The Pogues still raw, still powerful, still worth it
by Liam Dempsey | April 10, 2026 9:04 am
There’s always a bit of hesitation when a band like The Pogues comes back around, especially without Shane MacGowan. For many, his voice and presence was the band. So heading into this 40th anniversary tour of Rum, Sodomy & the Lash, there was a fair question: does this still work?
Short answer, absolutely yes. Just not in the way you might expect.
This isn’t a nostalgia act trying to recreate something that can’t be replaced. The Pogues have leaned into what they are now, and it works. With Spider Stacy, James Fearnley and Jem Finer still driving things, the foundation is solid. Around that, they’ve built something a bit looser, a bit broader, and in many ways more musical.
The sound is still unmistakably Pogues. Raw, chaotic, Irish punk energy. But there’s more depth to it live now. Extra instrumentation, different textures, and a rotating lineup of vocalists add a new dimension without losing the grit.
From the opening burst of The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a tidy, polished run-through. It still has that slightly unhinged edge, the thing that made The Pogues great in the first place.
Lisa O’Neill and Iona Zajac play a big part in that. Rather than trying to fill Shane’s shoes, they take the music in their own direction. O’Neill brings a raw, almost weathered emotional weight to the big ballads, you feel every word, while Zajac adds something quite different, a haunting Celtic layer with her vocals and harp that gives the whole show a quieter, more atmospheric backbone at times.
John Francis Flynn also stands out. He carries a lot of the night, vocals, instruments, presence, and does it in a way that respects the material without trying to imitate it. That’s key. No one’s trying to be Shane, and that’s exactly why it works.
The energy in the room steps up again during The Irish Rover. Any gap between the band and the crowd disappears. It just becomes one big singalong, everyone fully in it.
The standout moment of the night is And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. Stripped back, honest, and given space to breathe, it lands exactly how it should.
What this tour really shows is that The Pogues haven’t tried to preserve the past, they’ve let it evolve. And in doing so, they’ve kept the spirit of it intact.
For those who wondered whether it was worth seeing, it definitely is. Different, yes. But still powerful, still authentic, and still very much The Pogues. A night not to be missed.
MurrayDempsey
Final night is on Saturday 11 April in Auckland, limited tickets available HERE or go to www.mellenevents.com.au
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/the-pogues-still-raw-still-powerful-still-worth-it/