His wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, has since posted a heartfelt statement on Instagram, writing, “I don’t know how to say this so I am just going to say it. Shane who will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life and the most beautiful soul and beautiful angel and the sun and the moon and the start and end of everything that I hold dear has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese. I am blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him and to have been so endlessly and unconditionally loved by him and to have had so many years of life and love and joy and fun and laughter and so many adventures. There’s no way to describe the loss that I am feeling and the longing for just one more of his smiles that lit up my world. Thank you thank you thank you thank you for your presence in this world you made it so very bright and you gave so much joy to so many people with your heart and soul and your music. You will live in my heart forever. Rave on in the garden all wet with rain that you loved so much. You meant the world to me.”

An ever-charismatic and endearing figure, MacGowan and his renowned snarl came to represent many things during his 65 years on Earth; the nonchalant fusion of punk and poetry, Irish nationalism and pride, and, to a great many, Christmas music. “Fairytale Of New York“, indeed, remains a true December classic; will we see it take number one spot this Christmas? Above all though, MacGowan always remained true to himself, his culture, heritage and nation, and his nonconforming spirit.

Listen to “Fairytale Of New York” below:

Born in Kent to Irish immigrant parents in 1957 and growing up in various cities in the Southeast of England, MacGowan’s punk nature was evident from the start. He was allegedly expelled from secondary school for possession of narcotics and soon became enamoured with the early punk scene, experiencing his first bout of fame as he was pictured in a newspaper after being injured at a Clash gig. So inspired was MacGowan by the Pistols and the Clash he decided to join Shanne Bradley’s punk band, the Nipple Erectors.

Come 1982 and he had formed his own band, initially named Pogue Mahone (an anglicisation of the Irish phrase póg mo thóin, meaning ‘kiss my arse’). Shortened later to the Pogues, MacGowan employed his Irish identity to explore in his lyrics Irish nationalism, Irish history and the Irish diaspora in England. The Pogues’ first album, Red Roses for Me, came in 1984, followed by Rum, Sodomy & the Lash in 1985 and their most commercially successful record If I Should Fall from Grace with God in 1988.

Listen to “Dirty Old Town” below:

Notable singles from his time with the Pogues include covers of traditional Irish folk songs “Dirty Old Town” and “Irish Rover“, along with “Fairytale of New York” featuring Kirsty MacColl and “Dark Streets of London“. After leaving the band in 1991 he formed another group, Shane MacGowan and the Popes, releasing two full length LPs before re-joining the Pogues in 2001.

Listen to “Irish Rover” below:

NOW ON SALE!!
Extra UK dates…https://t.co/f4c8lw20aI
Our entire spring tour sold out very fast so book now to avoid disappointment.
See you all soon x
pic.twitter.com/AOgHFsN830

— LANKUM (@LankumDublin) June 7, 2023

The Dublin based group will return to the UK following their last visit last month in Manchester, which in turn followed the release of the band’s most recent album, False Lankum, an LP that was released on March 24th via Rough Trade Records.

Our new album FALSE LANKUM is out today.
Massive love and thanks to all of you for the support over the last few years, and to everyone involved in the making of this album.
We're immensely proud of it.
See you along the road somewhere!
❤️x pic.twitter.com/GWT9Oxupqj

— LANKUM (@LankumDublin) March 24, 2023

The group originated as a duo, consisting of brothers Ian and Darragh Lynch, and from their shared surname came the group’s original name, Lynched. The duo released their first album, Where Did We Go Wrong?!, in 2003, before being joined by Radie Peat and Cormac MacDiarmada, forming the quartet that have since released four albums and will tour the UK this winter.

The group, still known as Lynched but now a quartet, released their second album, Cold Old Fire, in 2014 to positive acclaim. By 2016 the group had decided to change their name in a bid to rid associations with the practice of lynching, landing on Lankum, from John Reilly’s folk ballad “False Lankum”, instead.

Lankum then joined Rough Trade Records, and subsequently released their third album, Between the Earth and Sky, in 2017 to widespread critical acclaim. The album was nominated for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Album of the Year, but the group had to wait until 2019 to claim the prize, as their fourth album, The Livelong Day, stole the show.

Listen to “Willow Garden“, a track off of Lankum’s third album, Between the Earth and Sky, below:

False Lankum is therefore the group’s fifth studio album, and fourth as a quartet, and will no doubt be doing most of the heavy lifting when the Dublin group visit the UK later this year.

Watch the music video for “Go Dig My Grave“, the lead single off of False Lankum, below:

The dates for the string of shows are as follows:

07/12/2023 – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
09/12 – Hangar 34 – Liverpool
10/12 – Irish Centre – Leeds
12/12 – Chalk – Brighton
13/12 – Roundhouse – London
26/01/2024 – Albert Hall – Manchester
27/01 – Boiler Shop – Newcastle
01/02 – Beacon – Bristol
03/02 – Barrowlands – Glasgow

Order Lankum’s latest album, False Lankum, here.

Perhaps known best for their tracks ‘Come On Eileen’ and ‘Geno’, Dexys Midnight Runners were formed in 1978 by ever-present lead vocalist Kevin Rowland and guitarist Kevin Archer. Inspired by punk (Both Rowland and Archer were previously in the punk band The Killjoys) and Northern Soul (indeed, the ‘Dexys’ in their name is short for Dexetrine, a stimulant popular with Northern Soul enthusiasts who used their drug-induced energy to dance all night), Dexys Midnight Runners released their first album, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, in 1980 to critical acclaim. Their second, Too-Rye-Ay, released in 1982, adding new wave and folk elements to their sound, proved to be an even bigger hit as it reached number two on the UK Albums Chart.

Their third album, Don’t Stand Me Down (1985), was not as popular and preceded a twenty-seven year wait until the release of their next, One Day I’m Going to Soar, released in 2012 under the shortened name Dexys. Their latest release comes seven years after their previous, Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul (2016), featuring, as the name suggests, interpretations of Irish compositions. The Feminine Divine therefore marks a highly anticipated return to releasing original material penned by the band itself and is sure to be met with excitement and glee by adoring fans and critics alike.

Watch ‘I’m Going To Get Free‘, a single from the new album, below:

In a press release the band have stated, “After taking some time out to refocus his energy, Kevin Rowland came back to music with a fresh perspective and new-found positivity”, adding that the new record is evidence of Rowland being “a man whose views have evolved over time ” and an unlearning of “the masculinity he had been raised with”.

Tickets for all tour dates are available to pre-order from April 14th here.

See below for the September tour dates:

05/09/2023 – Barbican – York
07/09 – Philharmonic – Liverpool
08/09 – Bridgewater Hall – Manchester
10/09- O2 City Hall – Newcastle
11/09 – Royal Concert Hall – Glasgow
13/09- St David’s Hall – Cardiff
14/09 – Regent Theatre – Ipswich
16/09 – The Halls- Wolverhampton
17/09 – Cliffs Pavilion – Southend
19/09 – Dome – Brighton
20/09 – Palladium – London
22/09- Forum – Bath
25/09- 3Olympia Theatre – Dublin

(photo credit: Sandra Vijandi)