The Pogues tell us about hitting the road for 40 years of ‘Rum, Sodomy & The Lash’
As they prepare to hit the road, the Celtic icons tell us about honouring late frontman Shane MacGowan and the enduring power of their most beloved album
By Nick Reilly
As The Pogues gear up for their first tour in 13 years, the Celtic punk legends have told Rolling Stone UK about their decision to hit the road for the first time since the death of Shane MacGowan.
The group confirmed earlier this week that original members James Fearnley, Jem Finer and Spider Stacy will be joined by special guests when they hit the road in 2025 to mark 40 years of their seminal album Rum, Sodomy & The Lash.
The tour will see them hit rooms steeped in Pogues history such as Glasgow’s Barrowlands and London’s O2 Academy Brixton and comes after they marked the 40th anniversary of their debut album with a show at London’s Hackney Empire earlier this year.
“That show originally started off as a very low level thing in MOTH Club in Hackney organised by Fontaines DC’s Tom Coll to mark 40 years of Red Roses,” explained Spider Stacy.
“But it sold out immediately with a huge waiting list and we then realised, ‘OK, we’re going to have to move this. Jem and James weren‘t involved at that stage, but we got them involved and it turned out to be this truly magical night in Hackney.”
The group are yet to announce guest singers for 2025’s shows, but that Hackney gig saw them rope in Nadine Shah to perform ‘The Auld Triangle’, while a follow-up date at Dublin’s 3Arena this Christmas will see the involvement of Fontaines D.C. singer Grian Chatten.
The group said there was never a discussion about whether they wished to continue without the late MacGowan, but explained that the organic process that led to the Red Roses… shows allowed it to become clear that he was there in spirit.
“That’s the amazing thing, these shows happened organically and it sort of became evident that Shane was there in spirit,” said Finer.
He added: “I don’t think we’d have ever sat down and wondered if we thought we could do some gigs. This couldn’t have happened any other way. It couldn’t have been contrived.
“But through this whole process, it’s become evident that there is this possibility of playing in a way that carries on the legacy of The Pogues with a new generation of people who have grown up loving us. The best way to pay tribute is go out there and just have these people pouring their hearts and souls into playing these songs. It makes it utterly joyful, actually.”
As for the record’s legacy, Fearnley said that fans were able to find a sense of connection with the tales of survival against the odds within it.
“A lot of the stories in the songs are about people who get shat on or are doing their best to survive. It’s an expression of the indomitability of human beings and how we can still get through the worst. There’s a lot of horrible shit going on and that’s one of the messages that comes through the the songs,” he explained.
The tour comes at a renewed time of interest in Irish music too. While republican rap trio KNEECAP are captivating audiences across the globe, there’s love for folk too. The likes of doom-laden Dubliners Lankum and the Pogues-adjacent Mary Wallopers are playing to packed houses across the globe.
“Trad music has never gone away in Ireland,” said Stacy. “Lankum of course clearly don’t particularly sound like The Pogues, but both bands have said they love us and it’s just enormously flattering to feel like we’ve had any sort of part in them ending up doing what they do. What Lankum do is really extraordinary and the Mary Wallopers are just brilliant too.”