The final concert Shane MacGowan ever played with The Pogues
The late Shane MacGowan was one of the most distinctive musicians the world has ever known. Fusing a lifelong predilection for Irish folk traditions and an overall modernistic outlook, with The Pogues, he established himself as an elemental songwriter. He could evoke profound emotional moments whilst providing incisive cultural commentaries.
While the other Pogues members, such as Jem Finer and James Fearnley, were vital to the machine, most would agree that MacGowan was the band. They wouldn’t have had the edge that made them such a cultural force without his drunken crooning through his toothless jaws and darkly comic poetry. Whether it be their rendition of the classic ‘Dirty Old Town’ or the original ‘A Pair of Brown Eyes’, he coloured everything the band pulled together, which was remarkable, given that it was often done under the influence.
Famously, MacGowan was kicked out of the band in 1991 when they were at the peak of their powers. Despite having two top-five albums in the United Kingdom at the time, If I Should Fall from Grace with God and Peace and Love, MacGowan’s libertine lifestyle started to spill over into band activities. Increasingly unreliable, he failed to show for the opening dates for their 1988 American tour and prevented them from promoting the 1990 album Hell’s Ditch. After a disastrous performance at Japan’s WOMAD Festival in 1991, he was relieved of his duties. Joe Strummer of The Clash would temporarily take his place.
However, in 2001, the band reunited with MacGowan and reformed for a Christmas tour. Following its success, they played nine shows in the UK and Ireland in December 2004. They then continued to play live until 2014. Their last performance to date, and the final one with their iconic frontman, was at the Fête du bruit dans Landerneau Festival in France.
Playing a career-spanning set that opened with ‘Streams of Whiskey’ and concluded with the fan favourite ‘Fiesta’, it was still a resounding performance despite old wounds reopening within the group and MacGowan’s evidently deteriorating health.
When asked about the future of The Pogues, speaking to Vice in 2015, MacGowan explained that they had called it a day once more. He said: “I went back with [The] Pogues and we grew to hate each other all over again.”
MacGowan added: “I don’t hate the band at all – they’re friends. I like them a lot. We were friends for years before we joined the band. We just got a bit sick of each other. We’re friends as long as we don’t tour together. I’ve done a hell of a lot of touring. I’ve had enough of it”.
Watch footage of MacGowan’s last-ever show with The Pogues below.
