Sunday Herald: "Pantomime of past glories"

[johnfoyle]

Here's why I will not be seeing The Pogues
Dublin show next Thursday ( quiet apart from it being
in the dreadful Point venue) -

http://www.sundayherald.com/46688

Pantomime of past glories

Roots By Sue Wilson


APART from a week-long mini-reunion in 2001, this is
the first time Shane MacGowan has appeared with The
Pogues since their parting of the ways (awash on a
tsunami of sake) in Japan thirteen years ago.
That much in itself was enough to guarantee full
houses at their two Glasgow gigs last week, the
opening dates of a 10-day UK and Ireland tour. As well
as last month’s rerelease of all seven Pogues albums,
newly remastered and garnished with extra tracks, the
other main selling-point of these Christmas shows is
the reformation of the complete early line-up,
including original bassist Cait O’Riordan, who left in
1986 after marrying Elvis Costello.

Sadly, the band’s actual performance can’t quite live
up to expectations. The Pogues’ music was never about
subtlety or finesse, of course, but at their best the
battered beauty of MacGowan’s songwriting and his
bare-knuckle delivery were matched by a
correspondingly fierce, defiantly joyful spirit in his
comrades’ musicianship.

Here, for the most part, they sound like a reasonably
competent Pogues tribute band who aren’t trying all
that hard, pounding away through the hits – Old Main
Drag, A Pair Of Brown Eyes, Turkish Song Of The
Damned, Rocky Road To Dublin – as MacGowan continues
to amaze and delight the faithful by managing to
remain more or less upright onstage.

You can barely make out what he’s singing (even less
so when he talks), but then that hardly matters when
the entire venue has been transformed into a giant
Pogues karaoke machine. A friend who’d been a fellow
devotee back in the glory days drew a better analogy:
a Pogues pantomime, with stock script, standard
characters, familiar singalongs and showers of lager
and Guinness instead of sweeties.

Judging this as an ordinary gig, in any case, is an
irrelevant exercise. Nostalgia, needless to say, is an
almost palpable presence in the hall, as manifested
alternatively by guys in Celtic shirts getting far too
ratted to remember anything about the night’s
proceedings, and in the tremendously potent pangs
stirred even by substandard reprises of Dirty Old
Town, Thousands Are Sailing and Rainy Night In Soho.

O’Riordan earns a touchingly warm welcome when she
steps up for A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day, while the
distribution of leaflets campaigning for restitution
over Kirsty MacColl’s death is another poignant
reminder of the Pogues’ original heart and soul.
Despite the nonstop onslaught on the bar, and the
bouncers’ swift dispatch of a few over-unruly souls
into the night, the mood is overwhelmingly
good-humoured – unlike that of a previous Glasgow
show, perhaps MacGowan’s last in the city before his
departure, when a Union Jack was torched amid the
crowd at the SECC.

In contrast, as with MacGowan’s every outing nowadays,
this one is an unquestioning celebration on the
audience’s part – primarily of the fact that he’s
still, miraculously, alive, and nominally performing.
At the same time, though, there’s something creepy or
macabre about the anti-messianic myth that continues
to pack out MacGowan’s gigs, beyond the ever-present
possibility that each one could be his last. It’s
almost like the religious fetishisation of saints’
bones and other relics – only here with the added
fascination that the dead man’s still walking.

Musically, though, the all-vintage personnel can’t
conceal the dearth of present substance: treat
yourself to the remastered albums for Christmas, and
honour them as they were.

19 December 2004

[Guest]

Yawn ....

Only the gullible trust journalists. Go and make your own mind up.

[Guest]

how can people possibly criticise last night ive seen the pogues 3 time shane once and that was equal best with the reunion show at the academy 3 years ago. have pretty much lost my voice met some great new friends and got invited for xmas lunch to a strangers house !!!! i think his wife might object
danced like a fool and cnat remember a gig with such a great atmosphere and so many people smiling i can only presume the bad reviews on this site are from non or part time fans who were sat at teh back of the arena instead of with the true faithful standing at the front
shane was on fine form and really singing well in his style if you were expecting pavarotti well then you were in teh wrong venue, the band played tight and the setlist as last reunion perfect all this and the delectable cait back on board and singing fine respect to the saw doctors too, the snow at the end of fairytale was great fun !!!
conclusion the pogues live are as ever a great show,this music is passionate music and if you dont come to enjoy yourself stay at home i think the people who didnt enjoy it dont really know the pogues repertoire or get shane at all to be honest i think his stage persona is part of his facade and if you studied his facial expressions he was just teasing the bloody crowd
roll on next tour but dont leave it 3 years this time !!

[Guest]

Ever heard of punctuation and sentences ???

[Guest]

maybe you might understand perfect grammar and typingwas not 1st on my mind when i decided to write that post, i was very infuriated by the poor reviews of last night. Sarcasm is a mighty when used well shame you failed all your exams and lost your sense of humour if your genes ever allowed you any !

[Guest]

ah bugger my typing has gone to pot even more now and i havent even had a drink all day !!!