30th at the age of 65 from what was later revealed to be complications from pneumonia and viral encephalitis. See further tributes to MacGowan from Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, and Bono, and read our very own Jonah Krueger...

The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan has officially been laid to rest. On Friday, December 8th, fans, friends, and collaborators alike came together to honor the Irish icon’s life and legacy with a moving funeral in Dublin. Outside the St Mary’s of the Rosary Church where the ceremony was held, though, another touching tribute was taking place: mourners took to the streets of Dublin to sing MacGowan’s songs.

As captured in videos posted on social media, fans who had been waiting on the streets to see MacGowan’s funeral procession pass stuck around, which led to an impromptu jam session. Musicians equipped with banjos, harmonicas, and tin whistles led the arrangements, as the chorus of Dubliners sang songs like “Dirty Old Town” and the Pogues Christmas masterpiece, “Fairytale of New York.”

In a testament to the boundary-breaking appeal and strikingly resonant nature of MacGowan’s songs, the crowd...

Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill performed during the funeral of Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan on Friday, December 8th, singing the band’s 1987 hit “Fairytale of New York.”

MacGowan wrote “Fairytale of New York” with his Pogues bandmate Jem Finer, and their original recording also features Kirsty MacColl on vocals. In addition to becoming perhaps the band’s best-known single, it’s also become a Christmas mainstay, keeping its hold on the UK charts every year around the season.

Backed by members of The Pogues, Hansard and O’Neill gave a faithful rendition of “Fairytale of New York,” even getting audience members to stand up and dance in the aisles. Watch an emotional video of the moment below.

Elsewhere during MacGowan’s funeral, Spider Stacy led The Pogues in a performance of “The Parting Glass,” and Nick Cave gave an emotional rendition of “A Rainy Night in Soho.” And as funeral procession made its way through Dublin,...

Thousands of mourners converged on St. Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Ireland, on Friday to pay their respects to the late Pogues frontman, Shane MacGowan. MacGowan died of complications from pneumonia on Nov. 30.

Those in attendance included Nick Cave, Johnny Depp, Bob Geldof, and Ireland’s President, Michael D. Higgins, according to Sky News. MacGowan’s sister, Siobhan MacGowan, told the congregation that her brother’s veins had run “with Irish blood.”

Cave performed the Pogues song “A Rainy Night in Soho” at the service. His face looked emotional,...

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The fashion world lost yet another iconThursday when Vivienne Westwood, who was one of the original architects of punk fashion, died at 81.

Westwood’s fashion brand shared the sad news of her death on social media, writing that she died “peacefully and surrounded by her family” in South London.

“Vivienne continued to do the things she loved, up until the last moment, designing, working on her art, writing her book, and changing the world for the better,” the Instagram caption read. “She led an amazing life. Her innovation and impact over the last 60 years has been immense and will continue into the future.”

Shortly after the news, celebrities from all across the spectrum — from fashion to music and entertainment — took to social media to pay tribute to the rule-breaking fashion designer, who rose to fame alongside the Sex Pistols in the 1970s.

Juliette Lewis...

Darryl Hunt, the longtime bassist and occasional songwriter for the legendary Anglo-Irish punk outfit the Pogues, died Monday, Aug. 8. He was 72.

The Pogues confirmed Hunt’s death on Instagram Tuesday, Aug. 9, writing “We are saddened beyond words. Our Darryl passed away yesterday afternoon in London.” No cause of death was given.

A line from one of the songs Hunt wrote for the Pogues, “Love You ’Till the End,” was also included in the post: “I know you want to hear me catch my breath/I love you till the end.

Writing the biography of the man best known for marrying traditional Irish music with British punk — a sound once described by concertina player Noel Hill of the band Planxty as a “terrible abortion” of Irish music — was never going to be easy. To further complicate the matter, Shane MacGowan’s hatred of interviews is almost as notorious as his long and sophisticated affair with drugs and alcohol. Such is punk.

When it comes to the story of MacGowan’s life, it has never been about “just the facts.” However, an attempt has now been made.

Bruce Springsteen, Bob Weir and Lucinda Williams will help celebrate Joe Strummer’s birthday during a special livestream tribute/charity event August 21st, starting at 3 p.m. Et.

A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer was organized and produced by NYC musician/bar owner Jesse Malin, radio DJ Jeff Raspe and Strummer estate manager David Zonshine. The two-hour show will stream for free on Strummer’s website and YouTube page, and all donations collected will benefit Save Our Stages, an organization helping independent venues during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I wrote the song “Shane” for my latest album Sunset Kids while we were taking a break from recording, and producers Lucinda Williams and Tom Overby were back out on the road. We filmed a video with director Joseph Quever running all over Dublin to capture some of Shane’s old haunts, but the song came to me after a trip I’d taken to Dublin to sing at Shane MacGowan’s 60th birthday. Nobody really though that this mythical punk rock poet who was born on Christmas day would ever live this long…...

Christmas is filled with traditions, from roasted turkeys and overfeeding, to rubbish television and a collective of hideous jumpers being worn by the masses. A slightly alternative tradition to these, yet one that is just as, if not more important is The Pogues’ annual set of festive gigs. For years now The Pogues have performed in major cities throughout the UK to sold out crowds in the weeks up to Christmas. The reason for specifically choosing these dates could be for many reasons, such as trying to create a sense of unity among the crowd as they approach the season of goodwill, to help people through the cold nights… or perhaps and this seems likely, because Fairytale Of New York has made Shane MacGowan (Lead Singer) and the rest of the band a ridiculous sum of money.

For those somehow unfamiliar with the band, The Pogues are an Irish punk...