Tonight one thing is clearly apparent; there’s an omnipresent vibe of merriment and punters intent on having a jig and a good time. The Pogues inspire and incite a kind of party atmosphere and wild abandonment from their loyal fans and tonight is no exception. For those not fortunate enough to have seen the band when they were last in Oz over twenty years ago, it may be the last opportunity to witness a band that brought Irish folk music to the fore and made it popular.
Barons of Tang have been described as “Gypsy Deathcore”, and watching them it is clear why they are the perfect choice to support “The Pogues”. One drummer, one percussionist, a double bass player, a saxophonist, accordion player, guitarist and oboe player produce frenetic gypsy music drawing from a deep folk tradition, much like the Irish folk music that the Pogues have drawn from. The energy they exude is infectious, spilling out into the audience who are being primed for their Irish darlings.
Comments from male members of the audience precluding the Pogues appearance include: “Shane Macgowan gives me a hard on. The man gives me wood”. Based on this it seems that Shane represents a hero or anti-hero of sorts in the minds of his audience. He may be an old drunk that his fans can relate to but despite his inebriation, this is a man who wrote a prolific amount of songs for the Pogues before he was booted out for being unreliable. For those longing to take a look at Shane’s trademark pearlers, the shards of pointy teeth are gone, and some incredible looking dental work has taken their place.
As the lights darken, a single stool with 3 full glasses of gin (not iced water) indicate Shane’s stage rider. Shane shuffles onto stage to loud cries and screams and his banter is incoherent, but when the band launch into “Streams of Whiskey” something magical happens, you can understand almost every word, and the grog has done nothing to damage his vocal chords, and dampen his passion for music. The Pogues give the impression they sort of haphazardly play together but their look belies their ability, the eight members on stage are all accomplished musicians, thrashing out those punk folk numbers with aplomb. Founding members Shane, Peter ‘Spider’ Stacey on tin whistle, Jem Finer on banjo and James Frearnley on accordion, along with drummer Andrew Ranken, guitarist and mandolinist, Terry Woods and bassist Darryl Hunt are having as much fun as the throng.
The fast pace doesn’t abate, and their high energy musical hi jinx are in full force, belting out such classics as “A Pair Of Brown Eyes”, “Tuesday Morning”, the classic tune that resonates with the Aussies “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”, the melancholic “Dirty Old Town” and, in Shane’s decipherable words “a silly old love song”, “Kitty”, making way for two encores that include “Rainy Night In Soho” , “Irish Rover” and “Poor Paddy”. They end on a musical high with “Fiesta”, featuring Spider hitting his head with an oven tray in tune with the music, and Shane sculling some wine from the bottle at the song’s conclusion.
For all their drunken debauchery, The Pogues still have what it takes to entertain the masses, drawing from an extensive catalogue of well known and loved tunes. A fun night was had by all.
– Anna Megalogenis
