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The Pogues | |
|---|---|
 The Pogues performing in Munich in 2011. From left to right: Philip Chevron, James Fearnley, Andrew Ranken, Shane MacGowan, Darryl Hunt, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Pogue Mahone (1982–1984) |
| Origin | King's Cross, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1982–1996, 2001–2014, 2024–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members |
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| Website | pogues.com |
The Pogues are an English or Anglo-Irish[a] Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982,[1] as Pogue Mahone, an anglicisation of the Irish phrase póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse". Initially poorly received in traditional Irish music circles—the celebrated musician Tommy Makem called them "the greatest disaster ever to hit Irish music"—the band were subsequently credited with reinvigorating the genre.[2] They later incorporated influences from other musical traditions, including jazz, flamenco, and Middle Eastern music.
Having gained a reputation for their raucous live shows, the Pogues released their first studio album, Red Roses for Me, in 1984, featuring a mix of traditional Irish songs and original compositions by MacGowan. Elvis Costello produced their second album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985), and their four-track EP Poguetry in Motion (1986). The Pogues collaborated with the Dubliners on a 1987 arrangement of the folk song "The Irish Rover", which reached number one in Ireland and number eight in the UK. Later that year, they released the Christmas single "Fairytale of New York", which reached number one in Ireland and number two in the UK. Written by MacGowan and Jem Finer and recorded as a duet with Kirsty MacColl, it remains a perennial Christmas favourite; it also features on the band's critically acclaimed and commercially successful third studio album, If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988). The Pogues recorded two more albums with MacGowan—Peace and Love (1989) and Hell's Ditch (1990)—before sacking him during a 1991 tour as his drug and alcohol dependency increasingly affected their live performances.
MacGowan went on to form a new band, Shane MacGowan and the Popes, while the Pogues continued with Joe Strummer and then longtime band member Spider Stacy as frontmen, releasing new material on Waiting for Herb (1993). They broke up following the critical and commercial failure of their seventh and last studio album, Pogue Mahone (1996).[3] The band, again including MacGowan, re-formed in late 2001. Although they recorded no new studio material after their reunion, they toured regularly in the UK and Ireland, also performing in the USA and mainland Europe. Longtime guitarist Philip Chevron died in October 2013, and the Pogues dissolved again in the summer of 2014. Longtime bassist Darryl Hunt died in August 2022 and MacGowan died in November 2023. Surviving members Stacy, Finer and James Fearnley re-formed the Pogues in 2024 and will tour the UK and Ireland in 2025.
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- ^ "Music & Nightlife | Music Preview | The Pogues". Metroactive.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ^ Phillips, Matt (30 November 2023). "Shane MacGowan, Songwriter Who Fused Punk and Irish Rebellion, Is Dead at 65". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ "The Pogues". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.