Photos courtesy Steve Hopson. more ›

What is left to say that hasn’t been said, written, or sung about this motley crew? Rumors of Shane MacGowan’s death have been greatly exaggerated, and 27 years on from their founding, The Pogues remain one of the rare bands that deserve to be on anyone’s “see before you die” list. The fact that we have an opportunity to witness the London troupe reunited with talisman Shane MacGowan at the helm is somewhat miraculous—after MacGowan was dismissed from the group in 1991 for his erratic and unreliable behavior, the band experimented for a brief time with Joe Strummer and then original member Spider Stacy on vocals before fizzling out temporarily in 1996. Most assumed the group would be relegated to the history books at that point, but the original members (including MacGowan, minus bass player Cait O’Riordan) reunited briefly in 2001, and since then have gradually worked their way up to playing several dates a year. more ›