The Pogues formed in London in 1982 around Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy, and Jem Finer, wiring traditional Irish folk to punk energy and more or less inventing folk punk. Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985) and If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988) — home of Fairytale of New York — are the essentials. Find The Pogues vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
The Pogues formed in London in 1982 around Shane MacGowan (born Christmas Day 1957, Pembury, Kent, of Irish parents), Spider Stacy, and Jem Finer. The band's name (originally Pogue Mahone, Irish for kiss my arse) was shortened to The Pogues after the BBC refused to broadcast the original name. They are widely cited as the foundational act of the folk punk movement - combining traditional Irish folk music with punk rock energy and substance abuse and outsider lyrical content. Their 1987 Christmas duet Fairytale of New York (with Kirsty MacColl, from the 1988 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God) has become one of the most-played Christmas songs in the UK and Ireland. MacGowan struggled with substance abuse across his life, with impact on the band's touring activity. He was dismissed from the band in 1991 amid substance abuse issues but rejoined for the 2001-2014 reunion touring. He died on November 30, 2023 at age 65 from pneumonia. They were inducted into the Irish Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Their foundational influence on folk punk, Celtic rock, and broader contemporary alternative music is widely cited.
The Pogues's sound is foundational to folk punk as a recognized genre - combining folk punk, Celtic rock, Irish folk, punk rock, traditional Irish music, and alternative rock with MacGowan's distinctive vocal delivery (slurred drunken approach), virtuosic traditional Irish instrumental work (accordion, banjo, mandolin, tin whistle), and lyrical content addressing London-Irish immigrant experience, substance abuse, romance, history, and broader Irish diaspora themes drawing on Irish literary and folk traditions.
Stiff Records and Pogue Mahone Records pressings of the Pogues catalog are foundational items in folk punk collecting. Multiple anniversary editions (particularly the 30th anniversary edition of If I Should Fall from Grace with God), audiophile reissues, and the comprehensive Warner Bros.
Listeners new to The Pogues typically start with If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988) or Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985).
