The Pogues

The Pogues bring their Irish-British Celtic punk to O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, on 15 December 2026. Formed in early-80s London around Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer, the band fused traditional Irish music with punk energy and tight rock songwriting, first making noise on the local circuit before committing their sound to Red Roses for Me (1984) and Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985), produced by Elvis Costello. Those records set a blueprint of rough-edged ballads, reworked traditionals and original tunes that carry as much bite as melancholy.

With If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988), their folk rock palette widened again, notably through collaborations with Kirsty MacColl. Lineups evolved through the 1990s with albums like Peace and Love, Hell’s Ditch, Waiting for Herb and Pogue Mahone, followed by breaks and reunion tours that refocused on the celtic punk core. On stage, The Pogues move easily between barroom waltzes, rattling reels and hard-stomp rockers, a set built on storytelling, swing and the unmistakable snap of their London-Irish roots.