The Pogues on record are never short of inspirational, and in person, they might be a life-changing experience. This hackle-raising blend of traditional Irish folk music, politically charged broadsides and electric rock ‘n’ roll, delivered by charismatic frontman Shane MacGowan flanked by a grizzled band of veterans that includes penny-whistle virtuoso/alternate vocalist Spider Stacy, was formed in the King’s Cross district of north London in 1982. Despite occasional time off for good behavior, they’ve been playing ever since and have a handful of festival dates planned for this summer. Here’s hoping it lasts for at least another 10 years. We are proud to say that Stacy, who is currently appearing as a street musician in season two of HBO’s Treme, will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new Q&A with him.
Stacy: Anyone who thinks I’m going to sit here and write an exhaustive, repetitively over-detailed hagiography about Cleveland’s greatest (sorry, Dead Boys, you were pretty fucking ace as well) is wrong. I’m going to stick with Pere Ubu‘s Datapanik In The Year Zero and The Modern Dance. There has been so much half-baked drivel written about this band during their 40-odd year tenure at the forefront of whatever the fuck it is they’re at the forefront of that I’m reluctant to add to it, but with these two records, I’m on safe ground because they speak for themselves. You should really just buy them (or whatever) and listen, because all I’m going to come up with lazy journalistic fall-backs like urban alienation, isolation and the slow decay of the human spirit. But that would be bollocks, because the songs on these records are full of love and hope. (Except for “30 Seconds Over Tokyo,” which consists of more than six minutes of increasing claustrophobic nightmare in the flak-torn cockpit of a B25 bomber.) “Heaven” is one of the sweetest love songs ever written, and British harpy journalist Julie Burchill once said that the Runaways should cover “Non-Alignment Pact,” an idea of Promethean inspiration.
Videos after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1SF73Xk6AE
