|
The Pogues
| |
|
Miami Vice Performer
|
|
|
Members
|
Shane MacGowan (1957-2023, lead vocals)
Spider Stacy (born 1958, tin whistle) James Fearnley (born 1954, accordion) Jem Finer (born 1955, banjo) Cait O'Riordan (born 1965, bass, vocals) Andrew Ranken (born 1953, drums) Philip Chevron (1957-2013, guitar, mandolin) |
|
Active
|
1982-1996
2001-2014 |
The Pogues were a Celtic punk band from London, whose song "Wild Cats of Kilkenny" (in "When Irish Eyes Are Crying") appeared in the TV show Miami Vice.
Career[]
The beginnings of the band date back to 1977 when vocalist Shane McGowan, tin whistle player Peter "Spider" Stacy, and Jem Fimer (banjo) met and formed the band The Milwall Chainsaws later in the 70s. Accordion player James Fearnley joined the band in 1982 and the name changed to Pogue Mahone (Gaelic for "kiss my arse"). The new band played many London clubs, then added Bassist Cait O'Riordan and drummer Andrew Ranken, and released their first single, "Dark Streets of London". Their live performances caught the attention of another English band, The Clash, and they toured together in 1984, after shortening their name to The Pogues. They released their first album, Red Roses for Me in 1984, with one of the tracks, "Waxie's Dargle", gaining notoriety for a video of the song showing Stacy repeatedly hitting his head with a beer tray. Elvis Costello assisted the band on their next album release, Run Sodomy and the Lash (featuring "Wild Cats of Kilkenny"), during which guitarist Philip Chevron joined the group. In 1986, Costello ended up marrying O'Riordan (a marriage that lasted until 2002) and she left the band, replaced by Darryl Hunt.
The Pogues released five more albums between 1988-1996, then broke up due to the unreliability of MacGowan and the departure of Finer, as well as the songs becoming more political in nature and going in a direction some members of the band did not agree with. In 2001 the band reunited and while they did not release any new studio albums, they did make occasional tours and appearances. Philip Chevron died of cancer in 2013, and the band's last appearances were in Europe in 2014. MacGowan passed away in 2023 from encephalitis at the age of 65.