|
I had witnessed the chaos that is the Pogues many times in the mid eighties, and have to admit to at least a little trepidation at the prospect of seeing them so many years later, in the fairly recent reconstruction of the original line-up. The perennial questions, of course, are "Will Shane turn up? Will Shane be able to Stand up? Where do you think Shane will be drinking later?". Few would argue that the often wayward Shane MacGowan has perhaps all too frequently caused the band difficulties, but it is equally true that for most of us, without Mr. MacGowan the Pogues would not be the Pogues.  Well the first impression on entering the completely rammed Shibuya Ax on a night of torrential downpour in the wake of the latest typhoon was that the Pogues sound as good as ever, and that Shane, while perhaps over the legal limit for operating heavy machinery, was in fine voice. Broad Majestic Shannon is a song perfectly suited to his growling vocals, and this song, as with just about every song in fact, was greeted with huge enthusiasm by the crowd. I would say the Pogues are as popular in Japan as anywhere on the planet.As is usual, Shane took frequent forays off the stage during the course of the gig, no doubt to recharge his batteries, but Spider Stacy was always in full control during his absence. It was during one of MacGowan's elsewhere moments that guitarist Phillip Chevron led the band into Thousands Are sailing, and again the whole sound the band were getting was superb. A Pair Of Brown Eyes is another firm favourite of mine, and the version performed tonight, once Shane had returned, was about as close to the recorded version as I've ever heard. 
Obviously by halfway through the evening the general subject of conversation was along the lines of, is he ratted, or is he just putting it on. My view was that the pace he was singing some of the lyrics at, he couldn't cope unless he was sober, and just to prove me a complete numpty, as soon as I voiced this opinion he forgot part of a verse of Bottle Of Smoke. But perhaps it was the memory of that twenty five to one win all those years ago and he just got all excited again.The set seemed to concentrate on the earlier songs, and The Sickbed Of Cuchulain towards the end of the show, was right on cue, unlike the drummer. After the haunting vocal and Mandolin intro, there is the pause for effect before the song goes totally through the roof, and Shane duly went for it, only to find he'd left the band behind. Quite an amusing moment as the band en masse pointed the finger at Andy Rankin, who was seemingly having difficulty counting to four. The second attempt got fully airborne though, as did half the audience. 
I'd heard on the grapevine that Shane had recently Joined the Babyshambles on stage in Dublin, together with Kate Moss, to do a rendition of Dirty Old Town, so when that tune had started up earlier I had been keen to see if there were any surprises in store for us. There wasn't this time, but shortly afterwards, to top off an incredible evening, Ella Finer, daughter of banjo player Jem finer, joined the band on stage to perform Fairytale Of New York. This isn't the first time father and daughter have appeared on stage, but it was a first for me and a nice touch I thought.Oh, and to settle any arguments that may have ensued in bars after the gig, like the one I was in, Dirty Old Town isn't about Dublin, it's about Salford. |
|
photos by sam
|
 mag files : The Pogues What's Katy Going To Do Next? (06/10/06 @ Shibuya AX) : review by sean, photos by samphoto report (06/10/06 @ Shibuya AX) : photos by samphoto report (06/10/05 @ Shibuya AX) : photos by makiphoto report (06/10/02 @ Osaka Namba Hatch) : photos by tommy±’‘` (05/07/27 @ Osaka Mother hall) : review by miyo, photos by makiππκAΰΑΖΰΑΖc (05/07/26 @ Shibuya AX) : review by taiki,photos by makiphoto report (05/07/26 @ Shibuya AX) : photos by maki |
|
The official site The Pogues http://www.pogues.com/ The best album  "Ultimate Collection" (ΰΥ / UK import ) |
previous works
"If I Should Fall From Grace With God" (ΰΥ / UK import )
"Rum Sodomy & the Lash" (ΰΥ / US import ) "Peace and Love" (ΰΥ / US import ) "Hell's Ditch" (ΰΥ / UK import ) "Red Roses for Me" (ΰΥ / US import ) "Ultimate Collection" (ΰΥ / US import ) DVD  "Streams of Whiskey: Live in Leysin, Switzerland" (UK import ) check the albums? |
 2006What's Katy Going To Do Next? : The Pogues (6th Oct. @ Shibuya AX)2005Flogging Molly within a mile of Ebisu Station : Flogging Molly (29th Sept.. @ Liquidroom Ebisu)Liquid Room Meltdown!!!! : Ash (11th Jul. @ Liquidroom Ebisu)Can I play another song? It won't be a long one! : Little Joe Washington & The Eastside Kings with Jungle Hop(16th June. @ Shibuya Quattro)Stapling iit Together : Jack Johnson with G.Love & Special Sauce (2nd June. @ Tokyo Kokusai Forum)2004Not just along for The Ride : Los Lobos (7th Oct. @ Liquidroom Ebisu) |