The Pogues - The Very Best of the Pogues

The Pogues bring their Celtic punk blend to O2 Academy Birmingham on 3 December 2026. Formed in early-80s London around Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer, the band fused traditional Irish melodies with punk drive and plainspoken rock songwriting. Red Roses for Me set the tone; Rum Sodomy & the Lash, produced by Elvis Costello, fixed the balance between rough ballads, traditionals and originals. If I Should Fall from Grace with God widened the palette and introduced collaborations with Kirsty MacColl. Across later chapters and albums like Peace and Love, Hell’s Ditch, Waiting for Herb and Pogue Mahone, the catalogue grew into sets that swing from reels and waltzes to rattling stompers.

The Very Best of The Pogues digs into that songbook: streetwise stories, bittersweet slow burns and rowdy tunes carried by tin whistle, banjo and accordion over a tight rhythm section. Expect a focused run through the tracks that defined their folk-rock DNA, revisited in Birmingham without frills and straight to the point.