Watch legendary band The Pogues reform a year after frontman Shane MacGowan’s death featuring special guest stars
THE Pogues fans have gone wild after the legendary band reunited for a special gig one year after the death of Shane MacGowan.
The rebel rousers were joined by some special guests as they reformed for a packed crowd in Dublin.
Grian Chatten, who is the lead singer of Fontaines D.C., joined the band on stage for a rendition of Streams Of Whiskey.
The Irish singer sent die-hard fans crazy as he took over the mic for the special version of The Pogues’ hit 1984 song.
Pogues founding members Jem Finer and James Fearnley, along with band mate Spider Stacy, make up the current line up of The Pogues and they looked thrilled to have Grian on stage with them.
The musicians were also accompanied by vocalists Nadine Shah, Daragh Lynch from Lankum, and John Francis Flynn on the night at Dublin’s 3Arena.
The gig had special significance as it came just over a year after the death of The Pogues’ iconic frontman Shane.
The Fairytale Of New York singer died last November aged 65 following a battle with ill health.
Shane’s devastated wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, and his family were at his bedside when he passed away.
The singer would have turned 66 on Christmas Day 2023 but had been battling viral encephalitis, which causes inflammation of the brain.
It was later confirmed he had also contracted pneumonia, which caused his death.
Victoria was at the gig in Dublin last week and hailed it as a success.
Referring to her late husband, she said: “He didn’t miss anything — he was here!”
But taking to the stage in Dublin amid the roar of a huge ovation, Victoria also admitted she had been “terrified”.
She said: “I was terrified being here. I thought I would be too emotional, I thought there might be a sense Shane not being here might be too much for me.
“But, what happened was, this gig, these guys, they did something that was so brilliant that Shane wasn’t missing at all, there was nothing missing.
“The first time that I saw The Pogues was in 1982, and they were f***ing brilliant then.
“But I’ve got to say, this is just as good. I’m not joking. It was f***ing brilliant.”
Victoria went on to tell the crowd how Shane wasn’t actually a fan of the festive season, despite being famed for fronting a Christmas anthem.
She continued: “But on a slightly more serious note, Shane was not that into Christmas, weirdly.
“I think if you want to remember Shane, please just be good to somebody that you need to, be kind to someone, give them the time of day, talk to a homeless person.
“Give them a drink! Be good to people. That’s how to remember Shane.”
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, fans were thrilled to catch a glimpse of the Pogues’ gig after a member of the crowd uploaded a clip.
One wrote: “Shane is there in spirit.”
Another added: “I absolutely love this!”
And a third said: “Yep he sang it like Shane would’ve sang it. No b******s just straight up. Great gig.”