The PoguestrA are back for the first time since the Summer with a song close to the hearts of the London Irish community especially. ‘London You’re A Lady’ one of the highlights of The Pogues fourth studio album Peace And Love.
The PoguestrA are a group of musicians united by a love of The Pogues playing together remotely. Listen on as they continue their quest to cover all our favourite Pogues songs!
Peace And Love was the first Pogues studio album that moved significantly away from traditional Irish music. Opening with the jazzy ‘Gridlock’ instrumental it was one of several songs where The Pogues expanded their repertoire. Nevertheless most of the album is inspired by Ireland even if the songs are about “the stinking roads” of London. ‘White City’ about the famed Greyhound racing stadium where many a poor Paddy saw his wages washed away, Jem Finer’s beautiful ‘Misty Morning, Albert Bridge’, a song previously covered by The PoguestrA and the song here, ‘London You’re a Lady’. The song is pretty standard for The Pogues in both melody and instrumentation and using the metaphor of a city or country being female wasn’t exactly groundbreaking but the song’s lyrics are a wonderful example of Shane MacGowan’s genius.
The boxer on the cover of the album was British Empire Games bronze medal winner, Hugh Cameron. In the picture he has five fingers (and a thumb!) on his right hand. The fifth finger was added by sleeve designer, Simon Ryan, to fit the word ‘PEACE’.
Philip Chevron said this about the song over on The Pogues Forum
“If ‘London You’re A Lady’ is based upon anything, it’s the work of the harper Turlough O’Carolan, but the title is a nod to the sentimental 1970’s pop song ‘Limerick, You’re A Lady’.”
It was thought by most reviewers and indeed most fans too I suspect that the album overall was disappointing compared to their three previous masterpieces. It is unfair to compare to those albums as time would tell and many of these songs would become both firm fan and live favourites. I think though that no song on the album resonated with their huge London Irish following as ‘London You’re A Lady’.
Phil further recalled in an interview on ShaneMacGowan.net.
“The band was going through a very volatile period at the time, people were having domestic issues; Darryl and I witnessed the Hillsborough Disaster” – in which where 94 people were crushed to death at a football match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in April 1989 – “and it has to be said that Shane – indeed, the whole band – was in better shape when we recorded the demos than when we cut the album. By then, disillusion, not to mention various drug cocktails, had set in.”
Peace And Love was released on 23 July 1989, and reached a very respectable #5 in the UK charts, eventually going gold. We leave the last word to the sadly missed Philip Chevron.
“In the event, I think Steve was trying to make a record as much for our record companies as for The Pogues. In an ideal world, these are not incompatible goals, as If I Should Fall From Grace previously proved, but I think this one collapsed under the weight of expectation as much as it suffered from our own flawed humanity. Yet, amazingly, it’s still a great album, however flawed. Besides, what else was there that month – the new Rick Astley?”
Ah, London, you’re a lady Laid out before my eyes Your golden heart as pulsing Between your scarred up thighs
*
Your eyes are full of sadness Red buses skirt your hem Your head-dress is a ring of lights But I would not follow them
*
Your architects were madmen And your builders sane but drunk But amidst your fading jewels Shine acid house and punk
*
You are a scarlet lady
Your streets run red with blood Oh, my darling they have used you And covered you with mud
*
It was deep down in your womb my love
I drank my quart of sin While Chinamen played cards and draughts And knocked back Mickey Finns
*
Your blood is like a river
Its scent is beer and gin Your hell is in the summer And you blossom in the spring
*
September is your purgatory
Christmas is your heaven When the stinking streets of summer Are washed away by rain
*
At the dark end of a lonely street That’s where you lose your pain ‘Tis then your eyes light up my love And sparkle once again
Musicians: Daniel Al-Ayoubi: Mandolin (Germany); Juan Brown: Tin Whistle, Vocals (Shetland Islands); Brandon Caylor: Mando-Guitar (California); Giacomo Chiaramonte: BanjoBass (Italy); “Virginia” Bill Francavilla: Mountain Dulcimer (Virginia, USA); ChrisGoddard: Fiddle (England); MattGoddard: Drums (England); Mark Hamilton: Guitar (Canada); Robin Hiermer: Vocals (Germany); Marc Hoper: Vocals (Germany)/Jeff Ingarfield: Vocals (England); Sean Larkin: Harmonica (England); Dave Keating: Mandolin (Chicago, Illinois, USA); Heather Macleod: Harp (Isle of Arran); Mattia Malusardi: Bouzouki (Italy); Vince Martini: Bass (California); Rick Nuttall: Vocals (England); Moisés Álvarez Rodríguez: Ukulele, Fiddle (Spain); Greg Roe: Irish Bouzouki (Santa Cruz, California); Daniele Rubertelli: Accordion, Vocals (Italy); Marcel van Bergen:Guitar (The Netherlands); Paddy Vervoort: Vocals (The Netherlands).
Audio and video editing by Marc Hoper. Released on St. Patrick’s Day 2023.
If you are interested in joining the PoguestrA for future songs then get in touch with the gang viaYouTube orFacebook
You can hear more about the recording of ‘London You’re A Lady’ and The PoguestrA over at Toooaloo Radio where they just released an interview with Marc Hoper of An Spiorad, Whiskerlad and The PoguestrA chatting about such stuff!
Thirty years on from the release of Black 47’s eponymous first album and a year after Volume One comes the second part of a trilogy of tribute albums celebrating this popular and most controversial of Celtic-Punk bands of whom Time magazine wrote in 1993
“the proletariat passion of Black 47’s songs that make the group stand out”.
Celebrating the songs of Larry Kirwan and Black 47 with Finbar Furey, Barleyjuice, Jonee Earthquake Band, Finny McConnell, Bangers And Mash, The PoguestrA and The Muckers and once again produced by Peter Walsh of The Gobshites and Larry Kirwan himself.
While not strictly a Celtic-Punk band their influence on Celtic-Punk, especially in the States, is immeasurable. A New York band made up of Irish expatriates playing a mixture of several genres but with traditional Celtic and Irish Folk music at its very core and led by the distinctive and talented songwriting of Larry Kirwan.
Taking their name from the year 1847 which was the worst period of An Gorta Mór / The Great Hunger when blight wiped out the potato crop the staple of the Irish working class diet. This blight caused famine in the land while all the time the British army escorted Irelkand’s numerous other crops, under armed guard, to the docks and away from Ireland. A conservative estimate puts the number killed between 1845 and 1850 as way more than the official figures of one million people and another two million forced into exile with most of them washing up to North America.
THE JONEE EARTHQUAKE BAND – ‘Who Killed Bobby Fuller?’
Punk-Rock pirates hailing from the Boston, Massachusetts playing a crazy mix of Surf, Country-Punk and Rockabilly… and whatever else they feel like playing! ‘Who Killed Bobby Fuller?’ was originally released by Black 47 on their second album, Home of the Brave, in 1994. Bobby was an American singer-songwriter best known for ‘Let Her Dance’ and his cover of the Crickets’ ‘I Fought the Law’ who was found dead in his car in Los Angeles in 1966 at only 23. One of the great unsolved Rock’n’Roll mystery songs!
Finbar Furey needs no introduction except to reiterate what a true legend of Irish music he really is. His song is ‘Mychal’ perhaps the highest emotional peak Black 47 ever reached. Written as a tribute to Father Mychal Judge a Franciscan friar and Catholic priest, who served as chaplain of the New York City Fire Department. On September 11, 2001 Fr. Mychal entered the North Tower of the World Trade Centre alongside other firefighters and rescue personnel. As the South Tower collapsed, debris flew through the North Tower lobby killing many including Fr. Mychal. Though many had perished before him, he was given the solemn honour of being designated Victim 0001 – the first recorded casualty of 9/11.
“When Larry asked me if I would sing this song, I told him I would be honoured. Mychal was a wonderful human being who did so much for the people of New York and never left their side in their darkest hour. A beautiful song for a beautiful man.“
BARLEYJUICE – ‘Celtic Rocker’
Barleyjuice are a nationally-known Celtic Rock band from Philadelphia who play mainly original but also a few traditional Irish music. Their songs over seven albums have been heard in movies, TV and radio programmes for over twenty years.
FINNY McCONNELL- ‘I Got Laid On James Joyce’s Grave’
Another legend of Irish music Finny has been making music with premier league Canadian Celtic-Punk knock-outs The Mahones since 1990 over a dozen studio albums plus several other full players. Finny finally branched out on his own last year recording his first solo album The Dark Streets Of Love.
Formed in 2003 in Suffolk County, New York Bangers And Mash have a personal recommendation from Larry Kirwan- “If you’re looking for a band with strong songs who can rev up the party and get punters dancing, you should have Bangers and Mash on your menu. Guaranteed to go well with Guinness and good times!”
The PoguestrA is a group of musically diverse musicians from across the world united by a love of The Pogues playing together remotely. Tending to usually only record Pogues related material here they branch out to take in another of Black 47’s more popular and well known songs. Always on the lookout for new members feel free to contact them and join the gang.
After Hours 2 comes to an end with another of the Celtic-Punk scene’s favourite bands The Muckers. A five-piece Celtic-Folk-Punk band from Atlanta. With a strong emphasis on Irish music, the band also blends influences of Gypsy music, sea shanties, Country, Rockabilly, and plenty more!
Another top notch production from Valley Entertainment and we await Volume Three eagerly. Their are links included for a variety of places to order from but if possible get it from the label directly instead of funding vultures who make money out of other peoples hard work and risks.
Released by Valley Entertainment. Independent record label based in New York City. The label includes an eclectic repertoire with focus on singer-songwriters, modern Irish musicians and World music.
Volume 1 of the trilogy featured 7 more songs from Larry Kirwan and Black 47 by Celtic Cross, Pat McGuire, Screaming Orphans, The Gobshites, Rory K, Gary Óg and Martin Furey.
Taking their name from the year 1847 which was the worst period of An Gorta Mór / The Great Hunger when blight wiped out the potato crop the staple of the Irish working class diet. This blight caused famine in the land while all the time the British army escorted Irelkand’s numerous other crops, under armed guard, to the docks and away from Ireland. A conservative estimate puts the number killed 
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