Now, two years since the death of frontman Shane MacGowan, the Pogues‘ original members Spider Stacy, James Fearnley, and Jem Finer reunite for the 40th Anniversary of the band’s second album ‘Rum Sodomy & the Lash’ with a run of dates throughout North America, featuring special guest vocalists and musicians.
The tour, the band’s first in 13 years, will kick off on September 5 in Washington, D.C. and run through September 17, and also include a stop headlining the Seísun Festival in Boston, alongside Dropkick Murphys, the Hold Steady, Glen Hansard, Stiff Little Fingers, the Waterboys, and more.
Joining the Pogues on tour are a line of special guest vocalists, including Daragh Lynch, Iona Zajac, John Francis Flynn, Lisa O’Neill, and Nadine Shah, along with musicians Holly Mullineaux on bass), banjoist Jordan O’Leary, Fiachra Meek on pipes andwhistles, drummer Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds), The Pretenders’ guitarist James Walbourne, and a brass section featuring Pete Fraser, Daniel Hayes, and Ian Williamson.
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Lynch and Zajac, along with John Francis Flynn, will also play harp, guitar, and other instruments during the shows, with additional special guests expected to show up along the way.
“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, such as Lankum, featuring such incomparable artists as Lisa O’Neill and John Francis Flynn, not to mention from the Bad Seeds—will gather to rekindle the music on the record with a new fire,” said Fearnley, Finer, and Stacy in a joint statement.
For the tour, the band will play the entirety of the album, including iconic tracks, including the band’s cover of Ewan MacColl’s “Dirty Old Town,” “A Pair of Brown Eyes,” and ‘Rainy Night in Soho,” along with B-sides and a selection of some of the band’s other well-known songs.
Along with their North American dates in the fall, the Pogues are also playing a series of dates in England from May 1 through 7.
Released in 1985 and produced by Elvis Costello, Rum Sodomy & the Lash followed the band’s 1984 debut Red Roses for Me and delivered unequivocal poetic punk powered by MacGowan’s grit and elegiac storylines.
When released, the album went to No. 13 on the UK chart, and the “The Old Main Drag” also appeared in the 1991 Gus Van Sant drama My Own Private Idaho starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix.
“We’re looking forward not just to raising a glass or two but also to raising the roof with our fans and friends, old and new,” added Finer, Stacy, and Fearnley of the tour, “to celebrate the music we’ve made and the alliances we’ve formed over the years.”
The Pogues ‘Rum Sodomy & the Lash’ 40th Anniversary Tour Dates:
September 5 – Washington, DC – Lincoln Theater
September 7 – Boston, MA – Seisíun Festival
September 8 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hal
September 10 – Toronto, ON – History
September 12 – Montreal, QC – MTelus
September 16 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
September 17 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
Main Photo: The Pogues at 3Arena, December 17, 2024, by Glen Bollard
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