“Hello Toronto! It’s been too long. Way, way, way too long.”
So said Spider Stacy on Wednesday night as he addressed the crowd at History, where he and The Pogues took to the stage as part of their current tour celebrating 40 years of their classic album Rum Sodomy & the Lash. And while it’s true that it had been a few years since the Irish folk punk legends had last graced our fair city, the old saying about absence making the heart grow fonder certainly applied here, as fans were out in full force, ready to party. Happily, The Pogues delivered, offering a high-energy, joyous performance as they ran through the album in full, bonus tracks and all.
With a large ensemble of musicians onstage, the sound was suitably big and lush as the band delivered songs like “Jesse James,” “The Body of an American” and “A Pistol for Paddy Garcia” with the appropriate amount of gusto. And while the late Shane McGowan was certainly missed, the rotating cast of vocalists filled in admirably, with Stacy taking the lead on several numbers alongside the likes of John Francis Flynn, Lisa O’Neill and Iona Zajac.
Flynn delivered one of the standout moments of the entire evening with a beautiful and brilliant rendition of “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda,” one of the all-time great anti-war songs. As he took to the stage to perform the song, Stacy joked that while it was good to see him again, he was also sad because he knew which song was coming next.
While Flynn’s performance of the Eric Bogle-penned classic was a definite highlight, out of all the vocalists, it was Lisa O’Neill who really stole the show, adding the right kind of energy and attitude as she took the lead on tunes like “Dirty Old Town” and “Dark Streets of London.”
As the time came for the encore, the core Pogues trio of Spider Stacy, Jem Finer and James Fearnley first took to the stage alone for a bow before bringing out the rest of the band, whom they referred to as “our children,” adding, “These are the ones who actually do all the work.”
And while they may have been showing a little humility with that comment, it truly was an impressive group of performers. Stacking their backing band with plenty of established Irish musicians, many of them with solo careers of their own, was a smart move on the Pogues’ part as it not only brought those old tunes to life perfectly, but also helped to shine the spotlight on some deserving artists. Odds are that after seeing them with The Pogues, a decent number of folks are going to investigate the likes of Lisa O’Neill, John Francis Flynn and Daragh Lynch’s band Lankum (who Spider Stacey said “changed the world” at one point, jokingly adding, “thankfully not in their own image”). And while I was familiar with each of those artists beforehand, prior to this show, Iona Zajac was largely unknown to me. Rest assured, I will be digging into her back catalogue as she made a great impression, particularly with her lead vocal on “The Parting Glass.”
While it may have been a while since The Pogues’ last visit to Toronto, they certainly made it worth our while with a fantastic show that served as a reminder of why these songs have endured for 40 years and counting. Here’s hoping it won’t be another “too long” wait before we get to do it all over again.
