The Pogues return for first US tour in over a decade: ‘It’s a celebration’

The reunited Pogues will launch their first tour of the U.S. in over 10 years Friday in Washington, D.C. The trek also marks the Celtic punk band’s first trip Stateside following the 2023 death of frontman Shane MacGowan; the lineup will feature original members James Fearnley, Jem Finer and Spider Stacy alongside a host of guest vocalists and musicians.

“They’re all so good, and they all bring so much,” Stacy tells ABC Audio of the onstage collaborators. “I really just can’t wait for people to see it, to hear it.”

The shows will commemorate the 40th anniversary of The Pogues’ 1985 album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash. The sets will also feature performances of songs from the 1986 Poguetry in Motion EP, which includes the classic “A Rainy Night in Soho,” and off 1984’s Red Roses for Me album.

“It’s a celebration, and it really feels like one,” Stacy says of the tour. “It’s the kind of thing that could in other circumstances fall flat on its face, but the way that everyone approaches it and the way that the audiences have reacted to it, it’s just like it’s this enormous lift. It’s really quite brilliant.” 

As for anyone who might be skeptical of a Pogues tour without MacGowan, Stacy encourages those people to still give the shows a try.

“I know it’s incumbent on me to say this, but at the same time, I really wouldn’t want anyone to miss this,” Stacy says. “Anyone who might be thinking, ‘Eh, I don’t know, there’s no Shane, blah blah blah.’ … I kind of get that, but really you’re missing out. You’re really, really missing out.” 

The reunited Pogues will launch their first tour of the U.S. in over 10 years Friday in Washington, D.C. The trek also marks the Celtic punk band’s first trip Stateside following the 2023 death of frontman Shane MacGowan; the lineup will feature original members James Fearnley, Jem Finer and Spider Stacy alongside a host of guest vocalists and musicians.

“They’re all so good, and they all bring so much,” Stacy tells ABC Audio of the onstage collaborators. “I really just can’t wait for people to see it, to hear it.”

The shows will commemorate the 40th anniversary of The Pogues’ 1985 album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash. The sets will also feature performances of songs from the 1986 Poguetry in Motion EP, which includes the classic “A Rainy Night in Soho,” and off 1984’s Red Roses for Me album.

“It’s a celebration, and it really feels like one,” Stacy says of the tour. “It’s the kind of thing that could in other circumstances fall flat on its face, but the way that everyone approaches it and the way that the audiences have reacted to it, it’s just like it’s this enormous lift. It’s really quite brilliant.” 

As for anyone who might be skeptical of a Pogues tour without MacGowan, Stacy encourages those people to still give the shows a try.

“I know it’s incumbent on me to say this, but at the same time, I really wouldn’t want anyone to miss this,” Stacy says. “Anyone who might be thinking, ‘Eh, I don’t know, there’s no Shane, blah blah blah.’ … I kind of get that, but really you’re missing out. You’re really, really missing out.”