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Shane MacGowan had already been elevated to near mythical status within the British Press since his exile from The Pogues. Musically, he produced nothing other than a few forgettable albums with “Shane MacGowan & The Popes”; but in the eyes of the public he was still the toothless Irish master of the ballad, who could out drink a fish and still make it on stage for a gig - in a wheelbarrow if need be! The Press have been claiming that he’s only had a few months left for about twenty years, so naturally when The Pogues reunited, I saw this as a great opportunity to see Shane before he dies. As the 11th of December approached I anticipated seeing The Pogues in the flesh - complete with Shane MacGowan - for the second year in a row. The Christmas tour was coming back to Glasgow.
After a pub lunch which conveniently lasted the six hours until the gig was starting, we made our way to the Carling Academy. Unfortunately, we arrived in time for the support act. The Holloways are one of the latest waves in a sea of sub-par indie bands and nothing about their set surprised me. They were garishly dressed in a half-baked bohemian fashion, one of the two front men [that’s right they have two front men, gosh aren’t they just like The Libertines?] was even wearing a funny hat - how could the music community not appreciate them!? The set itself was uninspired, they remained stationary for the majority of the gig as they churned out song after song. The only jolt in an otherwise boring set was when they played their single, “Generator”, which received a warm reception from the more impressionable elements of the crowd. I remained unimpressed. The highlight of The Holloways set, for me, was when they were drunkenly heckled by my mate Andy.
The Pogues were delivered after a short wait. Shane strode on stage [last year he hobbled] and, as you can imagine, the crowd erupted with enthusiasm when he flashed us a gummy grin and took his place at the microphone. The set kicked off and the Carling Academy was as alive as I’d ever seen it; despite a long hiatus The Pogues still managed to deliver the raw energy of a punk concert whilst retaining the atmosphere of a cèilidh.
So the booze-soaked band played to the booze-soaked audience as we danced in a wild stupor, full of Christmas spirit. With fast-paced tracks like “Sally MacLennane”, “The Boys From The County Hell” and “The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn” [which an army couldn’t have stopped me from battling down to the front row for] that had the crowd in a near moshpit, it was surprising how easily The Pogues managed to slow it down and leave us standing in awe for ballads like “Rainy Night In Soho”. They finished the set with an anarchic rendition of the catchy Spanish song “Fiesta”, which involved Spider Stacy playing a beer tray with his head and had you jigging all the way home. Yes, they also played “Fairytale Of New York”.
Shane MacGowan was on form. He wasn’t so drunk that he couldn’t hold a tune, and he was drunk enough to be at the top of his game for antics, most notably balancing a pint on his head. He once again lived up to the legend, and I’ll certainly be going to the next Christmas tour - whether they’ve recorded new material or not. My sole disappointment was that this year they never played their cover of Brendan Behan’s “The Auld Triangle”.
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Ahh drinking stories
Posted Jul 5, 2008
You can't go wrong with a story that includes 'booze-soaked'. Seriously. I always love a story that has good description, even if it is a stereotypical indie band. The article feels like it could have been read out of a local 'scene' paper. Take that as a compliment :P
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