The Pogues have announced Christmas dates for end of the year in the UK and Ireland. Of course the media is considering this tour “The Farewell Tour.” For anyone that loves the band and knows the band, everyone should realize that every Pogues tour is considered a “Farewell Tour.” You have to treat every show like it’s the last time you’re seeing them. I know that’s the way I approach their shows. They play select dates, take time off, and then play again. So take that “Farewell” shit with a grain of salt.
You can read all about the details on the Pogues’ forum, and comments from Phil Chevron and Spider Stacy about it.
With that stuff said, the Xmas tour is something they have been doing for the last few years now and it’s a great time! I’ve done the Xmas shows twice over in London. It would certainly be nice to see the Pogues again this Spring but I’m happy I got a chance to see them over 5 times now.
The tour dates so far:
Dec 13, 2010 – Glasgow, O2 Academy
Dec 14, 2010 – Newcastle, O2 Academy
Dec 16, 2010 – Sheffield, O2 Academy
Dec 17, 2010 – Manchester, Apollo
Dec 18, 2010 – Birmingham, O2 Academy
Dec 20, 2010 – Brixton, O2 Academy
Dec 21, 2010 – Brixton, O2 Academy(Ireland dates still being confirmed)
In the meantime, if you live in Ireland you can see Shane MacGowan performing with friends on a few dates this month. First, he has a new band that consists of Shane, Joey Cashman, John “Sarge” O’Hara, Jack Dublin and Paul Byrne (not to be mistaken for Paul Byrne who occasionally writes for this site). The other shows are with Sharon Shannon, who Shane has performed with on numerous occasions. Definitely worth checking out!
11 Sep 2010 – Glenroe Harvest Festival, Co.Limerick (with Sharon Shannon)
17 Sep 2010 – Summit Inn, Howth (new band!)
18 Sep 2010 – Navan Live! Navan, Co. Meath (with Sharon Shannon, Damien Dempsey)
23 Sep 2010 – Arthurs Day, Gypsy Rose, 5 Aston Quay, Dublin (new band!)
1 Oct 2010 – Beamish Cork Folk Festival, Savoy Theatre, Cork (with Sharon Shannon)
You can get more details at the Pogues.com forum here