The Pogues have paid tribute to late frontman Shane MacGowan saying his “spirit lives on” as they prepare to perform second album Rum, Sodomy & The Lash in full for its 40th anniversary next year. The new run of gigs come after the group marked the 40th anniversary of their debut album Red Roses For Me with a series of UK shows earlier this year, with six performances now planned to honour their second LP in May 2025. Advertisement Banjo player Jem Finer told the PA news agency MacGowan was “irreplaceable” but said his essence had been “flowing through” guest singers in recent concerts.
The Pogues’ lead singer Shane MacGowan who died in 2023 (Joel Ryan/PA) The British-born Irish singer died in November 2023, aged 65. Advertisement Speaking about his influence on their return, the 69-year-old, who co-wrote the band’s Christmas number two Fairytale Of New York, told PA: “A lot of the music he wrote, and most of it he sang, even if he didn’t write it. “He’s an irreplaceable person, but somehow his spirit lives on in these people, in working with these other singers, it’s kind of like flowing through them, so he’s very much there, very celebratory and beautifully respectful.
“It’s a spiritual thing without being contrived at all, which if it hadn’t worked like that, we wouldn’t be doing this amazing thing that blossomed into one concert and another and has led to that uncontrivable thing.” One final performance of the first record is planned .